Hiddenite, NC – The Hiddenite Arts & Heritage Center is delighted to present its Emerging Artist Exhibit for February and March. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the charming needle-felted works of artist Kendra Pearson-Hilt, who has always had a deep affinity for animals. Kendra’s passion for animals eventually led her to the equestrian world, where she taught riding and driving, trained horses, and lived for over 50 years. As she grew older, she found herself turning to her second love, crafting, and in 2022, she began needle-felting. Needle felting is an art where raw or dyed wool is used to create felt by repeatedly poking it with a barbed needle. The more the wool is poked, the denser the felt becomes, creating a matted piece of wool.
Artworks are oftentimes a response to life’s intense moments when words are not enough to convey emotions. Through Kendra’s art, she tells stories that are worth a thousand words. One such story is of a close family member who benefited significantly from a therapy dog. After the dog passed away, Kendra created their first memorial needle-felted sculpture, which interweaves internal and external features with utmost accuracy. Today, Kendra specializes in creating replicas of personal pets and starts each one with a small red heart felted and placed in the chest cavity to symbolize the love between the pet and owner. Although smaller in scale, the animals she creates lack nothing but breath.
The Hiddenite Center’s Lucas Mansion will be displaying Kendra’s works throughout February and March, and the public is welcome to view them. The Center is committed to supporting North Carolina artists and offers free admission to all its exhibits.
For additional information or to learn more about the Hiddenite Center – call 828-632-6966, visit www.hiddenitearts.org, or email [email protected] to contact the Center.
Hiddenite Center programs and events are supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural Cultural Resources www.NCArts.org, with funding from the National Endowment Of The Arts and with generous funding from the Eileen and R. Y. Sharpe Family Foundation, The Winston Salem Foundation, the Sharpe Chair of Fine and Applied Arts at Appalachian State University, Alexander County government, the Town of Taylorsville, The Rotary Foundation, South Arts, Carpenter Foundation, and the Friends of the Center membership program.
The Hiddenite Arts Heritage Center’s Lucas Mansion and Educational Complex are wheelchair accessible.
