Teresa Stieben: Hidden Secrets

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Teresa Stieben, "Hidden Secrets," 2022

Delicately woven and knotted, hundreds of mandalas made from yarn and thread will flow from wall to wall in the Art Gallery of St. Albert’s feature exhibition staircase gallery from August 9 to November 5. Hidden Secrets by Edmonton’s Teresa Stieben is an immersive fibre-art installation that will envelope viewers, offering a gentle atmosphere of healing and peace.

For Teresa, Hidden Secrets makes visible her long journey towards recovery from traumas suffered in both her deep and more recent past. “Mandala weaving takes one to an inner space of peace, to the centre of creativity where calm is absent of thought. It is in this place of quiet surrender that healing comes. Mandalas made with good intent are meant to bless a space.” – Teresa Stieben, 2021

Some of the woven mandalas are small, as delicate as spider webs, while others are much larger. They are crafted from a mix of donated and reclaimed commercial threads and richly textured hand spun yarns. The mandalas surround life sized feminine figures. Torsos and masks are moulded by hand from paper and leather, cradled in repurposed blankets and lace. Fibre and fabrics hold memory and these forms hint at a past that informs but no longer defines Stieben.

Staircases, by their nature, are spaces of transition. As viewers experience this space, Hidden Secrets will surround them with a sense of calm, courage and hard-won joy. Stieben hopes her work will gently embolden those who need it, supporting them along their own journeys.

Events:

-Reception/ Artwalk – September 1 from 6-8:30 pm

-Virtual tour with curator – August 24 and September 22 at noon.

-Healing Mandala Weaving with Teresa Stieben – September 8 from 6-7:30pm (part of Alberta Culture Days Festival) Start at the Art Gallery of St. Albert for a look at the Hidden Secrets exhibition and the many mandalas created by Stieben in her ongoing journey of healing and recovery. Then head to the studios in St. Albert Place to learn the basics of creating your own unique woven mandala.