Exhibits and Awards
Convergence® is a highly anticipated, biennial opportunity to view hundreds of juried fiber art in a variety of exhibition settings.
On-Site Fiber Art Exhibits
Juried Exhibits
Enter your artwork to be seen on the world's stage. Small Expressions will be on view July 2022 at the UT Downtown Gallery and all other exhibitions will be on view July 15 - 18, 2022 at the Knoxville Convention Center.
A prospectus for each exhibit including description, requirements, juror, entry fees and deadlines is available online. As always, entry fees for HGA individual, family, and professional artist members are discounted. Students with proof of enrollment at an accredited institution will receive complimentary entry.
- Small Expressions 2022 is an annual touring juried exhibit of small-scale fiber art not to exceed 15 inches (38cm) in any direction.
- Seasons of the Smokies, Wearable Art Exhibit features the work of juried and invitational artists, including the Student Fashion Design Challenge wearable art fashions. Any fiber arts technique may be used. Exhibit will be displayed first in a runway fashion show and then as a traditional exhibit.
- Dogwood to Kudzu, Basketry Exhibit, sponsored by Marcy Petrini and Terry Dwyer, features functional or nonfunctional, traditional or nontraditional forms in basketry techniques.
- Vistas along the Appalachian Trail, Yardage Exhibit is open to lengths of constructed and or embellished yardage. Any fiber arts technique may be used.
- Symphony of the Mountains, Mixed Media Exhibit is open to work created in any media using a fiber arts technique.
Competition and Exhibit
Skein Competition and Exhibit, sponsored by The Natural Twist, LLC
A spinning competition: Skeins will be judged on criteria including overall appearance, singles, plying, dyeing/blending, and appropriate presentation. Register Now. Download complete Guidelines
Invitational Exhibits
Leaders Exhibit, sponsored by Eugene Textile Center
Features recent works created by the Convergence 2022 Leaders who teach and inspire in all areas of art.
Interns Exhibit, sponsored by the 2018-2019 HGA Board of Directors
Features recent works created by the Convergence 2022 Interns who are students enrolled in accredited fiber arts programs in North America - be sure to see these works from the next generation of fiber artists.
Sponsor a Cash Prize
To sponsor a cash prize contact Programs@WeaveSpinDye.org
Off-Site Fiber Art Exhibits
Knoxville
UT Downtown Gallery: Small Expressions 2022
Small Expressions is an annual juried exhibition produced by the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. and showcasing contemporary small-scale works (not to exceed 15 inches in any direction) using fiber techniques in any media. Small in scale but visually compelling, this exhibit features work that speaks to the intricacy of expression, intimacy of design, thoughtful communication, and visual excitement. The artists in this exhibit create a big impact through small pieces.
| Dates: | July 13, 2022 – August 12, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 14, 2022 (invitational) |
| Exhibition Hours: | Wednesdays – Fridays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Address: | 106 S. Gay Street; Knoxville, Tennessee |
Art Market Gallery: Fiber Artist Showcase
Featured artists: Elle Colquitt (Quilter), Elaine Fronczek (Felt), Harriet Howell (Silk Painting), Carol Pritchett (Weaving)
| Dates: | July 1, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 1, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Tuesdays – Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 422 S. Gay Street; Knoxville, Tennessee |
The Arrowmont Gallery in Knoxville
| Dates: | July 15, 2022 – July 18, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Friday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday – Monday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m |
| Address: | 110 S. Gay Street; Knoxville, Tennessee |
Emporium: Knoxville Arts and Culture Alliance: Five Fiber Art Shows
Tiny but Mighty (American Tapestry Alliance); Weaving on the Hill: Work from the Appalachian Center for Craft (Appalachian Center for Craft); Complexity: Innovations in Weaving (Complex Weavers); Recycled Clothing (Judi Gaston studio); and Seven Guilds Strong (Tennessee Weaving Guilds)
| Dates: | July 1, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 1, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Mondays – Fridays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. |
| Address: | 100 S. Gay Street; Knoxville, Tennessee |
Knoxville Museum of Art: Women Artists: Highlights from the Hunter Museum of American Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art celebrates East Tennessee’s rich, diverse visual culture and its connections to the wider currents of world art. Women Artists: Highlights from the Hunter Museum of American Art (April 22 – July 24) celebrates work by contemporary American female artists. Since 2000, the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga has prioritized the acquisition of works by women artists from around the United States, who have long lagged behind their male counterparts when it comes to museum-level recognition. Between 2008 and 2018, works by women constituted just 11 percent of acquisitions and 14 percent of exhibitions at 26 major American museums. Currents: Women Artists from the KMA Collection (May 13 – August 14). This exhibition, a special edition of the KMA’s permanent installation Currents: Recent Art from East Tennessee and Beyond, pays tribute to contemporary women artists represented in the collection of the Knoxville Museum of Art. Admission and parking are free.
