A tantalizing and thought-provoking exhibit that explores the transformative power of dress has opened at the Spiva Center for the Arts. Shape Shifters: Paper, Fiber, Form showcasing the work of Joplin artist Margaret Roach Wheeler and 5 of her fiber arts colleagues will run until April 14, 2006.

“All of these artists work with the relationships between clothing, the body, and the psyche,” notes Wheeler. “Clothing shifts our shapes, while also shaping our bodies. On another level, there can be a shift in how we see ourselves, as well as how we are perceived by others.”

The most traditional of the 6 artists, Suza Wooldridge, is a dyer and weaver from Hartsburg, MO. Her finely woven wearable jackets and coats begin with 60 to 90 yards of white warp threads laid out on tables that Wooldridge hand paints before weaving.

Sharon Kilfoyle specializes in shibori, an elaborate style of Japanese silk tie-dyeing visible in kimono pieces that expresses a kinship with Japan. Her sculptural kimono, “Cyber-Samurai,“ is constructed of computer parts, floppy disks, and telephone wire, back-lit with twinkle lights.

Artist Leandra Spangler has fabricated human-sized, paper doll outfits from handmade, cast paper. Spiva visitors may try on the paper costumes made to honor heroines Brunhilde, Sarah Bernhardt, Josephine Baker, Sacajawea, Amelia Earhart, Cleopatra, or Joan of Arc. Spangler, who also makes paper vessels, has “dressed up” the containers with buttons and zipper imprints for the Spiva exhibit.

The mixed media collages are the work of Betsy Roe and Carlene Fullerton. Fullerton’s three dimensional pieces are made of various paper, fabrics, stitchery, beads, and found objects to explore how dress changes both physical appearance and mental perception of one’s self and others.

Roe uses cast paper to create two-dimensional relief images of “animated” dresses. Although body-less, each dress expresses an “attitude” and personality conveyed through the pose. Roe also will display two Nail Dresses, elegant evening gowns made of welded nails.

Visiting the mystical side of fashion, artist Margaret Roach Wheeler delves into the Native American mythology of shape-shifting, where animals are transformed into humans and shift their shape at will. She presents “Crow Girl” and “Wolf Man” in an environmental setting.

The Regional Focus Gallery

The work by Kansas artists Sherri Wilkins of Galena and Nicole Meyer of Pittsburg comprises the figure and adornment exhibit in Spvia's upstairs gallery. The exhibit combines painting, sculpture, and wearable art.

Wilkins focuses on the traditional roles and imagery associated with women. She uses the symbol of a pear as her icon for womanhood. Pears are the subject matter of her paintings, or the pears appear as symbolic decoration, as seen on her life-size torsos.

Along with a selection of paintings, Meyer, the art teacher at Girard High School, provides original “adornments,” uniquely fashioned in sterling silver and alternative materials such as epoxy resin. She spends most of her studio time in painting, jewelry making and clay. Her most recent jewelry pieces have been influenced by workshops at the Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Deer Isle, ME and the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN.

Shape Shifters: Paper, Fiber, Form is sponsored by Upstairs Boutique and Newton’s Jewelers, with additional support from Friends of St. Avips and The Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Spiva Center for the Arts is located at 3rd and Wall in downtown Joplin. Spiva galleries and gift shop are open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays, 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is by voluntary contribution.

Photos by Vince Rosati

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