Kelly Mead sits on the floor of a historic 19th-century house on Officers Row in Vancouver, Washington, contemplating how to hang a machine embroidery design by textile artist Blair Martin Cahill. The artwork will be displayed at the newly opened William Scofield Gallery, which opened its doors on Friday, August 15, as a dedicated space for textile arts. The gallery represents a significant addition to the local arts scene, prioritizing a medium that often struggles for recognition in traditional fine art spaces.
The William Scofield Gallery showcases an impressive range of textile mediums, with walls decorated with quilts, embroidery, mixed media pieces, and bobbin lace. Kelly Mead and her husband David first announced their gallery concept in May, naming it after two of their relatives by combining their names into "William Scofield." The couple's motivation stems from a desire to provide textile artists with a dedicated venue to display their work. "There's just not as much exposure and opportunity for this type of artwork," Kelly Mead explains. "I want to show that textile can be elevated and hold its own in the fine art world."
The gallery's inaugural exhibition, titled "Elevate," runs through September 28 and transforms everyday crafts into a sophisticated fine art presentation. This juried show features thirty pieces by twenty-three artists who responded to a national call for submissions. The exhibition unites works through shared qualities such as exceptional technique, emotional depth, and the innovative use of ordinary materials transformed into higher-level artistic creations.
Among the featured works, Blair Martin Cahill's machine-embroidered piece "Rincon, Queen of the Coast" uses vibrant colors to depict a tattooed figure wearing scuba goggles beneath the sea. Local artist Deb Spofford, who owns the Vancouver textile art studio Made on 23rd, combines ink block printing with hand stitching in her piece "Celebrate the Journey." Kelly Mead's own contribution, "Dancer," displays a photograph from her former career as a freelance photographer within a conventional embroidery hoop, enhanced with three-dimensional elements she began incorporating into her work seven years ago.
"I am so drawn to how just a look, a facial expression can tell a story," Mead reflects about her artistic approach. Her perspective on textile arts was significantly influenced by extended time spent in London during the 2020 pandemic lockdown, where she discovered that fiber arts enjoy much greater respect in the United Kingdom than in the United States. "It's just something that you can't see online," she explains. "I remember the first time I saw Van Gogh, I was like, man, it's OK. But then the first time I saw it in real life, I could feel it. You could feel the paint, because there's texture, and that's the thing about fiber art."
Returning to the United States with renewed inspiration, Mead established a home studio and began participating in local exhibitions. Her work was accepted for the previous year's Clark County Open Exhibition, introducing her to the local art community. Following the conclusion of "Elevate," Mead plans to participate in the Open Exhibition again and will host a solo show at William Scofield Gallery called "Threads and Progress," which will showcase her creative processes.
Looking toward the future, Mead expresses optimism about the gallery's potential for growth and its mission to change perceptions about textile arts. "There's just so many great artists we just love to see," she says. "But right now, it's a great space, and I'm just hoping to see people come and just experience how fiber and textile are." The William Scofield Gallery is located at 1059 Officers Row in Vancouver, Washington, and is open from 4-7 PM Wednesday through Friday and 1-5 PM on weekends through September 28, with free admission.
