Fiber Forward

Rooted in centuries of global tradition, fiber arts such as quilting, knitting, crochet, needlework, and weaving have long served both practical and expressive purposes. Often dismissed as “women’s work,” these techniques were historically undervalued in the art world despite their complexity and cultural significance. Contemporary artists are challenging that narrow view and redefining fiber art as a powerful medium for storytelling, education, identity, and innovation. These three Tallahassee creatives are turning tradition on its head, using time-honored methods with inventive modern twists to explore new ideas and expand our definition of fiber art.

Photo by Dezmond Ard’is

Quilting New Narratives

Valerie Goodwin’s earliest fiber art experiences were shaped by the sewing and quilting of the women in her family. Though she put those practices aside as a teenager, their influence remained. Years later, as a professor of architecture at Florida A&M University, she returned to fiber art, reinterpreting those traditions through a contemporary lens that explores the built environment, memory, and identity.

She began incorporating quilting exercises into her design courses to introduce fundamental architectural concepts. Reflecting on this approach, she says, “It was a way for me to teach my students about color, shape, form, how things are organized, how to think from two dimensions to three dimensions, and how things relate to human scale and function.”

With her husband’s encouragement, Goodwin took a quilting class to reconnect with the craft from her childhood. The experience sparked a desire to express her architectural background through fabric. In the 30 years since, she has honed her skills and developed a distinctive style.

With an architect’s eye, she draws inspiration from aerial views, patterns, maps, and imagined spaces that hover between abstraction and reality. Often her work begins with a story she feels is under-recognized. “Some of my quilts have a social narrative. I use figures to add to the storytelling and give people something to connect with.”

Though now retired from FAMU, Goodwin remains a sought-after educator, teaching her unique methods across the globe. Known for her inventive spirit, she’s an enthusiastic adopter of technology. One of her most notable innovations involves a laser cutter typically used for architectural models. She has reimagined it to work with fabric, creating intricate cuts and blending digital tools with the tactile nature of quilting. “I just like to use both sides of my brain and tinker with software. I’m not an expert, but I know enough not to get in too much trouble,” she jokes.

Initially hesitant to pursue quilting due to its past marginalization as an art form, Goodwin came to see the medium as a meaningful way to combine conceptual ideas with hands-on creation. She is currently exploring themes of housing inequity and gathers inspiration from artists working across diverse media. Leaning into her inherited skills and a career steeped in design, Goodwin invites a fresh look at fiber art and pushes the boundaries while honoring its deep personal and cultural resonance.

To learn more about Valerie Goodwin and her work, visit ValerieGoodwinArt.com.

Photos courtesy of Erika Zambello

Nature’s Needlework

Erika Zambello is enthralled by things others overlook. She finds beauty in brown butterflies, magic in a roadside wildflower, and hope in the new growth after a prescribed burn. These wonders spark her imagination as a fiber artist. Professionally, her role as communications director for Audubon Florida makes her a conservation storyteller. In her art, her inspirations and craft are both personal and rooted in the careful observation of nature.

Drawing from her own lineage and the generations of women who have expressed themselves through fiber, Zambello connects tradition to ecology. She brings her love of the outdoors into every piece she makes. Whether embroidering onto her own original nature photography, needle felting impressionistic landscapes, or knitting with ethically and sustainably sourced wool (sometimes even while kayaking), her work is tactile and striking.

“The goal of my art is to make people pause and notice things they might not normally,” she says. “I want people to pay a little more attention.” In doing so, she invites us to slow down, look closer, and stitch ourselves more deeply into the natural world around us.

Keep up with Erika Zambello at Instagram.com/KnittingZDaily.

Photos Courtesy of Tracey Fletcher

Unraveling Convention and Weaving a New Way

As a self-taught artist, Tracey Fletcher’s creative spirit is boundless. Free from traditional art norms, their fiber work and identity both challenge expectations. They have faced skepticism and recall feeling the need to prove they belonged in the fine art world, especially when only framed work seemed to garner serious attention. Their early pieces were displayed hanging from dowels.

“For a lot of people, art has to be in a frame,” Fletcher explains, “but with fiber, it wants to be big and squishy. It doesn’t really love being contained.”

Fletcher has found a way to embrace both sides. Using upcycled picture frames as looms, they create intuitive, responsive weavings that respect the frame yet push textures and forms beyond its edges. The process emphasizes sustainably sourced materials and a zero-waste mindset, which includes running a monthly donation-based, free art supply closet at My Favorite Books.

Fletcher’s work challenges old ideas and invites fresh perspectives, which allows for innovation that pushes their process forward. “The highest form of art is coming up with something new,” they say. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Learn more about Tracey Fletcher and their work at TabbyAndVoid.com.