The Surface Design Association of Washington State unveiled Fiber Fusion, a yearlong juried exhibition and celebration of textiles and surface design techniques, at the VALA Art Center at Redmond Town Center. The exhibition opened on Nov. 10 and runs through Jan. 15, 2017.

A public opening reception at VALA Art Center is planned from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday. Rock Hushka, lead curator at Tacoma Art Museum and one of the Fiber Fusion jurors, will be giving a talk at the opening.

Fifty-four artists were selected for the four-city exhibition.

Crystal A. Edwards of Redmond is one of several Eastside chapter members whose work has been accepted. In conjunction with the exhibition, several of the Eastside members will have additional pieces on display at VALA.

Eighty-eight artists representing 39 Washington cities and towns entered the competition with 246 entries. Artist techniques include fabric manipulation, hand and machine embroidery, painting, wet felting, shibori, bojagi and botanical dyeing. Some of the unusual materials used include stainless steel, sock monkeys, gunpowder, vintage kimono, acrylic, newspapers, sand, wood, gut and hair.

Concurrent with Redmond’s surface design celebration, VALA will host a mini workshop on dyeing and embroidery at the Redmond Senior Center. The instructor, Christina Fairley Erickson, also serves as the executive director of the Fiber Fusion exhibition. For information and registration, visit http://tinyurl.com/jp2bd7e

Surface design art uses elements of surface design — which includes dyeing, painting, printing, stitching, embellishing, quilting, weaving, knitting, beading, felting and paper making — or that in some way manipulates or alters the surface of a “textile.” A textile is defined as any material that takes on the properties of cloth. Work can be functional or non-functional, and can be for the wall, the body or as decoration.