Rachelle Leblanc is unabashedly hooked on rugs and people are really starting to take notice.
The St. Albert-based rug hooker, a recent nominee for the Alberta Craft Council’s Excellence Award and a new addition to its list of represented artists, is now in the limelight once again.
That organization has nominated her as one of six finalists for the People’s Choice Award for the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts in Edmonton. Executive director Tom Fall explained why she was chosen over the almost 100 other council members for the award.
“Rug hooking is an old traditional thing that has pretty much died out. It used to have rural roots which involved recycling materials. Rachelle has revived and contemporized in a way that is really quite original and especially unique to the area,” he said, adding there are only a few people on the continent who do it.
“Narrative and portraiture were never part of rug hooking. In fact, even figurative things weren’t very common in traditional rug hooking. They were more floral or pattern things. To adapt that into these pieces — stories of intimate moments of children picking apples or even sitting on the beach — is quite interesting and original.”
From Leblanc’s perspective, she is really just floating on cloud nine.
“I don’t even have words. I’m just really surprised that they like my work enough to nominate me even before my show is there,” she said, referring to her upcoming solo show at the Alberta Craft Council Gallery from July 16 to Aug. 27. “It means a tremendous amount.”
She is still relatively new to her field but has gained much notoriety and acclaim. She said it’s all just a thrill.
“It is! It is! It’s hard to keep up though,” she laughed, adding she has a busy schedule with all that’s going on. “I don’t clean my house.”
Originally from Québec, she gained experience in the fashion industry for two decades before fate put a crochet hook in her hands in 2003. She became enthralled with the intricacy of the hook works she saw at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.
She then taught herself how to make her own rugs, always with a mind on visual appeal. She admits to being a big fan of the Impressionists and it shows. Her works definitely make an impression.
The People’s Choice Award will be voted on by the audience in attendance at the 24th Annual Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts event on April 11 and handed out during the ceremony. She is up against other nominees including Debra Bachman Smith, Daniele Petit, Ulrike Rossier, Kelsey Stephenson and James Trevelyan.
In addition to her solo show, she will also be participating in a show at the Fibreworks Gallery in Medeira Park, B.C. from June 18 to July 31.
To see more of her work, visit her website at www.hookedrugstudio.com.
