SCHWENKFELDER LIBRARY & HERITAGE CENTER
105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073
Phone 215-679-3103; Fax 215-679-8175
info@schwenkfelder.com
www.schwenkfelder.com

October 30, 2009

Contact: David W. Luz
215-679-3103, phone
215-679-8175, fax

Hooked Rug Artisans, Karl and Mary Jo Gimber, to Speak on Tavern and Trade Sign Hooked Rugs

Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, 105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, invites the public to two free lectures entitled “Tavern and Trade Sign Hooked Rugs and the Stories They Tell” by Karl and Mary Jo Gimber on Wednesday, November 11, 2009, from 12:00pm-1:00pm and Sunday, November 15, 2009, from 2:00pm-3:00pm.

Karl and Mary Jo Gimber’s hooked rugs address stories found in America’s past. They do not use commercial patterns, but are inspired by designs found in auction catalogs as well as museum and library collections. The Gimbers will discuss their most recent body of work depicting tavern, trade, and farm signs. In addition they will discuss influences in their work, technique, and traditions within the art of rug hooking.

The Gimbers are members of the Hunterdon County Rug Artisans Guild, the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, and the Goat Hill ATHA Chapter. Their work is held in private, public, and corporate collections including the Cincinnati Art Museum and the New York Public Library print collection. Their work has been recently on display at the Heritage Center of Lancaster County, PA, and the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center.

The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center was founded in 1884 as an informal collection in a private home to assure the preservation of the Schwenkfelders' cultural identity. Today the Heritage Center, a not-for-profit organization, is still preserving, interpreting, and documenting the history of this German Protestant group as well as the history of the Upper Perkiomen Valley. The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm; Thursdays 9:00 am to 8:00 pm; Saturdays 10:00 am to 3:00 pm; and Sundays 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The Heritage Center is closed to the public on Mondays. For additional information call 215-679-3103 or visit our website www.schwenkfelder.com

David W. Luz
Executive Director
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
105 Seminary Street
Pennsburg, PA 18073
Tel. 215-679-3103
Fax 215-679-8175
email: info@schwenkfelder.com
www.schwenkfelder.com