The Crochet Coral Reef Project Publishing a Coffee Table Book

This just in from the IFF on their latest adventure!

"Eight years, five continents, and over 7000 contributors in the making, the Crochet Coral Reef project is ready for a book. Now at last we’ll have an explanation of all the scientific, mathematical and environmental concepts inherent in the project available in one place, along with a large selection of the beautiful photos we’ve taken of its many installations and exhibitions over the years. Very importantly, the book will celebrate ALL the people who have been involved in this collective aesthetic experiment. All 7000+ contributors to all the Crochet Reefs around the world will be named in the book in a specially designed chapter that will constitute an artwork in itself.

In order to fund the production of the book, we are pre-selling copies of the book via Kickstarter. Your contribution of $55 or more assures you a signed, numbered, first edition. We plan to deliver the books in October 2014. If you or a loved one appreciates this unique aesthetic fusion of marine biology, math, craft, and community art practice, support our Kickstarter campaign and order your copy now:

Crochet Coral Reef: The Book on Kickstarter"

They say they may use some pictures from the Maine Reef and ALL of our contributors are supposed to be named in their book...... Should be an awesome book!

MAINE CROCHET REEF ON EXHIBIT AT 2013 FRYEBURG FAIR!

Did you miss Maine's award winning Crochet Reef on exhibit in The Fiber Center during the 2012 fair? If so, you're getting a second chance to see this spectacular art installation during this year's fair. Don't miss it!

The Fiber Center will again feature the Maine Crochet Reef Project installation. More than 150 individuals contributed more than 900 pieces that make up the Maine Reef!

Come on by during fair week from 9am - 9pm September 29th - October 5th and October 6th from 9-6pm. 

And don't forget to LOOK UP!

Maine Reef Contributor to Show at Annual Smithsonian Craft Show 2013

Stephanie Crossman of Vinalhaven, Maine was a contributing artist to the Maine Reef Project. She describes her work on the Maine Crafts Guild website like this:

"I do traditional knotted netting, otherwise known as fishnetting. By using contemporary fibers, I have stretched the boundaries of netting, but still use antique tools passed to me by my husband’s great-grandmother. Each knot is put in by hand and many pieces are hand-dyed and sewn. I continue to connect the past with the present and have recently started doing sculpture with netting. I enjoy keeping this utilitarian craft alive in  traditional and original contemporary forms."

Stephanie's work has now been chosen to show at the Annual Smithsonian Craft Show; A juried Show and Sale of American Fine Craft which runs April 25th- 28th, 2013 at the National Building Museum. for more info about the show visit the Smithsonian site here. And visit Stephanie's write up about her work on the Smithsonian site here. This is her own website where you can see more photos of her work.

This lovely jelly is the piece that Stephanie created and donated for the Maine Reef Exhibition.

Congrats Stephanie & good luck!

Maine Reef Project Receives Award

Fryeburg Fair President accepting the Award

Each year the Maine Agricultural Fair Association presents the 'Outstanding Large Fair Award' and this year it went to Fyeburg Fairs' Fiber Center for "their unique Coral Reef Exhibit". 

WOOHOOOO!!!!

Fryeburg Fair President Roy Andrews accepted the award on our behalf and called me with the news. Needless to say I was thrilled to hear that all of the time and effort that the 150 plus people put into creating the more than 900 pieces that make up the reef have been recognized for all of the hard work!.

Mr. Andrews remarked that this is a prestigious award and one to be proud of. He thanked us for our efforts and job well done adding that some important people in the Maine Agricultural scene took notice of what we had done!

It should be noted that Roy Andrews deserves credit for having the foresight long ago that Fiber is an integral part of Maine agricultural and should be properly represented at Maine's largest agricultural fair. It is because of him that we enjoy the largest Fiber specific exhibition hall in New England!

THANK YOU ROY, for believing in us and supporting us all along the way. This award would not have been possible without your confidence and support, for building our Fiber Center all those years ago, and the continued support from the fair which made creating the Maine Reef possible. 

