From Art District Liberty Station's KPBS segment

FREE LECTURE

Spotlight Artist Gael Rhyder - Saturday, January 31st

In this free, public lecture, Gael Rhyder will share the inspiration behind their exhibition, Mouth of Many Mothers. Gael will speak to their experience as a new birthing person. The work of this exhibition is to give voice to the experience of being a womb bearing person and the weight of transformation as an act of survival that is only relieved by rebirth. Each crocheted piece in this exhibit has been reborn of reclaimed fibers, to honor Mother Earth and the abundance she provides. Connecting one end of discarded yarn to another to form a whole new body out of what was left to stagnate keeps the creative river flowing.  

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Time: 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM

SAN DIEGO MUSEUM COUNCIL

Museum Month 2026 - Region-Wide All February Long

Explore the creativity that our binational region has to offer through Museum Month! During the month of February, get half-off admission at 70+ museums and attractions across San Diego County and Tijuana. Whether you pick up a free printed pass at a public library or download a digital pass to your phone, Museum Month makes it simple – and affordable – to explore the region’s vibrant landscape of art, culture, history, science, nature and more.

VMOTA will be closed from February 1-13 for installation. We encourage you to grab a pass and check out these other great attractions while we prepare something amazing for you. Starting February 14th, we invite you back to VMOTA to see our newest exhibitions and explore our hands-on education table!

FEBRUARY FOCUS FIBER - MEMBERS ONLY

All About Sharing - Monday, February 3, 2026

Focus Fiber will be offsite in February at our regularly scheduled time while the museum is preparing for installation. Members are invited to join an exclusive artist studio visit. Email info@vmota.org to RSVP and to get the address.

What is Focus Fiber? Focus Fiber is an open and collaborative space within VMOTA that fosters growth and connection among artists working in fiber and textile arts. The group meets regularly to share projects, exchange constructive feedback, and support artistic development in a welcoming and respectful environment. Open to all VMOTA members engaged in fiber and textile work, Focus Fiber offers a platform for artists to build confidence in sharing their creative expressions.

Focus Fiber meetings are the first Monday of the month.

Did you know that the Arts District Liberty Station stays open late on the First Friday of every month?

VMOTA will be closed for installation during February's First Friday, but we encourage you to check out the incredible artwork throughout our thriving district.

Date: Friday, February 7, 2026

Time: 5 - 8 PM

SUBMIT YOUR ARTWORK FOR CONSIDERATION

Quilt Visions 2026 Open Call - Submissions Due February 9th

Last Chance to Enter!

Visions Museum of Textile Art (VMOTA) is proud to announce the call for entries for Quilt Visions 2026, the museum’s 27th international juried exhibition. Exhibition jurors will select work exemplifying art quilting at the highest level of quality, innovation, surface design techniques, excellence in composition, and craftsmanship. Jurors will look for innovative textile art that explores form and technique of 2D art quilts. Jurors for 2026 are Carolyn Ducey, Justin Ming Yong, and David van Buskirk. Read more about the jurors at the portal.

Cash award prizes are given out for various categories. We have a new award this year for emerging artists under 30. If you fall in this category, we'd love for you to consider applying!

CELEBRATE THE OPENING OF OUR NEWEST EXHIBITIONS

Artist Gallery Talks - February 14th

Join us as we kick off our first exhibition cycle of 2026! Our Artist Gallery Talks are a great way to learn about the newest exhibitions directly from the artists. Attendance also encourages the artists in their practice, as they are reminded that others value their work and process. This is a standing event with limited seating scattered throughout the galleries.

Date: February 14th, 2026

Time: 1 PM

Note: We will be closed to the public until noon on February 14th.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

COLLABORATION WITH CYGNET THEATRE

Somewhere Over the Border - Opens February 18, 2026

Check out our pieces in the Cygnet Theatre Art Gallery during their production of Somewhere Over the Border, which opens on Feb 18, 2026.

Inspired by a real-life journey, Somewhere Over the Border weaves a heartwarming tale of resilience and hope. Blending magical realism with the charm of The Wizard of Oz, this moving musical follows Reina’s courageous journey to build a better life. With vibrant characters and a lively score, it’s a musical about family, sacrifice, and the pursuit of the American Dream.

Featuring a lively, Latin-inspired score infused with cumbia, mariachi, boleros, American rock, and hip hop, this moving story reminds us that courage can lead us anywhere — even over the rainbow.

Get your tickets today for this amazing musical and take advantage of 20% off using promo code Visions20.

VMOTA is pleased to share that our 2026 Exhibition Calendar is included in Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide semiquincentennial initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade both throughout our history and in contemporary life. Learn about all participating organizations through the link below.

