Wearable art show and Mother's Day sale to be held May 5

The Spectrum Network will hold a "wearable art" exhibit and Mother's Day sale on Thursday, May 5, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The show will feature hand-crafted items by three Decorah artists, with an opportunity to meet the artists and enjoy light freshments. Fifteen percent of sales will be donated to support The Spectrum Network's services to people with disabilities and other obstacles.

Katie Lawless creates hand-dyed silk scarves that combine ancient Japanese shibori (resist-) technique with contemporary design. She first learned fabric dyeing at Luther College in 1998 and was captivated by the richness of color on silk. She describes her work as "inspired by forms and colors that appear and repeat in nature." Originally from Minneapolis, Lawless is a long-time Decorah resident and works for Helping Services for Northeast Iowa.

Karen Fitton uses a wide variety of dyeing techniques to create designs on cotton and rayon shirts and other items. Fitton studied fabric dyeing with Linda Elkins at Luther College in the 1990s, and has also recently studied Japanese shibori dyeing. A former resident of Wisconsin, Fitton now works full-time as an artist in her Decorah studio, where she pursues a passion for "color on fabric and how it gets there.

Kylene Haugen makes contemporary jewelry using beads, pendants, and other materials. While she primarily creates jewelry as personal gifts, her necklaces and earrings earned top bids in The Spectrum Network's annual banquet auction last year. Haugen has pursued a lifelong passion for crafting and has studied papermaking and bookmaking under Kate Martinson at Luther College. She is originally from Collins, Iowa, and now works for The Spectrum Network in Decorah.

Luther College professor Kate Martinson will curate the exhibit, which will be open to the public through May 20 at The Spectrum Network, 607 Washington Street, Decorah. This event is wheelchair accessible.


Scarves by Katie Lawless


Shirt design by Karen Fitton


Jewelry by Kylene Haugen