The 2024 Canadian Rug Hooking Artist of the Year is
Dwight Gallagher!
Canadian Hooked Rug Artist of the Year 2024 Dwight Gallagher
Rug hooking has become an elemental part of my everyday life. It is a way to express my artistic ability and has become the basis which allows me to teach the craft of rug hooking to others. For me it is also a form of therapy, as I tend to solve the world's problems with a hook in my hand.
My rug hooking “obsession” began in 2000 when I took a beginner’s class with Mary Filmore from Sackville NB. As well as teaching the basics, she taught her students to be genuine, truthful and encouraging while having FUN. What better teaching qualities to emulate.
Eager to learn more about this art; it was through fellow rug hookers that I was encouraged to get involved with the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia. Beginning as the regional Director for Cumberland County NS, followed by years on the Executive becoming the first male President of the RHGNS. As Director of the RHGNS Rug School, I was exposed to the many talented rug hookers and teachers there and learned what was required to run a successful rug school.
As a member of the RHGNS Teachers Branch, I worked and received my rug hooking Teachers’ Certification in October 2019. Presently I am acting as President of the Teachers Branch. I have taught classes in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as well as teaching at the RHGNS Rug School. Along with Celia Charlton, I teach a workshop in judging hooked rugs at the Exhibition level and so I also enjoy judging hooked rugs.
I mostly design my own rug patterns and I am always amazed at the outcome of the wool dyeing process. I have delved into different styles and designs when hooking rugs…. but tend to come back to landscape designs.…for now! I feel we should learn something every day about rug hooking: by watching, listening, reading, sketching, attending your local hooking group, meeting new hooking friends at area Hook-Ins, searching topics on line… anything!
Born and raised in Springhill NS, I worked as a Medical Laboratory Technologist in Springhill and Amherst. When not rug hooking, my wife Linda (also a Lab Tech) and I enjoy spoiling our three beautiful grandchildren. My passion for rug hooking would not be possible without the support of my trusting wife Linda… who else would send their husband away with a bunch of hookers! I love browsing yard sales and am a regular at the local Guy Frenchy’s - bargain shopping. I am indeed honoured and privileged to be recognized by the Rug Hooking Museum of North America for the part that I play in this world of rug hooking. Thank you.
Coastal Fields Landscape, Dwight Gallagher
Coastal Cliffs Landscape, Dwight Gallagher
Coastal Landscape, Dwight Gallagher
2024 International Rug Hooking Artists of the Year is
Guatemala's "Multicolores" Group
Multicolores is an association of 62 Maya women artists
(35 rug hookers and 27 embroiderers)
Based in 9 communities in Guatemala, these women create original works of textile art using rug-hooking and embroidery. Through their work, the artists celebrate their Maya heritage and become catalysts for social change in their families and communities.
The hooked rugs are crafted from recycled t-shirts, sourced at second hand clothing stores known as paca stores, named after the bales in which clothing is shipped. Each rug contains fabric from 75 to 125 different second hand garments. In their design process, artists blend ancestral motifs drawn from traditional Maya clothing, inspiration from the natural world, and their own imagination.
Multicolores supports the artists through three programs: creative and economic development, health and well-being, and leadership. These Programs have been transformative, leading to compelling and inspiring artwork, healthy communities and emerging women leaders.
With their earnings from Multicolores, most artists have become the top income earners in their family. The artists’ increased economic independence means they can invest in schooling, home improvements, nutrition, healthcare, and more.
Left to Right: Carmen Maldonado, Photo by Joe Coca, Irma Raquel Churunel Aju, Photo by Susu Hauser, Maria Ignacia Vicente Jocol, Photo by Joe Coca
Photos from Left to Right: Petronila Set, Photo by Joe Coca, Maria Sacalxot Coti, Photo by Joe Coca, Yolanda Churunel Aju, Photo by Joe Coca
Hilda Raquel Garcia Tzunun de Tumax
Micaela Churunel Aju