The Wendell Free Library hadn’t hosted an art exhibit since the COVID-19 pandemic reared its ugly head. So Phyllis Lawrence, who co-chairs the library trustees’ art exhibition committee, thought the best way to get back into the swing of things would be to showcase art that appeals to people young and old.
Enter, “Inner Beasties.”
More than 100 whimsical soft sculptures crafted by local artist Jacqueline Strauss will don the library walls and glass case until the end of the year. Created from upcycled materials, the pieces vary in size, shape and color and express an array of emotions and moods.
“I thought it would be an excellent beginning show because (the pieces) are colorful, they’re … fanciful and they would appeal to both adults and children,” Lawrence said.
The creations could be described as atypical stuffed animals. Some are cute and cuddly while others are fierce and angry-looking, and some are just plain weird.
“They sort of are collaborations between me and textiles,” Stauss explained. “I would say they’re a kind of emotional creature expression. They’re all different. Kind of almost like doodling funny creatures – they are textiled, three-dimensional versions of those, and they vary greatly depending on my mood and the material.”
Strauss, 57, is also known as Jezaculear – a playful blend of her nickname, Jac, and the surname of English poet Edward Lear. As for how she fell into this medium, she said “it just sort of happened.” She started making her creations about a year and a half ago and now has about 500 under her belt.
“I make them every day,” she said. “I feel like I’m possessed. I can’t stop. And it’s becoming a problem, space-wise.”
She said the exhibit’s name “just came to me.”
Lawrence pitched Strauss the idea of showcasing her soft sculptures after being in the latter’s house, which Strauss said was “crawling with them.” The two are neighbors, though Lawrence lives in Wendell and Strauss resides down the road in Shutesbury.
“I myself work in fiber, so I’m a person who loves fabric and loves wool,” Lawrence said. “I think (the exhibit is) fabulous. I love it. I think that (Strauss) has so much creativity.”
Strauss said she uses old materials, some of which she gets from Swanson’s Fabrics in Turners Falls. She has also used fabric from pillows she finds on the side of the road.
“People are always putting things out,” she said. “So far, that’s been working.”
Strauss buys the stuffing she uses and also has some donated to her.
“I really do feel like it’s a collaboration between me and the fabric,” she said. “It is like giving birth from something that’s inside.”
Linda Chatfield, a substitute library assistant, said new Director Miriam Warner is interested in exhibiting as much local art as possible. A previous exhibit, displayed in the library’s glass case, consisted of items a local person collected from nature. Chatfield said “Inner Beasties” occupies that glass case and the walls of the library’s Herrick Room.
“It fits in perfectly with the concept of the library being a community center,” she said. “It’s pretty impressive.”
Strauss said she has already received positive feedback on the exhibit.
“It’s been a really neat experience for me,” she said. “It’s not hoity-toity, in a gallery way.”
The Wendell Free Library is open from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Strauss can be found on Instagram at @Jezaculear.