Maine Reef Exhibition Report

I've just returned home after a month away to manage The Fiber Center Exhibition and programs at Fryeburg Fair, and of course to see the last stages of the Maine Reef Exhibition to fruition. Now, I am finally sitting at my computer and sharing the outcome with you! PHEW! It was a long time coming but I couldn't be happier with the result!

 In the end more than 150 people contributed work to the tune of more than 900 pieces!

See Reef Element Photos by Peter O'Brien Here

See Reef Installation Photos by Peter O'Brien Here

See the Exhibition Photos by Peter O'Brien Here

Note: All photos are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without permission 

The Exhibition was a smash hit! Although we experienced a week of rainy weather and lower than usual attendance as a result, comments about the Maine Reef Exhibit abounded.

Our comment book entries included:

"Amazing!" "Awesome!" "Very Impressive!" "Incredible!""Wonderful!" "Beautiful!" Absolutely Stunning!" " A Truly Wondrous Collaboration!" "Well Done!" "WOW!" "I am Speechless!" "Breathtaking!" " Love It!"

And these statements about the Maine Reef Project from:

• Contributor Tamalie Paradis of Sarasota, FL - " Really Amazing. Not at all displayed as I expected - FANTASTIC!"
• B. Evans - "This is so creative and beautiful it needs to travel!"
• Brenda Downs - " I've been looking forward to this all year! Well Done!"
• Betty Landry - " The Reef Project; The BEST of the fair!"
• Anonymous - I'm no craftsperson but this work is AMAZING!"
• Anonynous - "One of the most beautiful exhibits in the world, EVER!"

Well my head will be reeling for a while after this and as I left the Fiber Center my head barely fit through the door! :-) 

We were lucky enough to have a great article written about the project by Jaime McLeod in the Sun Journal. Thanks for a great job Jaime.

I also owe a HUGE THANKS to everyone of you who made pieces and helped with the installation. I offer a special thanks to behind the scenes supporter, Maine Artist and Metalsmith Ann Thompson for all of her tireless efforts. You were my rock Ann! I couldn't have done it without you!

Now that the event is over, the Maine Reef is available for exhibition in other venues. Should anyone be interested in showing The Maine Reef Project, please contact me.

To learn more about The Fiber Center's new Fiber Art Project for the 2013 exhibition, Be sure to visit the Maine Mitten Project Blog to see how you can participate!

Spindleworks Fiber Artists Submitted work for the Maine Reef Project

"Handicap, i heard of it, 
but i aint got it now."







This week we received contributions from Fiber Artists from Spindleworks for our Reef Project. An AMAZING group of creative folks with an attitude we can all benefit from!

"Spindleworks is a non profit art center for adults with disabilities and a program of the Independence Association of Brunswick Maine, whose mission is to help children and adults with disabilities achieve full and inclusive lives in their chosen community. Artists in the Spindleworks program come from surrounding communities including Bath, Topsham, Bowdoinham, Portland, Westbrook, Auburn, Lisbon Falls, Richmond, and Freeport."

Contributing artists included:

Catherine Worthington
Maureen Block
Barbara Carter
Jennifer Beaven
Madeline Gielow
Katherine Harmon Harding
Angie Devenney




Thank you all for your great work ladies!


You bring our contributor count up to 102! Yay!

Maine Reef Project Exhibition to Open in 19 Days

We're down to the wire now! YIKES!

Less than three weeks to show time and 21 months from inception. Hard to believe it's almost here! What WILL I do with myself :-)

In case you are interested...... The next Fiber Center Project will be The Maine Mitten Project - Kind Souls making Mittens, Hats and Scarfs for Maine's Homeless Children. Families and Adults. Learn more about it HERE.

So we are down to the last pictures of new work and brings our number of contributors to 95 but we know of more coming our way including some things from Spindleworks in Portland!
Yay Spindleworks! Can't wait to see what you guys made.

From Jennifer Owen of Kennebunk, Me

From Faye Schwartz of Saco, Me, these Lovely Sea Horses

Jelly Fish

Base Rock with Coraline Algae and Plate Coral

This piece stands nearly 3' tall!

Maine Reef Project Just 7 Contributors Shy of 100!

