The Gail Harker Creative Studies Center in La Conner will hold an open house and exhibit of student work April 14 and 15 during Skagit County’s annual Tulip Festival.

The exhibition is the first time many visitors to the annual Tulip Festival will have to visit the grounds and the new classroom and art space of the landmark building renovated by architect Allen Elliott in1999 and that sits just east of La Conner on Chilberg Road.

The Gail Harker Creative Studies Center moved into the huge red barn late last year. The first floor of the barn houses the center and the second floor is a private residence.

The Exhibition is free and open to the public, and features dynamic textile work and 3-D forms from Level 3 Experimental Stitch students known as the Calypsos.

The students, from Washington, Alberta and British Columbia, will display finished pieces and design sketchbooks, which allow visitors to see what the artists learned and how they progressed to their final designs.

The exhibition is the culmination of a two-year course at the Creative Studies Center and more than 304 hours of study. Exhibiting artists include:

Isabel Parker of Port Alberni, British Columbia

Betty Caskey of Olds, Alberta, Canada

Dianne Corso of Anacortes, WA

Donna Dowdney of Bainbridge Island, WA

Marie Plakos of Langley, WA

Susan Sasnett of Seattle, WA

Terri Shinn of Snohomish, WA

Saturday’s exhibit at the Center happens the same day as the Tulip Festival’s parade, which is being held in La Conner.

Center founder Gail Harker holds the equivalent of an M.A. in textile and fiber art and in contemporary embroidery, also known as stitch. More than 1,500 fabric artists have studied at the center, including several who went on to win national and international recognition. The Center offers professional certificate and diploma programs, as well as shorter classes, in design and stitch.

The center’s shorter classes and programs include textile art, art and design, color studies, dyeing of fabrics and threads, felt and papermaking, painting fabrics, machine and hand stitch, collage and other offerings suitable for beginner to expert skill levels.

What: Fiber Art Exhibition and Open House at The Gail Harker Creative Studies Center

When: April 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; April 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Gail Harker Creative Studies Center, 12636 Chilberg Road, La Conner

Contact: Gail Harker, phone: (360) 279-2105 email: gail@gailcreativestudies.com