Flax Ecologies features the work of 16 craftspeople from across Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) in collaboration with regional farmers. This exhibition, curated by Kirstie McCallum, was first displayed at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts from November 12 to December 15, 2024, before moving to the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design from January 27 to March 22, 2025. Flax Ecologies delves into the intricate relationships between plants, land, and human communities, underscoring the vital role of ecology in fostering sustainable futures.
The craftspeople featured in Flax Ecologies are: Andreea Murgu, Anita Cazzola, Frances Dorsey, Gabriel Soligo, Heidi Friesen, Juliana Naccarato, Kamila Orbegoso and Caora McKenna, Katelan Lahey, Kit Holden-Ada, Kristi Farrier, Larissa Korol, Laura Hambleton, Tamara Winsor, Wiebke Schroeder, and Samantha Read.
These artists come from diverse, multidisciplinary backgrounds, including textile artists, ceramicists, installation artists, jewelers, leatherworkers, metalsmiths, papermakers, photographers, sewists, and woodworkers. Many have skillfully blended multiple specialties, transforming the limited supply of flax into a wide array of art objects. Through their creations, they demonstrate the many ways this resilient and beautiful plant can be integrated into various artistic, craft, and design traditions.
Flax Ecologies highlights how our lives are enriched by cultivating creativity within deep social and geographical connections. It presents a hopeful vision for the future—one that prioritizes care for local communities and ecosystems in the creation and exchange of goods. This future values local materials and recognizes the creative expressions that arise from them as vital indicators of our collective wellbeing.
In 2023, the craftspeople showcased below were each paired with a farm that provided them with materials for their work. By witnessing and participating in the cultivation process, they developed close relationships with farmers and the flax plant. Each artwork in the exhibition reflects its maker’s sustained meditation on the aesthetic pleasures of working with flax in its many forms. They have been challenged to adapt to the innate qualities of the plant, through colour, form, and texture, as they explore how the material can best express their vision. Flax fibre is not only the raw material; it is a source of inspiration, a dynamic entity with which the artists have been in dialogue throughout the creation process. What the artworks have in common is respect for the living plant and the human labour that have provided the foundation for each artist’s expressive gesture.
Gallery Spaces
Located in Canning, Nova Scotia, The Ross Creek Centre for the Arts (RCCA) is a hub for artistic learning, creative experimentation, and presentation. RCCA was both a participant and supporter of the Flaxmobile Project, growing their own flax in years one and two and providing a gathering space for farmers and craftspeople in years two and three. In addition to hosting the premiere of the Flax Ecologies exhibition, RCCA facilitated a weekend retreat for farmers, hosted a communal dinner for farmers, handspinners, processors, and artists, and provided a residency space for artists who experimented with the resulting fibres.
Based in Sydney, Nova Scotia, The Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design (CBCCD) is a for impact charitable organization and a leading force in the educational, promotional, and economic development of the craft sector in Unama’ki (Cape Breton Island). CBCCD provides community leadership in sustainable craft in Cape Breton, connecting diverse rural and remote communities that are rooted in strong craft traditions. In addition to sharing their knowledge and expertise with The Flaxmobile, they hosted Flax Ecologies exhibition in 2025, and their staff have been an essential support throughout the project.
The Flax Ecologies catalogue is a 72-page retrospective of the exhibition, containing a project overview, partner and curatorial statements, and biographies of the artists, farms, and the hand spinners who participated in the project. It features professional photography showcasing artist work and works in progress. At 6 x 6 inches, this perfect-bound commemorative art book is printed in full color on 100lb cardstock with velvet laminate covers. It is an ideal exhibition souvenir, creative gift, or reference book for your collection. Copies can be purchased by contacting the Flaxmobile Project at flaxmobile@nscad.ca