| Dates: | April 22, 2022 – August 13, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 1, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Tuesdays – Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 1050 World's Fair Park; Knoxville, Tennessee |
The Gallery at Mighty Mud Studios: Woven, Felted, Sculpted and Crowned
Don't miss this show which will include woven works, felted works, handmade fabrics and large sculptural installations at this lovely bright gallery near the heart of downtown Knoxville. Four Artists including Rose Downs (Weaver, Spinner, Ceramic), Christal Yost (Fiber, Mixed Media), Siobian Jones (Hair Sculpture), and Vasanto (Hatmaker, Felter, Fiber) will contribute.
| Dates: | July 1, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 1, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Tuesdays – Fridays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 126 Jennings Avenue; Knoxville, Tennessee |
Regional
Appalachian Arts Craft Center: Tuesday Weavers Featured Artists
Tuesday Weavers is a group that meets each week to weave on looms at the center, learning and challenging each other to be the best weavers they can be. They specialize in teaching beginning weavers and opening their eyes to the wonderful world of fiber.
| Dates: | July 1, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 19, 2022 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) |
| Exhibition Hours: | Mondays – Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 2716 Andersonville Hwy; Clinton, Tennessee |
Appalachian Center for Craft: Summer Artist Instructors including seven fiber artists
The Appalachian Center for Craft is a campus of the nationally accredited School of Art, Craft & Design at Tennessee Tech University. ACC is dedicated to promoting excellence in American craft by teaching both tradition and innovation in professional studio craft, and fostering access to the highest quality craft education, craft artists, craft works and events in a community arts context. The Craft Center Gallery features artwork created by more than 150 regional and national artists and hosts rotating exhibitions throughout the year.
| Exhibition Hours: | Mondays – Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 1560 Craft Center Drive; Smithville, Tennessee |
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts: 2022 Instructor Exhibition, Artists in Residents, and Threads from the Permanent Collection
2022 Instructor Exhibition on exhibit in the Sandra Blain Gallery May 23 - July 22; Artists in Residents on exhibit in the Wolpert Gallery June 27 - July 31; Threads from the Permanent Collection on exhibit in the Drown Wood Gallery May 23 - July 22.
| Dates: | May 23, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Mondays – Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 566 Parkway; Gatlinburg, Tennessee |
The Burow Museum at the Exchange Place Historic Site and Living History Farm: Textile Traditions of the Mountain South: Antique Drafts, Rocker Beater Looms, and Natural Dye Surprises!
