“Fall from Grace | Fall into Grace” Textiles & Tapestries Exhibit by Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes

On view @W83 from January 31 to April 13, 2025

exhibit statement

W83 Ministry Center presents “Fall From Grace-Fall into Grace”™ by artist Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes, an exhibition that features unique handwoven tapestries, using wool and alpaca fibers from the Catskills.  Each piece delicately woven on her loom, represents God's promises of His Shalom and Tikvah, and are inspired by views from the artist studio in Roxbury, NY and, Scripture words and images. 

Tabitha’s tapestries are a mesmerizing dance of color and texture, woven together thread by thread to create breathtaking images and intricate designs. Each vibrant piece is rich with symbolism, seamlessly blending bold Hebrew letters, human figures, and elements of nature. The result? A masterpiece that not only showcases incredible artistry and fine detail but also tells a story—one that speaks to the spirit of a skilled weaver.

The front of each tapestry is art and history. They invite us to stop and think of the commitment of such a magnificent and special mind that can create these captivating treasures. It all begins with a single thread. One color. One row. Slowly, she adds more—each thread carefully chosen, each placement deliberate. With every addition, the pattern grows richer, more vivid, more alive—until, at last, her vision is fully realized. From the front, the tapestry is a flawless masterpiece. But what about the back? It tells a very different story.

Have you ever turned over a tapestry to examine its hidden side? What appears so perfect on the front can be a chaotic tangle on the back—loose threads, stray knots, and abstract patterns, bearing no resemblance to the polished design we admire. And yet, without this tangled mess, the masterpiece could not exist. Doesn’t this sound like the metaphor of our own lives? What makes the beauty of this tapestry is the way it intertwines home, faith, family, and community into one seamless design. May we always dedicate our homes to the Creator and to our own spiritual growth. May the flames we kindle burn brightly, illuminating our lives with purpose, hope, and the everlasting blessing of Shalom. May “Fall From Grace-Fall into Grace”™  be a reminder of our blessings and the commitment to bring shalom to our neighbors and communities.

Curated by Adriana Caicedo

artist statement

From 1980-2016, I sold handwoven textiles for the wardrobe and home as Tabitha Gilmore- Barnes Studio under the tag line “Bring Home The Colors of the Catskills”™. However, with retirement in 2016, I focus on weaving tapestries (‘drawing in wool’), and submit these works for regional and local exhibits. In my tapestries, I alternate between weaving illustration and illustration with one word text. I enlarged the original image and text. These are then mounted on tracing or white butcher paper and backed with cardboard to hang (or be pinned) behind the tapestry warp. Both the cartoon and the cardboard backing are gridded out in 1”squares to ensure accuracy of the design to my original, the finished tapestry size, and relationships of the tapestry images and text to each other. I find that this enlarged illustration becomes modified once I start weaving on my Mirrix Zeus loom. I believe this is in part due to the textural qualities and coloring of my handspun wools. Seeing the woven image become visible in wool enables me to seek out a more effective composition, to re-arrange placement of the design elements, and to simplify my voice. My tapestries are two-dimensional, almost poster-like with little horizon, and no fore-to-back ground depth. Color is an important component in these tapestries. I see an affinity between pastels and woodblock prints to tapestry weaving because of the blending and over-layering of colors and texture. Hence I handle my own dyeing (with Jacquard Acid Dyes) and spinning. I use locally accessed Shetland wools, and between the dyeing and spinning, manipulate the color variations while in the dye pot, and yarn thickness while spinning, to provide textural subtleties in each tapestry.

My tapestries fall into two series: “Bring Home The Colors of the Catskills”™, which are inspired by views from my studio in Roxbury; and, Scripture words and images – “Fall From Grace-Fall into Grace”™. The Catskills inspired tapestries highlight open skies, seasonal colors, and local streams, based on my plein-air sketches. The Scripture based tapestries focus on image with one word text to deepen the viewer’s understanding of Who God is and what He says in the Bible.

about the artist

Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes grew up in New York City before moving to Roxbury (Delaware County) in the Catskills with her husband and two daughters. This specific tapestry series was started in 2016 upon retirement from full time office work to full time studio work. Her weaving and artist education are rooted in SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology and New Paltz, along with workshops at the Scheuer Tapestry Center (NYC), and with Rebecca Mezoff and Margaret Jones (Queen Elizabeth Scholar), American Tapestry Alliance. Her Biblical education, started when she and her husband joined All Saints Episcopal Church, Park Slope, Brooklyn, in 1981 under the rectorship of Right Reverend Canon William Lester; continued under teachings and conferences organized and delivered by Dr.Mitch Glaser, Executive Director of Chosen People Ministries; and influenced by the various pastors of Redeemer West Side and Lincoln Square.

Artworks on display are for sale - Please contact the artist directly to inquire about availability, pricing, and the purchase process:

Video produced by Jan Albert and Kent Garrett for The Pine Hill  Community Center, PineHill, NY


about the gallery

At the Gallery at W83, we cultivate art and community on the Upper West Side, providing space for personal engagement, community conversations, and spiritual reflection, and collaborate with local artists from diverse backgrounds to explore universal themes of culture, community, and faith.

We bring together different perspectives in this space as an invitation to join in conversations we believe are vital to us all. We affirm the artist's right to express their views independently, and the views expressed by the artists are their own and do not necessarily represent the Gallery at W83 or Redeemer West Side.