Oregon Artist Kristy Kún to Install Large-Scale Fiber Art in Sisters Library

(Kristy Kún | Photo courtesy of Deschutes Public Library)

Oregon artist Kristy Kún brings her dynamic textile art to the Sisters Library on December 16 as part of the Deschutes Public Library District’s building renovations and new construction work. An artist reception from 12-1:30pm will give the public a chance to meet Kún, discuss her work and get a first look at the installation.

Kún’s piece is constructed of hand-made felt and fibers and will be installed in the Sisters Library’s newly renovated community room. It was commissioned specifically for the Sisters Library, and Kún says she drew inspiration from the nearby Metolius River.

“I worked with a repeating woven pattern for the physical construction of the textile, and integrated color as a ribbon in this pattern — greens and golds of Ponderosa Pine trees reflecting onto brilliant turquoise blue water of your beloved Metolius,” she said. “It is incredibly honoring to have this work featured in a community meeting space! I strove to make a timeless work that reflects the spirit of the community and serve as a backdrop to gatherings in this place of knowledge for generations to come.”

Unique art installations are planned for every library in Deschutes County; works from local and regional artists will be traditional and non-traditional, possess a lasting endurance and be diverse in both concept and material. A call for submissions is still open. Interested artists can learn more and apply through the CaFÉ (Call for Entry) website at dpl.pub/call-for-art.

All submitted work is reviewed by an Art Committee whose members represent various regions of Deschutes County and Oregon. Co-chaired by Jason Graham (Redmond) and Cate O’Hagan (Bend), the committee includes Kathy DeBone (La Pine), Bill Hoppe (Bend), Jesse Pemberton (Sunriver) Carolynn Platt (Sisters), Eric Sande (Redmond), and Tammi Jo Wilson (Portland). Chantal Strobel, Deschutes Public Library Assistant Director of Engagement, and Ruth Baleiko, partner with The Miller Hull Partnership (architects), are also on the committee.

About the Artist

Kristy Kún is an Oregon-based fiber artist who, having studied engineering and after a career as a woodworker, has turned her focus to sculptural compositions in handmade felt. Through a calculated, rising tangle of wool and plant fibers, Kún’s experimental textiles advance the sculptural capabilities of hand-made felt. Her richly textured surfaces, formed through an intense process of rubbing and kneading wool fibers until they tangle, are a contemporary adaptation of ancient methods in felt making. Compositions of disparate materials reveal artistic visions inspired by relationships and evolution in nature, and the fluidity of the materials themselves. Her work has been on exhibit throughout the country, and has earned numerous awards.