A Body of Work: Explorations in Weaving, A Solo Exhibition by Renee Baumann

A Body of Work: Explorations in Weaving
Opening Reception: Friday, October 17 · 5–7 PM
Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts – Art Studio Building, Maplecrest, NY

Announcing a new exhibit in October — A Body of Work: Explorations in Weaving, a solo exhibition by Renee Baumann, at the Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts.

This exhibition showcases new works woven from plant materials harvested in the Catskills, including willow, bark, and cattail. In this body of work traditional techniques, forms, and materials live alongside contemporary artistic expressions, highlighting the interplay of woven form, function, and the human body. Often dismissed as insubstantial, baskets have been crafted by humans for longer than written language or agriculture itself. Baskets have supported daily life as tools for nearly every use from farming and cooking to construction. In these new works, Renee draws from the deep well of traditional weaving techniques and material knowledge while exploring woven plants as a contemporary medium, embodying human labor and an intertwined relationship with the natural world.

Visitors are invited not only to view the work but also to engage both with raw materials and with the completed woven pieces. Traditional baskets can be handled in the ways they were historically used—straining potatoes, winnowing and more—alongside opportunities to experience the complex processes and beautiful plant materials at the heart of this ancient craft.

Exhibition Dates:
Opening reception Friday October 17th 5-7pm. Exhibition will be open to the public Saturday & Sunday, October 18–19 and 25–26 from 12–5 PM, or by appointment. To schedule an off-hours viewing please contact Renee directly.