LEWISTON – Weaver Barbara Burns, whose work is driven by her fascination with the human face and form, will be the featured guest speaker at the next installment of Museum L-A’s “Voices” lecture series.

Burns has over the last five years exhibited her work extensively in the United States as well as in England and Australia.

On Thursday, April 9, she will talk about her continuing, personal explorations with tapestry. Her presentation will touch upon history from the ancient Copts and Peruvians through European tapestry to today’s contemporary tapestry. She will also share how the people she has studied with have influenced her work.

Burns’ work is driven by her fascination with the human face and form, perhaps, in part, she explained, because she grew up looking at her mother’s collection of masks and sculpture. “I began weaving the faces of women who are historically significant and important to me. Now I’m weaving the figures and faces that interest me for their beauty and personal connection.”

The medium of tapestry weaving allows Burns to create images and cloth at the same time. She finds this process satisfying as it ties her to her past and to her grandmother, who taught her to sew at a young age. “She instilled in me a love of creating with my hands and an appreciation for good cloth,” Burns said.

“When we saw the work that Barbara Burns created, there was no question that it needed to be shared with our community,” said Rachel Desgrosseilliers, Museum L-A’s executive director. “We are presently receiving donations of beautifully crafted needlework items that were designed and created by daughters who learned from their mothers and grandmothers, and we felt that it was important to show the influence one generation can have on another.”

Burns began weaving in 1994 and studied costume and textile conservation in The Fashion Institute of Technology graduate program in New York City. She also studied at the New York School for Interior Design. Burns is currently head of the costume and textile department at the Pascack Historical Museum in New Jersey.

Burns’ talk will begin at 7 p.m. There is no fee to attend; reservations are not required. For more information, call 333-3881. Museum L-A is at 35 Canal St., in the Bates Mill Complex.

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