West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Paducah School of Art & Design is hosting a memorial exhibition for a founding member of the Paducah Arts Alliance who died this past summer.
Freda Fairchild worked in fiber arts, costume design and a non-toxic printmaking process. She exhibited internationally with shows in Japan, Spain, France and the United Kingdom. Her niece, Shand Stamper, said she hopes people will be mesmerized by Fairchild’s work, most of which has not yet been seen publicly.
“When Freda was alive we talked about having a show for her--sort of an end of live exhibition and a celebration,” Stamper said. “And the goal was to do it before she died and we weren’t fast enough. There was so much work, it was so laborious and she was so sick. We couldn’t bring it together.”
Stamper said artists will be able to purchase, complete and show Fairchild’s unfinished work in an exhibition next Spring.
“She wanted to do a show that really demonstrated the web of sharing knowledge,” Fairchild said. “You might have an idea that might be different from the next person’s. One artist might take an idea to something totally different than another.”
Stamper said she thinks the best way to honor Fairchild’s memory and “secure her legacy” is to share her work. The exhibition “Freda Fairchild: Beyond Expectations” opens next Thursday and runs through Nov. 8. The artwork is available for purchase. The exhibition will run concurrently with PSAD's "Legacy 2--The Lower Town Arts District" exhibit, featuring work by Lower Town artists.
