"Celebration Threads: New Twists" by Robert Hillestad

By Suzanne Smith Arney

Robert Hillestad’s fiber exhibition is a heady extravagance of color and texture. “Celebration Threads” is a fitting title for this banquet of masterworks created since 1997. “I have long regarded working with textiles as a celebration unto itself,” says Hillestad. “Some of my most joyful moments are embedded in the pieces I create.” It’s easy to sense the passion worked into every stitch of these garments, accessories, and two- and three-dimensional artwork. You can imagine the feel of silks, velvet, rayon and wool in your fingers. Cut into bias strips, they come alive and dance with the slightest provocation. They may even fly!

“Meadowlark in Fiber” is a fantastic transformation of fabric into feathers. Commissioned by The Lark Society for their 2007 season of the Meadowlark Music Festival, Hillestad set about to materialize the dramatis persona of Nebraska’s state bird. Referring to an Audubon print and working on both layers simultaneously, Hillestad constructed an inner structure and knitted the outer layer in a complex knit-loop stitch he has made his own. He used an assortment of silk yarns and fabric strips, chosen particularly for their color suitability or dyed for this project. He rubbed the fabric edges to achieve a feathery effect, and knitted all of these textures into a multilayered homage to “the prairie musician.” A self-proclaimed authority declared that Hillestad had woven real feathers into the costume. The transformation was complete, at least in her eyes. On one memorable evening, dancer Daniel Kubert wore the costume, bringing it to life in a prairie setting.

Hillestad has described his intuitive construction process in this way: “The medium of textiles and I become partners. Sometimes I take the lead by providing direction for what will happen next. At other times, characteristics of the materials and techniques guide me along. As partners, we form a symbiotic relationship. The pace of our interaction starts out slowly as each responds to the other. As we work together, rhythms develop, patterns emerge and art forms evolve. It is an exhilarating process which I refer to as choreography in fiber, the dance of textiles.”

Another intensely evocative piece in this exhibition is “Conversations with Maida,” the sculptural embodiment of a Bosnian refugee’s description of her escape from war’s nightmare. It was commissioned for the Lincoln Arts Council’s 2006 public arts project, Stories of Home. Working on a triangular loom, Hillestad wove and knitted linen, rayon and cotton yarns. (The Bosnian flag features a yellow triangle.) Creating imagined weight on her shoulders and various entanglements, he added ropes, fish net and other objects, hand and machine embroidery, and dye painting. “As [Maida] unraveled the details of her life experiences, I sorted them out and interpreted their essence,” says Hillestad. “I regard ‘Conversations with Maida’ as my most profound piece of work.”

“Celebration Threads” guest curator is Mary Zicafoose, herself a widely respected fiber artist. She writes, “After traveling through Robert Hillestad’s textiles, you must sense that this body of work is much more than a visual feast. It is a sacrament, a tribute to the human’s predilection and fascination for dressing for both life and afterlife. This gallery has become a shrine and Robert Hillestad has created vestments for the celebration of the soul.”

Much of Hillestad’s inspiration comes from nature—the plumage of birds, the mystery of geodes, the grace of fish. This exhibition includes several examples of wall art, among his newest work, and “When All Is Said and Done” and “There Is More to Say and Do” make a cyprinid diptych. They are hand painted with dye, as well as silk threads, hand stitching, machine embroidery and pleating. “Conversations with Maida,” and other pieces, includes small, stuffed rounds Hillestad calls “fiber berries.” “Celebration of Pleats,” 1999, a shibori organdy coat, reminds me of an elegant Japanese camellia. For Hillestad, nature’s ongoing change, the concept of creative flow, the rhythm of transformation and the nature of process are all welcome invitations to the celebration of life.

Beverly Gordon, in her monograph essay, describes Hillestad as “an artist who is even more interested in the making process than the final product… He starts with ideas and materials, then works spontaneously, letting the work take him in unexpected directions. As he puts it, ‘Process is a way of thinking.’” This is wonderfully expressed in “Celebration Scarf,” with its knitting needle and umbilical yarn.

For all the fabulous offerings, the temptations to touch and wonder, the technical skills to decipher—despite all these very real threats to one’s time schedule, the most valuable and vitalizing creation is represented by the honorific title of the gallery, The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery. Hillestad is himself an ongoing masterpiece created over a lifetime of practice. The announcement was made at the time of his retirement, in 1996. The following spring a membership support group, Friends of the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery, was formed. The Friends, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Textiles, Clothing & Design Depart­ment and Hillestad organized a memorable dedication, with the inaugural show a solo exhibition of his work.

Now professor emeritus of textiles, clothing and design, Hillestad continues a supportive and inspiring presence on campus. In January, he was presented with the 2007 Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Arts Education. In March, he was recognized with the Doc Elliott Award. Sponsored by the Nebraska Alumni Association, the award is presented annually to a retired faculty or staff member whose caring has made a difference in the lives of alumni and who has gone beyond traditional expectations at UNL. The nomination came from Jeannine Falter, a Duncan Aviation vice president who included these words—“When I met Rob as a young freshman student in 1974, I had no idea that this dynamic and energetic, kind and compassionate, creative and talented man would become a life-long friend and mentor. Rob’s ability to connect with others and encourage and inspire excellence in others has impacted thousands of UNL students and alumni over the years. His rich and colorful textile art brings joy and life to all who see it.”

Hillestad and fellow UNL retiree Audrey Newton were instrumental in organizing one of the first European textile-and-apparel study tours with stays in Paris and London and visits to fashion capitals in Milan, Florence, Venice, Berlin, Rome, Madrid and southern France. He has participated in more than 100 juried and invitational shows. His artwork is part of many corporate, private and museum collections and in more than 50 publications in print and electronic media. Yet this internationally renowned fiber artist is quiet and well mannered, attentive to the needs and comforts of others, active in community art projects, and both challenging and nurturing to his own creative spirit.

Jean B. Mills, an Omaha fiber artist, recently paid her first visit to the gallery. “Having just moved from the Pacific Northwest, where fiber art is abundant, I was surprised and thrilled to discover The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery. Though unpretentious in location, its exhibition schedule is of the finest quality. The intimate space allows visitors the ability to be surrounded by the art and truly experience its beauty and wonder.”

The gallery is located in the Home Economics Building on UNL’s East Campus. (It’s just a block or so east of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum. You can pick up a map and an ice cream at the landmark Dairy Store.) Admission is free. Information about the gallery can be found at textilegallery.unl.edu or by calling 402-472-2911.

“Celebration Threads: New Twists” by Robert Hillestad continues through Sept. 5. On Aug. 24, a fete is planned to release a monograph entitled “Robert Hillestad: A Textiles Journey.” It features the artist’s work and career, including lush illustrations, invited essays by Beverly Gordon and Jo Ann Stabb and a narrative by the artist. The book, published by The Friends of the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery, will be for sale.

Visitors to the Aug. 24 reception, will also be able to purchase Hillestad’s creations, including wool and silk shibori scarves, twisted yarn accessories and other hand-dyed work. This sale will be a fundraising activity for The Friends of the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery, with 100 percent of the purchase price donated to the Friends who support the mission of the gallery.

All photos and images in this article are courtesy of the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery and Wendy Weiss, unless otherwise noted.

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