Weyburn had its own artist-in-residence last week, as Martha Cole, whose exhibit "Survivors" is currently on display in the Allie Griffin Art Gallery, worked on a number of projects with high school and community groups in the city.

Cole, who is based in Disley, has been working in fabric art for well over 25 years. Her exhibit "Survivors" includes several large-scale depictions of prairie elevators on fabric.

Cole's visit to Weyburn was part of a Centennial project sponsored by the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC). Weyburn was just one of 27 communities that she and her exhibit "Survivors" will visit over the next two and a half years.

Cole will spend a week in each of these communities as part of the project. Her role, she said, is to "help those communities whatever they want to do to celebrate Saskatchewan."

In Weyburn, that took the form of several projects. At the high school, she worked with Grade 11 and 12 students to create a 5x10 mural of images taken from old photos, all depicting Saskatchewan in some form.

Outside of the school, she worked with local quilters on a photo transfer project, creating individual squares that will make a large wall piece. She also taught classes in card-making, book bindings with the Weyburn Writer's Club, perspective drawings and photo collage.

While Cole is best known for her fabric art, she is, in fact, a trained artist in other mediums, including sculpture. She happened upon fabric art, she said, as a matter of practicality.

"While I was waiting to get a studio and enough equipment for sculpture, I picked up a sewing machine and I started sewing," she said. "Pretty soon, I realized I had 25 years worth of ideas in my head about fabric, and none about sculptures."

In fact, Weyburn is home to one of Cole's first fabric artworks: a Saskatchewan landscape on display in the Auburn Pepper building of the City Centre Mall. Cole was commissioned to do the work by the building's architects.

Cole uses fabric to convey themes of ecological conservation and ecology. Her exhibit "Trees of Life" contains nearly 100 depictions of plant life and trees, while "Survivors" is about the passing of the family farm way of life.

Cole said she has stuck with fabric as a medium because she feels people have an innate closeness and feel for fabric.

"We're wrapped in it from babies on, so we understand fabric in a deep subconscious way," said Cole.

"When you do artwork, you're trying to access something other than a purely visual response. You want an emotional response of some sort. And I think when you're working in fabric, you bring that knowing that each of us have, that familiarity that each of us has with fabric."

Attending a class with Cole and a group of local quilters on Thursday night, one sees a lot of shocked expressions, awed whispers and mumblings of "I can't do that" when she demonstrates her techniques of double quilting and free-form stitching.

Conceding she has 25 years of experience, Cole insists that, while her themes are hers alone, her technique can be achieved by anyone. Still, the "oohs" and "aahs" are quite enjoyable.

"I teach this all over the country The way I work in fabric is really quite unique, so I teach it," she said. "I love to share. I love to be able to do it."

A public reception was held on Wednesday night at the Allie Griffin. "Survivors" is on display until Friday, Sept. 23.