I Find Little Treasures

by Vanessa Freitag

Feb 14, 2026 to Jun 20, 2026

This exhibition brings together medium-format textile objects and sculptures that investigate the construction of fragmented landscapes—spaces that are sewn, woven, and crocheted into a sense of belonging. The work emerges from a practice rooted in wandering through sites of memory: bazaars, antique shops, and public markets in the city I inhabit. These places become starting points for an intuitive process of discovery and collection.

Porcelain, tableware, ornaments, and handcrafted objects—once part of homes unknown to me—are gathered and carefully incorporated into the textile forms. Treated as small treasures, these objects are nestled among the soft branches of the sculptures, inviting an attentive gaze to slowly uncover them. Their presence evokes layers of domestic history, intimacy, and displacement, suspended within a tactile, sculptural landscape.

Through the acts of collecting, weaving, and nesting, the work constructs an inhabited space—one that allows me to locate myself, to feel my feet on solid ground. The textiles become both shelter and terrain, offering a quiet reflection on memory, belonging, and the ways material objects carry traces of lived experience.

CYANOTYPE

Feb 14, 2026 to Jun 20, 2026

The cyanotype—derived from the Ancient Greek kyáneos (dark blue) and týpos (mark or impression)—is a photographic process known for its distinctive blue imagery. Today, the cyanotype process has been reimagined within contemporary textile art as a site of experimentation and innovation. In this exhibition, four artists present distinct approaches to the technique, exploring its historical roots while expanding its expressive and material possibilities for a contemporary audience.

San Diego Textile Scene

Feb 14, 2026 to Jun 20, 2026

This exhibition celebrates the creativity and innovation of San Diego’s textile artists while honoring the deep textile traditions of the region, which trace back to the indigenous Kumeyaay people. Historically referred to as Diegueños during the Spanish mission period, the Kumeyaay inhabited a vast territory stretching from present-day Oceanside, California, south to Ensenada, Mexico, and eastward to the Colorado River. Long before European contact, Kumeyaay communities skillfully processed fibers from plants and animals to create functional and expressive textiles, establishing a legacy of material knowledge and artistic practice that continues to resonate today.



The contemporary artists featured in this exhibition were selected from Visions Museum’s 2026 art call: Jean Benelli, Monica Loss, Rebecca Smith, Nancy Lemke, Sue Britt, and Angela D’Amico. Through a diverse range of techniques and approaches, their work reflects both individual artistic voices and the ongoing evolution of textile art in San Diego—bridging past and present, tradition and innovation.

SPOTLIGHT GALLERY

Fiber Weavings by Patti Chamberlin

Feb 14, 2026 to Mar 28, 2026

Working with gathered pine needles and other natural materials, this body of work explores woven texture, form, and the dialogue between traditional craft and contemporary design. Each piece begins with a loose intention, but the process remains intuitive—once weaving begins, control is surrendered. The materials guide the outcome, shaping forms that evolve through listening, responsiveness, and trust in the act of making.

Rooted in an unconventional approach to fiber art, the work is driven by a fascination with shape, space, and the tension between negative and positive form. Movement emerges as a recurring presence, visible in shifting contours and rhythmic structures. Experimentation is central to the practice, allowing each piece to exist as both a study and a conversation—one that is constantly unfolding.

MEMBERS CHALLENGE

Home by VMOTA Membership Community

Feb 14, 2026 to Mar 21, 2026

The theme of “Home” encompasses the many facets of a space that make us feel safe, connected, and grounded. Explore 12"x12" artworks inspired by the feelings, the places, the tangible, and intangible that come together to create our artist members' sense of home.

Support the artists! Artwork is available for purchase through our retail store!

Members: Artwork can be dropped off to the museum between 1/27 and 1/31 during our open hours.

Thank you for supporting our 40th Anniversary Campaign!

Our community showed up in a significant way in December. Through your generous support, we were able to exceed our match, bringing in a total of $85,000 in 2025. These essential funds were critical for us to finish out our 2025 year strong, supporting operational costs like exhibition signage, staff salaries, and education supplies.

New Membership Tiers in 2026!



We updated our membership tiers for 2026 and refined our benefits. By becoming a member, you join a community of artists and makers who teach one another through our Focus Fiber group, exhibit their work through our Members' Challenges, and participate in exclusive events. We would love to welcome you to our membership community!

Photo Credits:

Image 1: Photo credit KPBS

Image 2: Photo courtesy of Gael Rhyder

Image 3: Graphic created by San Diego Museum Council

Image 4: Photo courtesy of Stephen Colburn

Image 5: Visions Museum of Textile Art

Image 6: Silvered Pistil by Teri McHale

Image 7: Photo courtesy of Stephen Colburn

Image 8: Graphic courtesy of Cygnet Theatre

Image 9: I find little treasures I by Vanessa Freitag

Image 10: Head Full of Dreams by Morgan Ford Willingham

Image 11: It Comes In Waves by Rebecca Smith

Image 12: Needles and Grain by Patti Chamberlin

Image 13: Stock photo