By Vicki Hillhouse
“There’s only so many ways you can make a scarf.”
Fabric artist and weaver Kim Nemeth had made and sold enough of her meticulously crafted neck pieces and other worn items that she wondered what — if anything — to do next with her loom.
“I kind of got burned out on making wearable things and functional things — to the point that I thought, ‘Maybe I’m just done weaving,’” she says.
That changed one night over dinner in a local restaurant in 2015. Inspired by a friend’s artwork on display in the dining room, she asked the owner if she could show her woven wall hangings. The transition brought her artwork beyond the functional form into a world where she could explore thoughts through her threads. It renewed her love of weaving.
She has since followed this with the 2021 opening of The Cotton Wool Gallery and Studio. The downtown Walla Walla space is home to her weaving studio, as well as a gallery and retail shop for her own pieces and those of other local makers specializing in traditional crafts.
Watch a video to learn more about Kim Nemeth by clicking here!