Rug Art - Rescued From Oblivion
A Hooked Rug Museum of North America Research project
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Rug Art-RESCUED FROM OBLIVION is a delightful tale of discovery, but a sad reflection on the lack of preservation of North America's most endangered art form that has literally and figuratively been "tramped on" for much too long.
Abandoned for more than half a century in the basement of a damp and mould filled former New Glasgow, Nova Scotia rug pattern factory, a determined research team found amazing pen and ink rug art created by an artist who is said to have studied in the same New York art class with noted folk artist Norman Rockwell.
Under a leaking sewage pipe in that same factory they unearthed amazing hand cut Mystery stencils that are now rewriting the arts heritage . Their discovery heralds the oldest known commercial designs recovered in Canada, and possibly in North America and a unique pattern printing system hitherto unknown.
The searchers found, and rescued from imminent oblivion some 550 pieces of original pen and ink art created by the 1892 factory founder John Garrett and his son Frank. In acquiring remnants of the oldest known rug pattern factory in the world (1892) they also unearthed three unique hand-carved full size rug pattern blocks and a mass of records of early pattern designs from across North America.
An intriguing bonus was the salvaging of some 300 hand cut stencils created by a talented unknown artist. Measuring only 3x5" in size-each contained two rug pattern designs. Designated the MYSTERY PATTERNS
preliminary research indicates they are the oldest Canadian rug designs ever discovered and possibly the oldest in the world.
About the Author
The research team of Suzanne and Hugh Conrod witnessed the frustrations of a continent of rug hookers as the heritage of their art was slighted and distorted over some three centuries. Channelling their combined skills they ignited a "Hands Across the Border" fire to save for posterity the remnants of North America's oldest original art form introduced by European settlement. An award winning teacher of the National Guild of the Pearl K. McGown Rug Handkrafters , Suzanne brought to the team an in depth knowledge of the utilitarian craft's evolvement to a fine art and a burning passion to honor those humble rural pioneers who laboriously created floor and bed coverings to improve life on a new frontier. With the freedom provided by retirement she and her husband Hugh researched whether sufficient rug hooking heritage still remained in existence to warrant an international museum. What the couple documented over six years has led to amazing discoveries and unveiled a story of this endangered art that even Museum and Art experts overlooked. They saved for posterity the remnants of an 1892 rug pattern factory, rescued some 550 pieces of original pen and ink rug art and more than 300 miniature hand cut stencils from oblivion and Identified a secret method of pattern making devised a century ago to be housed in an International Museum of Rug Hooking, soon to open. Hugh contributed writing skills of 23 years and in heritage research as a former Museum Board member, He authored a number of books including ATHENE- Goddess of War, the history of the Canadian Women's Army Corps. Rug Art-RESCUED FROM OBLIVION is in reality only the first Chapter in their in depth examination of how neglect has almost cost North America's most endangered art to be lost forever.