RIVER FALLS – Art to Wear and Mending moved into the Art House Gallery on Maple and Main streets in River Falls Thursday, March 14. The show reminds us that all the clothes we wear came off a designer’s table at one time or another and should be looked at as pieces of art. Consider the show a cross between a walk down Gucci’s high fashion walkway and creative stitchery.

Eleven artists are participating in this show: Johnny Diablo, Vicki Ehlers, Krista Spieler, Petra Guenthner-Johnson, Leslie Batt-Lutz, River Urke, Lisa Kroutil, Dagny McClelland, Cheryl Maplethorpe, Kari Kruse, and Jasper Joy Moonglow. Three designer/artists from Second Chances, Treasures from the Heart and Our Neighbors’ Place submitted costumes for the silent auction.

Six mannequins modeling art-to-wear grab the visitor walking in. These models include: McCllellend’s “You are the Sun” and “I told the Stars about You,” “Joy” by Ehlers, “Gladiator” by Maplethorpe, “The Weight We Carry” by Moonglow, “The 1970 Maxi Wrap Around” by Emily Wetherby and Sqid Game Pink Soldier Costume. Most of the visitors at the art show opening thought it would be especially enjoyable to see these remarkable creations modeled.

In a venue where the total look is made of many pieces it is easy to overlook a multitude of interesting accessories. It is even easier to miss in this exhibit. Each one of the models has a great hat, especially Maplethorpe’s which is made of pull tabs!

Many accessories are featured alone like felt hats by Spieler, woven belts and scarves by Guenthner-Johnson, crocheted scarves and hats by Kroutil, or batik-dyed silk scarves by Kay Fritz. Visitors to the gallery will also find accessories like felted bags, belts, hats, and jewelry by various artists scattered throughout the mannequins.

The exhibit contains a wide matching assortment of earrings and bracelets by our Art House Boutique artists like Kruse, Lowell, and Fritz.

Denim seems the popular choice of fabric to paint, stitch or wear. There are jean jackets, hoodies and jeans with artistic designs added. There are clothes transformed to fabric collages as in the case of Urke and Ehlers. Diablo’s Mr. Kite acrylic on leather is the only painted jacket.

Check out the pair of blue jeans that found its way between seven creative stitchers. Urke’s Hawk Wing design is a well done stand alone, but it also begs for the rest of Hawk Woman’s costume and a model to wear it.

Initially, when I thought of art to wear, I thought about screened T-shirts like those of Batt- Lutz. Tire tread T-shirts with XXL sizes down to onesies are her fun addition to the show.

Some benefits of attending the opening of the Art to Wear show included: Roy Annett, a visitor, who showed up in a floor length loom-woven coat complete with hood, Johnny Diablo modeling his empathy for Ukraine and Gaza in painted acrylic on his leather jacket, and accordion and fiddle music by Tune Buggy.

The Art House Gallery is open 2-6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. When you visit the Art House gallery don’t forget to bring your wallets and purses for the silent auction of three of these costumes which are part of a benefit for Second Chances, Treasure’s from the Heart, and Our Neighbors’ Place. The Art-to-Wear show and silent auction run until April 27.

Submitted by Margreth Downing