Lou Ann Elias of Hampton NH is contributor number 93! 

Only 7 to go to hit 100!

Thank you Mary Lou! Fun Stuff! Looks like you were very busy. We appreciate it and see you at the fair!

Contribution From St Croix for the Maine Reef Project!

How about that!

89 year old Peggy Hopkins of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands created some work for the Maine Reef Project. Her daughter Luanne sent up the work which we photographed today! We've officially gone international with our contributions!

Thank You Luanne and Peggy! We so appreciate that you took the time and made the effort to participate from so far away....

Here is her work and a lovely note from Luanne.....

You bet her work will be included!

Deadline Brings in More Contributions for the Maine Reef!

Ok so we are nearing the end and I keep getting updates and pictures to post. At this posting our count rises to 91 contributors......

SO EXCITING!

New in from Florida, a 94 y.o. mother, Katherine Mullin, and daughter, Kathy Mullin Tavernia!

Shell From Linda Jackson of Great Barrington, Ma

Also from Linda Jackson. Thanks Linda!

UNE student Lin...... LOVELY jellies!

From Jennifer Haugen of Ft Lauderdale. Thanks Jennifer!

And last but not least today, a bin full from UNE. Unfortunately, most UNE drop offs didn't leave their names :-(  But we love you anyway! Thanks!

The Maine Reef Blog Is Only 34 Hits Away from 10,000 Visitors!

I never in my wildest dreams imagined that the Maine Reef Blog would reach this level of popularity! As of this moment we have reached 9966 Hits. Most of this is driven by the Patterns posted here but that still means folks are learning about our project.

And thanks to our creators and contributors, it's coming to fruition! 89 people have contributed in some way so far. WE WILL HIT 100!

Here are more pictures of submissions:

Some Jelly Fish made with recycled plastic bags and food containers, Clear hair caps, Plarn ( yarn made from plastic bags and Homespun yarn from Lion Brand.

A Great Kids project!  







From Julia Berg of Brownfield, Maine, a beautiful group of work! Thanks Julia!

Sorry the resolution is low on this photo so is showing up a bit blurry and small. But you get the idea :-)

More Maine Reef Parts Arrived!

Lynette Dubois has sent in some more of her work.... 
Thanks Lynette!

And new in from Dallas, Oregon thanks to Lisa Milliman!

These Brittle Stars will look great on the Fiber Center's Beaches!

Maine Reef Contributions Coming In Every Week!

Here are our most recent contributions bringing our contributor count to an official 70. Only 30 more to go to hit the 100 mark! Keep them coming in folks, we're almoss there!

Thank you to:

Carolyn Nixon - Schoharie, NY

Barbara Libby - Brownfield, Me

Kathleen Gerdes - Falmouth, Me

And finally these needle felted cuties again, from Kathleen Gerdes - Falmouth, Me

Contributor Count Rising For the Maine Reef Project!

As of August 13th, we have 67 confirmed donors who have created for the Maine Reef!

AND, the best part is that I know of many who are contributing whose names we don't have yet! Although The Maine Reef Project is quickly coming to a close, there is still time to create and send work in. Any piece large or small will be greatly appreciated and will help us hit the 100 donor mark!

Won't you help us hit 100 donors? That's such a NICE number :-) 

 If you are mailing things in to us please send them no later than September 1st: Ann @ the Maine Reef Project, PO Box 307, Biddeford Pool, Me 04006

If you live in the area you can drop off by September 15th at these locations: 

Scarborough Library

Gorham Library

Heart of Biddeford Office, Main St, Biddeford

UNE - Biddeford Campus - office of Dean Jeanne Hey

If you live in the Fryeburg Area you can drop off at the Fiber Center, Fryeburg Fair on Wednesday, September 26th from 9am - 1pm

Can't wait to see you all and your creations at the fair!

Fiber & WIre Sea Fans - Gorgonian Coral

Gorgonian Coral are commonly known as Sea Fans. Here is a photo of a live specimen.

 Here is a set of three made for the reef project. Each is progressively more difficult to accomplish and make for a great children's project!

