By A Thread

By A Thread is an exhibition of vivid, fiber-based artwork by Patricia Cooke, Traci Johnson, and Julia Muench. The show explores gender, identity, sexuality, nature, culture, and the expressive possibilities of textiles and repurposed materials.

Patricia Cooke’s installation-oriented work examines materials, colors, forms, textures, processes, and imagery traditionally associated with femininity alongside woodworking and metalwork often coded as masculine. Their wall-hung sculptures and intimate compositions combine faux flowers, vintage lace, unusual angles, and intrusive shapes, creating pieces that may appear beautiful at first but also take on a grotesque quality. Through these material combinations, Cooke questions why people assign gender to activities and inanimate objects.

Traci Johnson’s work considers the social expectations placed on women, including the tension between sexual objectification and the suppression of female sexuality. Her figures function as avatars that reclaim personal power and imagine womanhood outside the constraints of heteronormativity, racism, and misogyny. The work encourages viewers to consider how they project ideas about womanhood onto others and themselves.

Julia Muench creates tapestries using sustainable fibers and reclaimed fabrics, including hemp, wool, burlap, and linen, sometimes incorporating sewn glass beads. Inspired by natural colors, the ocean, world cultures, music, dance, and organic forms, her abstract and occasionally surreal designs begin with geometric and natural shapes before developing into unconventional structures. Muench uses color and form to convey transformative energy and is also developing a guidebook for creatives featuring her designs, methods, and advice.

When: October 9–November 21, 2026

Venue: Howard County Arts Council, Gallery II

Reception: November 12, 6–8 p.m.

Artists: Patricia Cooke, Traci Johnson, and Julia Muench

Medium: Fiber art, including sculpture, installation, tapestries, sustainable fibers, repurposed fabrics, faux flowers, vintage lace, wood, metal, and glass beads

Tickets: Price not available