The History of Cheticamp Hooked Rugs & Their Artisans
Cheticamp is an Acadian fishing community on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, in Nova Scotia, Canada. The residents, descendants of 17th-century French colonists, have for decades been known for their beautiful hooked rugs.
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Rug Hooking Introduced
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Breillon or braided rugs had long been used in Acadian communities to provide warmth to cold floors. Marie Fiset, the wife of a doctor who settled in Cheticamp, is credited with making the first woolen hooked rug and introducing the craft to others in the community, says WorkThroughTime.ca, a website devoted to Canadian heritage.
Selling Begins
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In 1927, an American artist named Lillian Burke visited the area. Recognizing the talent of the Cheticamp artisans, in time she helped turn their rug-making work into an internationally recognized industry, according to the history of Cheticamp rug making at Floras.com.
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Cooperative Formed
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The Cooperative Artisanale de Cheticamp was formed in 1963, giving the Cheticamp rugmakers the opportunity to find their own markets and set their own prices for their handiwork, says the Acadian Museum in Cheticamp.
Cheticamp Artisans
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Elizabeth LeFort (1914-2005), known as "Canada's artist in wool," was one of the most renowned rug-hooking craftswomen in Cheticamp. Her works adorn the Vatican, Buckingham Palace and the White House. Other celebrated artists include Annie Chiasson (1902-1972), who hand-dyed 200 lbs. of wool to create the largest rug ever produced in Cheticamp, and Catherine Poirier (1901-1994), beloved for the unsophisticated charm of her work.
Canadian Masterpiece
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Recently a group of Cheticamp rug hookers completed a large 15- by 10-foot rug, which now decorates the Pauline Vanier Room of Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa.
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