The pink one begins with a simple pipe cleaner frame and woven with yarn. The blue one is more free form style weaving since it wraps around the pipe cleaners and doesn't always go completely across the frame. The green is the most difficult. It is made from florist wire that has been wrapped with yarn to form the fans branches and yarn is then curled and swirled in a free form patterns and glued in place to secure the pattern.

I especially love the green one!

Find a Bus Tour to See the Maine Reef Project at Fryeburg Fair

Want to see the Maine Reef Project and don't want the hassle of driving to Fryeburg or parking for the day?

No worries.... Take a bus tour! Many communities offer bus trips to get to the fair.

Here is a list of Buses heading up to Fryeburg. The list may not be complete so if you know of one that isn't listed, contact me and I'll add it to the post.

Maine Locations:

Augusta:
Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)
Cyr Bus Tours - $81pp, seniors 65+, $71pp


Bangor:

Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)

Cyr Bus Tours - $81pp, seniors 65+, $71pp

Biddeford:
Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)
Biddeford Recreation - $8 Bus ride (Best deal around unless they made a typo!)
VIP Tour and Charter Bus Company - $18 bus ride - non seniors $10
Buxton Recreation - $20 bus ride - seniors free admission - non seniors $10

Lewiston:
Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)
Cyr Bus Tours - $81pp, seniors 65+, $71pp

Newport:

Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)

Cyr Bus Tours - $81pp, seniors 65+, $71pp

Old Town:

Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)

Cyr Bus Tours - $81pp, seniors 65+, $71pp

Pittsfield:

Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)

Cyr Bus Tours - $81pp, seniors 65+, $71pp

Portland: 
Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)
VIP Tour and Charter Bus Company  - $18 bus ride - seniors free admission - non seniors $10

Scarborough:
Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)
Scarborough Senior Programs - $20 bus ride residents, $30 non residents

Waterville:

Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)

Cyr Bus Tours - $81pp, seniors 65+, $71pp

Massachusetts Locations:

Brattleboro:

Saturday October 6th

Travel Kuz Bus Tours - $71 pp

Gill:

Saturday October 6th

Travel Kuz Bus Tours - $71 pp

S Deerfield:
Saturday October 6th
Travel Kuz Bus Tours - $71 pp

West Springfield:

Saturday October 6th

Travel Kuz Bus Tours - $71 pp

New Hampshire Locations:


Lincoln:

Tuesday, October 2nd (senior day- free admission for seniors)
Lincoln Recreation - Free

Maine Reef Contribution Deadline September 1st.

ONE MONTH COUNTDOWN FOR MAILING IN YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!

September 1st is the deadline for mailing in your fabulous creations to guarantee that they become part of the Maine Reef Installation. 

Keep that hook moving! It's not too late to participate!

Any pieces received at the mailing address after September 20th will miss the boat to the Fiber Center!

Donations may be delivered directly to the Fiber Center on Wednesday September 26th between 9am and 1pm but will not be listed on the blog or on our donor list at the exhibit.    

Our official count of contributors is over 50 and I know of many people who are actively creating but have not sent in yet. Help us hit the "100 contributors" mark and send us YOUR creation today!

Contributions arriving daily!

Ann's mailbox has been active lately as our deadline for submissions approaches! Here are a few more pieces sent in.

Sea Fan from young knitter and now enthusiastic crocheter 

 Wyatt Laprise.

Great job Wyatt!

 

These textured lovelies from 

Anna Cole of Rochester, NY

Thanks Anna!

Dean Lyons just keeps on hooking like the energizer bunny! Thanks for all of you enthusiasm Dean. 

You go girl!

Keep 'em coming Dean........

Great color interest 

from Doris Harris of OOB, Me.

Thanks Doris!

And finally for today, 

thanks to Kathleen Goddu of Brunswick,Me.

Love the yellow and green polyps. 

They just pop!

Maine Reef Contributions

Thanks to our newest contributors!

Sylvia and Karen Grover
Jane Sumner
Julie Yarborough
Luanne Crinion and
Judy Haines, Trustee of the Fryeburg Fair

Here are a few more pics!