The Exchange Place is an antebellum era working farm, named for its role in the exchange of horses and currency. Its Burow Museum will be exhibiting a natural dye exhibit, two restored rocker beater looms, and weavings of antique drafts which came in a box with the first loom bought for Exchange Place. The dye display has examples of yarn dyed with plants from fields, forests, and gardens of Appalachia. Also included are fibers dyed with extracts and kitchen supplies. Wednesday, July 20 through Saturday, July 23, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., members of the Overmountain Weaver’s Guild will be on site to give tours. The tour charge of $5/person helps with the restoration of the Exchange Place 1850 buildings and the care of their heritage-breed livestock.
| Dates: | April 30, 2022 – December 3, 2022 (by appointment) |
| Exhibition Hours: | Wednesday, July 20 – Saturday, July 23 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Address: | 4812 Orebank Road; Kingsport, Tennessee |
Cliff Dwellers Gallery: Featured Fiber Artists
In a historic building dating from the 1930's, fifty Tennessee artists make their creative home. Beginning as a fiber cooperative in 1988, the Gallery has grown to include all artistic media from pottery, to painting, to marbling, baskets, chair caning, wood-turning and more. Daily demonstrations in the Upstairs Studio.
| Dates: | July 1, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Mondays – Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 668 Glades Road; Gatlinburg, Tennessee |
Denso Art Gallery at Maryville College: Three Voices Tapestry Exhibit
Featuring artists Tommye Scanlin, Pat Williams, and Jennifer Sargent
| Dates: | July 1, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 16, 2022 (2 p.m. to 4 p.m.) |
| Exhibition Hours: | Mondays – Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway; Maryville, Tennessee |
Townsend Artisan Guild Gallery and Studios: Featured Fiber Artists in the Gallery and Studios
The Guild is pleased to be able to feature our fiber artists—weavers, felters, silk painters, thread painters, and crocheters—for the month of July. Their work will be on display as well as three studios open for visiting. On July 9th, the artists will be demonstrating their work and looking forward to meeting the participants of Convergence.
| Dates: | July 7, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 9, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Mondays, Thursdays – Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 7719 East Lamar Alexander Parkway; Townsend, Tennessee |
Oak Ridge Art Center: Fabric of Memory
Memories are the fabric of our lives. Our experiences are woven together on the warp of time to create a tapestry of meaning: sometimes coming together to form a clear picture in one’s mind; sometimes waiting to be resolved, or unraveling. For some, fabric can hold memories – your grandmother’s quilt, the dress you wore to prom, the baby booties you knit for your first child, even the wine stain on your best tablecloth. Each represents a memory spun into the fabric of one’s life.
| Dates: | July 9, 2022 – August 19, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 9, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Saturdays – Mondays 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays - Fridays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Address: | 201 Badger Avenue; Oak Ridge, Tennessee |
Oak Ridge Library: Fiber Arts Display
Featuring the works of Judie Dysart artists books, Cassie Dixon linen and silk processing, Appalachian Center for Craft, Southern Highland Craft Guild, and Foothills Guild.
| Dates: | July 9, 2022 – July 31, 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 9, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Mondays – Thursdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Address: | 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike; Oak Ridge, Tennessee |
Smoky Mountain Spinnery: Featured Fiber Artists
Frances Fox, Mary Jo Gayer, Victoria Walker, Hannah Therrien: hand spun, hand dyed, crochet and woven garments.
| Dates: | July 2022 |
| Opening Reception: | July 2, 2022 |
| Exhibition Hours: | Call for info |
| Address: | 466 Brookside Village Way; Gatlinburg, Tennessee |
Juried Exhibit Awards
- Cash prizes provided by HGA include: First Place ($500), Second Place ($250), and Third Place ($100) for awards totaling $850+.
- Additional Honors and/or cash prizes may be sponsored by individuals or groups.
- Winning pieces will be published in Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot magazine.
- Winning pieces will be featured on HGA's Instagram and Facebook.
Entry Fees per Piece
- $0 - Students (with HGA Student membership or proof of current enrollment)
- $17 - HGA Members
- $25 - Non-HGA Members
February 5, 2020 - Symphony of the Mountains, Mixed Media Exhibition
February 12, 2020 - Vistas along the Appalachian Trail, Yardage Exhibition
February 26, 2020 - Seasons of the Smokies, Wearable Art Exhibition
March 4, 2020 - Dogwood to Kudzu, Basketry Exhibition
