MARY HAYS : VISIONS OF ACADIA
The Bass Harbor Memorial Library will be featuring an exhibit of award-winning hooked rugs throughout the month of July. Bass Harbor resident, Mary Hays, was honored in 2022 as the ‘International Hooked Rug Artist of the Year’ by the North American Hooked Rug Museum. The Bass Harbor Memorial Library will exhibit many of her pieces that were on display at the museum in Nova Scotia.
Inspired by her love of the Acadia Region and the work of her friend, the late Patty Wharton, Mary began hooking in 2013. “I have always loved working with fabric, especially wool, and this is the perfect way for me to express myself and the beauty of the region.” While many of the themes are representations of real places in the Acadia Region, some are fictional.
Beginning with a local hooked rug group, the ‘Hook and Eye’, Mary began exhibiting her work in area shows. A high point for her was the selection of her rug ‘Cobble Bridge’ for Hooked Rug magazines annual ‘Best Of’ edition in 2016. Mary designs each piece and it takes about six months to a year to complete.
“Often, it is the simple combination of sea, waves, clouds and trees that motivate my work. I never tire of this beautiful area.”— Mary Hays
A community Opening Reception for Mary Hays : Visions Of Acadia will be held on Thursday, July 6 from 5:30-7:30 PM at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library.