DeLisa Eads-Wager will be creating her unique felted sculpture in 3D at the Arkansas Craft Gallery Thurs.-Sat. Sept. 13-15
DeLisa Eads-Wager will be creating her unique felted sculpture in 3D at the Arkansas Craft Gallery Thurs.-Sat. Sept. 13-15 from 10 to 5. She leans towards the unusual, weird and wonderfully fantastic, playing with animals, faeries, gnomes, witches, and the make-believe. “I love watching my pieces of art come to life in my hands. They all have distinct personalities of their own.” Paper, fabric, lace, wool, roving, paint and sometimes even clay, plastic, metal, beads and bobbles come into play in her sculptures. She says “I am a hands-on Fiber Artist! Anything textile fills my head with possibilities and my heart with desire. As far back as I can remember I have been artistic, always a crayon in my hand. Although, I have never had any formal training, it is probably a good thing, as I’m a rule breaker.”
Wet felting has been around for centuries but dry felting or needle felting has only been around since the 1980’s. Needle felting is a process of using wool roving and interlocking the fibers together with barbed needles. The barbs of the needle catch the scales of the fibers and causes them to bind together. She uses this method to make shapes and forms combined together over wire frames to make highly detailed, poseable sculptures. While in the Gallery demonstration room Aug. 13-15 DeLisa “plans to have a large project that everyone can play with to get a feel for how the technique works. I will also have a few starter kits available for sale for anyone interested in learning how to needle felt. I also teach classes, so come play with me!
The Arkansas Craft Gallery, just off the Square in Mountain View has been home to Arkansas Craft Guild members’ crafts since 1962, a cooperative fostering excellence in arts and crafts.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current publicity chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.