Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: 804-443-3357
Fax: 804-443-6781

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SMS Student Designs Produced by New York Company

Tappahannock, VA (February 25, 2001)- Thirteen art students at St. Margaret's School have had an experience that many other creative individuals can only dream about: they've seen their works produced for a wider audience. Thanks to a relationship with New York textile manufacturer Raxon Mills, more than 20 patterns designed by members of Catherine Neuhardt-Minor's studio art classes have been woven into multicolored fabrics that now are on display in the school's Community/Technology Center.

Kinsale resident Ruth Redfearn (right), a junior at St. Margaret's School, is one of 13 students currently exhibiting fabric art in the school's Community/Technology Center. She is shown here with her sister, Sarah, an SMS alumna who teaches art in Richmond County, and her mother, Jan.

"Seeing a textile design move from sketch to production to finished product is an opportunity most artists don't receive until college," Neuhardt-Minor said. "It really gives our students a window into the world of applied arts careers."

Lynn Haude, an artist friend of Neuhardt-Minor's who is head of design at Raxon, made the project possible. Students submitted designs to her that ranged from bold geometrics to intricate landscapes and pop collages. The mill made selected designs into two-color computer patterns. These then were "read" by automated looms to weave colorings, 53- by 70-inch swatches that test different color combinations.

Elements of some designs may be used by Raxon, which makes upholstery material for furniture companies. Neuhardt-Minor plans to repeat the project with her next class later this spring.

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