I recently was fortunate enough to see the exhibition “Transformations,” of work by Nancy MacKenzie at the St. Catherine University’s Catherine G. Murphy Gallery in St. Paul. I have seen Nancy’s work on several occasions, and once had the opportunity to hear her speak many years ago at the Textile Center. I am grateful I was able to meet her, and later, her artist daughter, Erica Spitzer Rasmussen.

Nancy passed away last October, and Erica curated this exhibition of her work at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery. To learn more about Nancy, you can read what the Textile Center wrote about her huge impact on the local textile scene and beyond. For more about her life, see the Star Tribune.

Erica chose works from two families of Nancy’s work. The fabric pieces are primarily composed of onion bags and the like, gathered from around the world (I remember this from her talk). Click on any image to see them larger.

The basket-like wall pieces are constructed of various flexible branches and waxed linen twine.

Some of these works I had seen before, and some were new to me. I love them all.