August 1 - September 20, 2025
108|Contemporary is thrilled to present the work of Lissa Hunter, Jane Sauer, Jo Stealey, and Carol Stein in Still, on view August 1 – September 20, 2025.
Artists and friends for several decades, Lissa Hunter, Jane Sauer, Jo Stealey and Carol Stein have had many conversations between and among themselves, encompassing a broad range of topics from personal tragedy, world politics and of course their own studio practices. During Covid, the four met virtually to chat and to stay connected. Out of these virtual conversations, the seed for this exhibition took hold.
The exhibition, Still, is a look at life from four perspectives over time. We are still artists working with fiber processes—stitches, weaving, paint, cloth, paper. We are still friends, passionate about our practices. We tell stories through objects that are intended to capture still shots from our ongoing experiences. Ideas for the work to be presented range among the stories of objects themselves (Hunter), issues of compassion and social justice (Sauer), celebration of the mundane (Stealey) and glimpses of the psychological landscape (Stein).
Out of stillness comes observation.
Out of observation comes awareness.
Out of awareness comes our work.
Exhibition Opening: Friday, August 1, 2025 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Virtual Panel Discussion: Saturday, August 9, 2025 at 1:00 pm
About Exhibiting Artists:
Lissa Hunter:
Lissa Hunter is a studio artist, living and working in Portland, Maine. After many years working mainly in basketry, she has added drawing and working in clay to her practice. Her work is in the permanent collections of The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Museum of Art + Design in New York, and the Houston Museum of Art, among others. She is a Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellow and a Maine Crafts Association Master Craft Artist, as well as a Life Trustee of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Teaching, curating and writing are important aspects of her practice.
Jane Sauer:
Since graduating Washington University School of Art in 1959, Jane Sauer has had a long and varied career devoted to the arts. She was a studio artist from 1960 until 2002 being awarded 2 major NEA grants, a Missouri Artists Grant and other smaller grants. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her work is in 24 museums in the USA and abroad. She served on the Board of Trustees of the American Craft Council from 1992-2000 becoming Chair of the Board 1997-2000. She has also served on the board of Craft Emergency Fund 2008-2010, National Council for the School of Art, Washington University 1995 – present, and Advisory Board to the University of Santa Fe, 2011-15 plus numerous other Boards and Advisory committees. In 2001 she became artistic director of Thirteen Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, purchasing it in 2005 and changing the name to Jane Sauer Gallery. In 2014 she sold the gallery and formed Sauer Art Consultants. During her career she has given lectures, curated numerous exhibits, and juried shows, fellowships and grants. Sauer is part of the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institute of American Art, Washington, DC, an Honorary Fellow of American Craft, and was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award, Washington University, St. Louis, MO.
Jo Stealey:
Jo Stealey is a studio artist from Columbia, MO where she was also head of the fiber program and founding Director of the School of Visual Studies at the University of Missouri until 2019. She is best known for her sculptural objects, artist books, installations, and mixed media based on basketry, handmade paper, cloth and mixed media processes. She has exhibited in over 350 shows nationally and internationally, such as the current traveling exhibition, Art Evolved: Intertwined. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC; University of Arkansas, Fort Smith; Museum of Wicker, Nowy Tomysl, Poland; Sioux City Art Center, Iowa; Sweitzer Art Center, Pensacola, Fl among others. She has served on local and national boards including the National Basketry Organization and the Society of Arts & Crafts (Boston). Teaching, curating and service to the community are other integral aspects of her practice. Most recently, she curated the traveling exhibition Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America and taught at Penland School of Crafts.
Carol Stein:
Carol Stein is a Maine-based studio artist. Her work has been exhibited nationally and regionally in both galleries and museums, including The Museum of Art and Design in New York. She has participated in residences, including one at Haystack School of Crafts where she has also taught. Carol has pursued both a career in art having graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1986 and a career as a psychotherapist with a degree from Simmons School of Social Work in 1980. Her dual interests have informed one another and have enhanced her work in both arenas.