Winifred Clark Shaw and Janvier Rollande

Win Shaw taught weaving and jewelry/metalsmithing at UNH from 1954 to 1987. The exceptional quality of her design and craftwork led to her being included in an exhibit at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The work of art on view here was originally commissioned by friends in New Hampshire to hang on a brick wall, near a fireplace. The “window” motif was one that the artist had been experimenting with, and is carried off nicely here in the discrete individuality of its rectangular panels, attached horizontally but not vertically. A coherent whole from a distance, its elements retain their individuality up close.

A demanding teacher, Win appreciated tight technical execution, thus her acquisition and subsequent donation of the highly accomplished drawing by Janvier Rollande, UNH ‘83. If a drawing could be woven, this is what it must look like, as each delicate pencil stroke builds up a fibrous and durable whole, especially in its darker elements.