Canadian Connection: 40 Mats Honoring 40 Years

Place Jones Family Mat, 28" x 44", #4-cut hand-dyed wool on burlap. Adapted by Ann Jones from an original Charco pattern by Jane McGown Flynn and Pearl McGown. Hooked by Ann Jones, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, 2007.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia, members were encouraged to mount shows to mark this significant occasion. In our area, four groups from Yarmouth, Weymouth, and Shelburne were invited to participate.

The rug-hooking community in the Yarmouth and surrounding areas is vibrant, engaged, collaborative, and talented. Of the 70+ rug hookers actively participating in hooking groups in our region, 40 people contributed pieces for the exhibit which ran from April 11 to July 24 at the Yarmouth Museum. It was an immense privilege to display the incredible work of six lifetime Guild members who live in the Yarmouth district: Shirley Bradshaw, Barb Jess, Mary Anne Mehaffey, Eileen Nickerson, Iris Richards, and Vera Sollows. Without the dedication, skill, and contributions of these women and others for more than 40 years, the Guild would not be the creative force that it is today. All new rug hookers owe a debt of gratitude to those who forged the path and continue to teach and inspire us all.