Fred Simon Gallery

On Tradition

By Celeste Butler & Lesley Darling

Jan 16 – Mar 11, 2026

Reception: Jan 15, 5-7pm

This is Nebraska Arts Council’s second biennial exhibit featuring Folk and Traditional Arts throughout the state. Like the first exhibition in 2023, the curator is Teliza Rodriguez, a curator based in Nebraska. She selected two artists that have a deep commitment to the preservation of the folk & traditional art methods of quilting, weaving, dyeing of fabrics and yarns, and storytelling through their artwork.

On Tradition will feature Lesley Darling, a fiber artist in Lincoln, and Celeste Butler, a quilt maker in Omaha. While both artists have been recognized in fine art circles, their work is steeped in methods and traditions that that in some cases, have existed for centuries (or since humans made their first garments). It is this juxtaposition of methodology and visual outcome that is explored in this exhibition.

Artist Statements

Lesley Darling:

“I am obsessed with materials and materiality. The natural world provides us with a dizzying array of textures, colors, sheens, and possibilities, many of which have lost their value since the rise of synthetic materials in the last two hundred years. The work in this show highlights maximalist process with minimal aesthetic, using many raw material that have been hand-processed to become as they are. By highlighting the unique qualities of materials, I create contrast through texture and light, using less graphics or colors, and thus inviting you to come and see the material properties through a somewhat subtle invitation. The world is so busy and chaotic, and my eye desires something soft to fall upon. And yet, I see the difference in these material textures as loud shouts from each material, demanding to be heard and seen for their qualities – like shimmering white silk next to downy, matte wool, or the argument between black glass beads and almost-black sumac tannin, blending together from afar, but crisply distinguishable on closer examination.

All of these pieces are functional and suitable for daily use: even the hangings can become jacket linings, pillows, or even repurposed as landscaping cloth. The textiles are predominantly dyed naturally with locally or domestically sourced plants and insects.”

Celeste Butler:

“I am Celeste Butler, fiber and textile artist and Quiltologist.

My work explores the relationship between domestic and the structural, transforming traditional quilting techniques into three-dimensional soft sculptures. By capturing the story, of manipulating fiber and textile, I move beyond the flat plane of the quilt to examine how fabric can hold space, weight, and memories.

I view stitching as a repetitive, meditative act of construction that mirrors the way we build identity—layer by layer, seam by seam. Through the use of reclaimed and hand-dyed materials, my pieces challenge the boundary between functional craft and fine art, inviting viewers to consider the soft sculpture not just as an object of comfort, but as the foundation we build upon and architectural design concepts!”