“Bales & Pappageorge,” through August 8

Through Friday, August 8

Quad City Arts Center, 1715 Second Avenue, Rock Island IL

Art you can view and art you can wear (though not during its local showcase) will be celebrated at the Quad City Arts Center gallery through August 8, with the Rock Island venue proud to host the collective exhibition Bales & Pappageorge: an arresting showcase of sculptural fashion by Judy Bales and fiber wall pieces by Louise Pappageorge.

Based in Fairfield, Iowa, Bales works in the intersection of sculpture, fiber art, fashion, and installation work. She creates wearable pieces of art that defy expectations by pairing soft fiber with structural forms and span a wide range of global and historical influences. Bales pushes the boundaries of fashion with each finished object, continually experimenting with new themes and materials. This unique collection received support from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Authority.

Pappageorge, of Three Oaks, Michigan, guilds structural lace and crochet forms in metal leaf, elevating skills associated with women’s work that have long been dismissed as merely functional or decorative. Her body of work explores gender biases within the world of fine art through a feminist lens, comparing delicacy with strength and tradition with innovation. Pappageorge describes her work as masculine and feminine as well as “a metaphor of transformation, renewal, and immortality."

In their shared Quad City Arts exhibition, Bales and Pappageorge pair well together to form a dynamic show that challenges tradition while simultaneously paying homage to the generations of craftswomen, designers, and artists who have preceded them.

Bales & Pappageorge will be on display through August 8, regular gallery hours are Mondays through Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free. For more information, call (309)793-1213 and visit QuadCityArts.com.