You're Invited: Heavenly Silk

On a cold January night 84 years ago, Jean Moulin landed in a field on the outskirts of the village of Eygalieres…carried to safety by a parachute made of silk. And now, in homage to this hero of the French resistance—and the silk production industry that thrived in the villages of Southern France until dying out shortly after WWII—Luberon-based artist Joanna Staniszkis will show her monumental silk art this spring. 

The exhibition, called Soie Tombee du Ciel (Heavenly Silk), will take place in a 12th-century former church at the top of village of Eygalieres.

In the magnificent setting of the Ancient Eglise Saint Laurent, Joanna 's large scale installations show off the beauty of this noble fabric, which she calls a ''wonderous miracle of nature.’’

Joanna is a Polish/Canadian textile artist who has lived in the Luberon for 20 years, in an ancient stone quarry. She studied at the Warsaw Fine Arts Academy and graduated from the School of the Chicago Art Institute in Chicago. Today she is Professor Emerita of the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) where she taught design and textile design for more than three decades. Joanna has exhibited her work extensively, in group and solo exhibitions worldwide.

In what she calls her ''atelier practice,’’ she created large-scale architectural commissions for public buildings, embassies and banks. Since coming to Provence, however, she’s been more focused on textile traditions and the history of cloth in the region. Her solo exhibitions on that theme have been shown in Bonnieux, Menerbes, Avignon and Salzburg, Austria.

When her schedule allows, Joanna is willing to welcome visitors into her home and studio in the tiny village of Taillades, for what she calls ''textile adventures.’’

''I have a very interesting home and I’m usually working on interesting projects!’’ she tells me. ‘’These days I’m making and selling one-of-a-kind wearable art. I love to explain the process: the printing, the dyeing, etc. Also, I raise silk worms and love to talk about that as well.’’ Sometimes it’s even possible to combine a visit with a short indigo-dying session in the garden. ''People love to bring home something they’ve made themselves,’’ she says. Visits are by appointment only and Joanna’s email is below.

The show in Eygalieres opens with a vernissage on April 18 at 6 pm and all are welcome. It will remain on view until May 12, open every day except Monday, from 11 am to 6 pm.

On Friday April 17 from 11 am to 12 noon, the food, wine and travel club known as La Table des Amis is organizing a visit to the exhibit followed by a no-host lunch in the village. This could also be a great day to enjoy the wonderful weekly Eygalieres market, which happens on Friday mornings. Joanna is a member of the group and will be on hand, to greet everyone and take them around the show. ''And I won’t be alone,’’ she tells me, ''I’ll definitely have my silk worms with me!’’

For more info on World War II hero Jean Moulin, there’s a small but excellent museum in the village of St. Andiol, not far from Eygalieres. It’s located in a the former village school, where he was a student. There you’ll find 200 rare photos, archives, period objects and videos, including a reconstruction (with sound and visual effects) of the fuselage of the plane from which he parachuted on January 2, 1942. Today Moulin’s ashes are in the Pantheon in Paris, the final resting place of France’s greatest heroes, and his name is found widely across the country; it’s said that only Charles de Gaulle and Louis Pasteur have more French streets named after them. For info on the museum, click here or here.

For info and to reserve (5€) for the Table des Amis outing on April 17, click here.

To reach Joanna directly: jstanisz@mail.ubc.ca, joanna-staniszkis-in-provence.com.

Photos: (1) Poster for the show. (2) L'Ancienne Eglise Saint-Laurent in Eygalieres was built on the northern rampart of the magical old village (Vieux Village) in the early 12th century, then remodeled in the 18th and 19th. Purely Romanesque in style, it was used as a place of worship from 1155 to 1905 and became a Historical Monument in 1983. Today the interior is accessible only when artistic or cultural events are being held...and during the Journées du Patrimoine each September. If you don't know Eygalieres, be aware that the old (Ancienne) Saint-Laurent church is at the very top of the hill while the new (Nouvelle) one is in town. (3) Joanna working on the exhibition in her atelier in Taillades. (4) Two works for the show: a silk parachute and "The Cloudscape.'' (5) More works for the show. (6) Joanna makes unique linen clothing, which can be purchased her studio. (7) The Musée de Jean Moulin in St. Andiol.