The Huntington Beach Art Center opened its galleries to a statewide juried exhibition that reframes textiles and soft sculpture as contemporary visual language. “California Fibers: The Languages of Fiber” runs through Oct. 24 and brings together work by artists across the state while highlighting contributions from Huntington Beach and nearby communities.
Fiber as communication
Dan Faltz, the art center’s senior cultural arts supervisor, said the exhibition ties local programming to broader networks in the craft world. Curated by Suzanne Isken, who led Craft Contemporary as executive director from 2011-23, the show asks visitors to read fiber pieces as carriers of meaning — through structure, material and process.
In her curatorial statement, Isken wrote that textiles have historically encoded cultural knowledge and identity, and that contemporary artists continue to expand those traditions into new abstract forms. The exhibition is also part of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, an initiative led by the nonprofit Craft in America marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Works on view and local ties
The exhibition includes a range of approaches to fiber. One large-scale piece by Ashley V. Blalock of San Diego — a bright red cotton yarn construction titled “Keeping Up Appearances” — drew a laugh from Faltz when he described it as “Grandma’s doily meets Spider-Man.” Blalock herself acknowledged that viewers’ associations will vary by generation, noting that some people recognize doilies while younger viewers might see spiderwebs.
Huntington Beach artist Peggy Wiedemann is also represented in the show; her work “Disguise” is on display at the art center. The combination of local talent alongside artists from across California reflects the juried nature of the exhibition and the intent to raise the profile of the Huntington Beach Art Center through this statewide collaboration, Faltz said.
- Exhibition: California Fibers: The Languages of Fiber
- Location: Huntington Beach Art Center
- Runs through: Oct. 24
- Juror/Curator: Suzanne Isken
- Part of: Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026
“If structure is the syntax of fiber’s language, then diction is its texture, rhythm, pattern and form,” Isken wrote in a note about the show.
Public programming and significance
The art center scheduled an opening reception from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, offering an opportunity for visitors to meet artists and view works in person. Organizers framed the exhibition as an intersection of local, statewide and national initiatives — an occasion to celebrate craft while bringing attention to the Huntington Beach venue.
Faltz described the exhibition as a chance for the center to elevate its profile by hosting a show that intersects a local roster of artists with a broader California Fibers organization and the national Handwork 2026 effort. For visitors, the pieces on view offer an invitation to reconsider familiar materials and domestic histories as contemporary artistic language.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exhibition title | California Fibers: The Languages of Fiber |
| Curator | Suzanne Isken |
| Runs through | Oct. 24 |
| Opening reception | 6:30–9 p.m. Saturday |
Local audiences familiar with textile traditions may find echoes of family histories and domestic craft practices in the work; younger visitors may instead be drawn to the sculptural and abstract qualities of materials reimagined at gallery scale. In either case, the show emphasizes that fiber continues to function as a form of cultural expression and experimentation across generations and regions.
The Huntington Beach Art Center is presenting the exhibition for the next couple of months, creating a platform for area residents to engage with contemporary fiber art as part of a larger statewide and national conversation about craft.
