Nancy Garretson is one of the founders of The Arts Depot, Abingdon, Virginia, and a skilled fiber artist. She’s been a professional weaver since 1972, when she moved to Southwest Virginia after receiving her master’s degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.
“For me weaving has it all, the color and design of painting and the form and texture of sculpture. I weave tapestries mostly, some flat tapestries but others have textures or layers of cloth that are stuffed or shaped. Sometimes I incorporate sticks, feathers, shells and other found objects into my weavings.
“Most of my pieces are autobiographical, even if they do not at first appear so. They are created out of my life’s experiences, landscapes, people and emotions. I am still searching and growing as an artist and as a person. My goal is to continue to do so.”
At The Arts Depot, she enjoys making birds, flowers, belts and purses now and occasionally her famous landscapes. She enjoys the interaction of working in a studio that is open to the public.
Wendy Dwyer says this about Garretson, “She’s also an educator and a true Renaissance woman. When she couldn’t find a loom to do what she wanted it to do, she built one. Spending just a few moments in her studio is an experience for all your senses, with an additional bonus because it brings out your sense of imagination and just a little hint of your own creativity, too. That’s because Nancy doesn’t come across as the once-in-a-millennium artist that she is; she comes across as the friendly neighbor who happened to have access to a whole bunch of extra thread one time and learned how to use it.
“She will gladly show you how she makes her tapestries and weavings come out from the cloth in 3-D so that the birds really do fly, and the water actually flows from the stream. She doesn’t keep her magic a secret; she knows that art is not really art until you can feel it as much as she does, which is why she shares it with so much love and kindness. And if you’re too young to understand, she’ll put on the puppets she keeps in her studio and share that way to help you understand. She’s just that kind of magical artist, and she has shared so much with our community.”
Garretson first started weaving in 3D in college because she was bored, and her instructor though it was “odd.” Coming from a fine arts background, she saw weaving as a unique art medium. She has shared the knowledge by teaching at Emory & Henry, Virginia Highlands Community College, Sullins College, Vaten School of Crafts, William King Arts Center, Depot Artists Association and numerous elementary and secondary schools.
Her work has been exhibited in a variety of juried and invitational shows. Some of those include “Southern Yarns: An Exhibition of Work from Tapestry Weavers South,” in Asheville, North Carolina; the tapestry weavers South Biennial Show in Sarasota, Florida; “New Directions” at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Baldridge Gallery, Midlothian, Virginia; Wilkes Art Gallery, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina; Roanoke Fine Arts Museum, Roanoke, Virginia; Virginia Museum of Art, Richmond, Virginia; and many more.
She has been a member of the Handweavers Guild of America, American Crafts Council, Holston Mountain Arts and Craft Co-operative, Depot Artists Association, American Tapestry Alliance and Tapestry Weavers South.
She says that “My weaving was never work. This is fun. I’m fortunate to be able to have fun at something that is my life’s work. I always liked making things as a child. I’m just having a good time.”
