On Saturday, September 24, the Farnsworth Art Museum, in Rockland, Maine, will be opening a new exhibition entitled Beyond Rugs! The exhibition is organized by guest curator Mildred Péladeau, author of Rug Hooking in Maine 1838-1940, and Farnsworth Assistant Curator Jane Bianco, and will be on display in the museum's Crosman Gallery through February 2012.

Beyond Rugs!, which follows last year's successful Rug Hooking in Maine and Beyond, explores the way the traditional art of hooking is evolving. No longer destined for the floor, hooked rugs today may be wall hangings, sculpture, or components of mixed media. These pieces announce social change and global issues, explore dreams, sexuality, personal crises, and reinterpret both abstract and realism in art. Through the imaginative use of unconventional materials, such as recycled plastics and newspapers, plant fibers, and brilliantly dyed threads, the artists have taken the art of rug hooking to a new and exciting place. The exhibition Beyond Rugs! is made possible by a grant from The Coby Foundation, Ltd. The primary media sponsor of Beyond Rugs! is Maine Home + Design

In association with this exhibition, there will be a lecture by fiber artist Liz Alpert Fay on September 24 at 2 p.m. in the Farnsworth auditorium. Beginning November 18, there will be a three-day Beginner Rug Hooking workshop with Gabrielle Wicklow. For more information regarding these programs please visit the museum's website at farnsworthmuseum.org/education, or call 207-596-0949.