Independent Arts News Reporting "Nature Captured in Fabric” Exhibit is now open at the Tulpehaking Nature Center
Reported on Thursday, April 10, 2024
Pictured Above: “Looking Up at Trees”, Deb Brockway. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Nature Captured in Fabric” Exhibit is on view now through April 30th at the at Tulpehaking Nature Center
NEWSROOM POST: HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY
Hamilton, NJ – The nonprofit Friends for the Abbott Marshlands (FFAM) announces a new art quilt exhibit, entitled Nature Captured in Fabric, on display March 3–April 30. This solo exhibit by Deb Brockway of Hamilton, is at the Tulpehaking Nature Center, Hamilton, NJ. Deb is a volunteer and executive board member of Friends for the Abbott Marshlands. As stewardship chair, she is well known for her trail building skills, while her professional background is in education research and STEM education.
The exhibition’s Opening Reception this past March hosted many art and nature enthusiasts who registered to attend in advance. The exhibit combines Deb’s love of the marsh, the outdoors, and art quilting. Inspiration for her ongoing quilting series comes from her many outdoor activities on preserved land throughout New Jersey and across the country. Kayaking, hiking, and traveling bring the landscapes she encounters into focus on her quilts. Her quilts have been exhibited in quilt and art shows in five states, from New Jersey to Georgia.
It all began in 2002, when Deb created her first traditional quilt. She soon discovered that she preferred instead to imagine and create her own designs. Her quilts range from pictorial designs that represent the textures and details of the natural world to more abstract designs that evoke a sense of being in nature. Working with hand-dyed and commercial fabric, thread, natural dyes and acrylic paint, Deb experiments with materials and techniques that put her artistic touch to her designs. In this exhibit, quilts range from depicting close-up aspects of nature, to artful landscapes; but occasionally there is another purpose. “‘Nosing In’ expresses my concern over the unintended impact we have on wildlife, whereas ‘Enjoying Spring Ephemerals’ was created to simply evoke a sense of place” Deb said. See more of her wonderful work at https://brockwayquilts.com/.
Pictured Above: Patrons at the opening of Deb Brockway’s exhibit, Nature Captured in Fabric. Photo Credit: Contributed.
As for the exhibit, Tulpehaking Nature Center’s galleries are located at 157 Westcott Ave., Hamilton, New Jersey, in an expanded rancher at the edge of the Abbott Marshlands-Roebling Park. The center is open Wednesdays – Saturdays, 10 am to 4 pm. Parking is available at the historic Watson House. Purchase of original quilts can be made at the nature center’s reception desk, or call (609) 888-3218. A percentage of sales will benefit FFAM’s mission and educational programming.
The Abbott Marshlands are a critical natural and cultural resource with locations in Trenton, Bordentown, and Hamilton, in central New Jersey. Its 3,000 acres of open space include the northernmost freshwater tidal marsh on the Delaware River and surrounding lowland and upland forests. Hiking the trails on the Abbott Marshlands’ preserved lands during the pandemic has meant much to local communities. Being outdoors, smelling the fresh air and looking at natural images while “forest bathing” are proven to calm our nerves and provide respite in a constantly changing world. The Tulpehaking Nature Center provides many educational resources. (Tulpehaking is the Lenape word for “Land of the Turtle.”)
The Abbott Marshlands Council works toward supporting stewardship, preservation, and protection of the Abbott Marshlands. Members of The Abbott Marshlands Council are private citizens, representatives of public and industrial landholders, and other parties. In 1999, preservation of these marshlands began as a project of D&R Greenway Land Trust, following a recommendation of the Hamilton/Trenton Marsh Management Committee. They later developed the Cooperative Stewardship Plan in 2010, an updated blueprint for stewardship and management. The Abbott Farm Historic District is the first National Historic Landmark in New Jersey, designated by the US Department of the Interior on December 8, 1976. It is an archaeological site with the largest known Middle Woodland village of its type on the east coast of the United States. Named after Charles Conrad Abbott, his early archaeological work and writings spurred much research there. His collections are known worldwide.
Pictured Above: “Enjoying Spring Ephemerals,” by Deb Brockway. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Friends for the Abbott Marshlands, organized in 2002 as Friends of the Marsh, is a grassroots organization of volunteers dedicated to enhancing appreciation and protection of the Abbott Marshlands. Their mission is to engage and inspire a diverse community to experience the unique nature and history of the marshlands with surrounding upland woods. In 2011 the name was changed to Friends for the Abbott Marshlands to acknowledge the historical and natural significance of the area. In 2021, they became an independent 501c(3) nonprofit.
