The Canadian Tapestry Network Newsletter Spring 2008 

For those of us living on the Canadian West Coast, the spring blossoms are Inspiring design ideas for future woven Tapestry Adventures Celebrating Tapestry, the Canadian Tapestry Network is a volunteer not-for-profit organization dedicated to communication among its members, fellow tapestry weavers, with the documentation, promotion and advertising of individuals, activities and events related to woven tapestry. We all love it when you write to us and send us photos of your work, and more importantly, all CTN members love reading about your tapestry adventures – whether challenging or not. To join the Canadian Tapestry Network (CTN) and receive a newsletter twice/year, please send a cheque for $20.00/3 issues for mailing in Canada, $22.00 US for mailing to the US, & $25.00 for mailing to overseas countries. Please make cheques payable to CTN-Barbara Heller, (our treasurer and co-editor). This amount simply covers the costs in production and postage.
As a CTN member, you can advertise free of charge. As a non-member, you can advertise for $15.00/issue; again sending a cheque to Barbara Heller.

Co-Editor: Madeleine Darling-Tung

Site 16, C-2, 184 Spinnaker Drive, Mayne Island, BC V0N 2J0

Telephone: (250) 539-3699; madeleinedt@shaw.ca (NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS)

Membership, Treasurer & Co-Editor: Barbara Heller

Fibre Arts Studio, 1610 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC V6H 3S2 Canada

Telephone: (604) 224-2060; bheller@telus.net 

Contribution Deadline for the next issue will be August 1st , 2008

Editorial: Spring is always a beautiful time of the year, inspiring new ideas, new designs, and new beginnings.... This year, Barbara and I will continue to create each issue of the CTN newsletter, carefully and thoughtfully.... In advance, thanks for staying in touch and sharing your ideas, comments and photographs of recent tapestry adventures...

We both trust that you will enjoy this issue. Stay in touch.....It is all about communicating with and encouraging each other. Enjoy the Spring blossoms... ...Madeleine and Barbara

We have included with this issue, a new membership list for your communicating pleasure.

Be sure to visit: http://www.canadiantapestrynetwork.com Thank you Krystyna (Szluinska-Sadej) for all of you time on this project, as it is most appreciated by all of the CTN membership.

In addition to items specific to the Canadian Tapestry Network are some very interesting “Links”....Be sure to take a few minutes to visit these links as well as “You Tube” (Broadcast Yourself). When uploading the You Tube videos, because of the current technology process, one needs to give it the required time (clearly marked) to upload and then once that is done, simply “replay” to view the whole video without interruption, (or buffering). I found the Global X video on Karen Piegorsch, founder and president of Synergo Arts, a nonprofit organisation and CEO of Synergo LLC, a design company based in the United States, very interesting. Synergo provides ergonomic solutions to artisans and entrepreneurs in the developing countries (such as Guatemala). Yes, by the end of the video, I was sitting up much straighter....

New Voice for Canadian Visual Arts:

Following the recent Visual Arts Summit, a new group of visual arts organizations has come together to form the Canadian Alliance for the Visual Arts (CAVA). Rather than an official organization, CAVA is an independent alliance of national visual arts organizations determined to advance the status of visual arts in Canada. Through communication, cooperation and collaborative action this network will achieve common goals, as outlined in the Visual Arts Summit's Collective Agenda. (www.visualartssummit.ca)

Representatives from eleven of Canada's national arts service organizations make up CAVA's membership. These organizations, though diverse in focus, each have a vested interest in the promotion and advancement of Canadian visual arts. CAVA's main objectives are to speak with a unified voice, to develop a cohesive strategy to improve the socio-economic conditions of artists, and to pursue the health of our art galleries, museums, artist-run centres and commercial art dealers so that Canada's extraordinary visual arts can flourish. After two productive teleconferences, CAVA held their first face-to-face meeting in Montreal on February 1st, with another scheduled for the 14th of March. These meetings have set in motion a number of joint projects which will affect change for Canadian visual arts, both in the artistic community and the general public. The group looks forward to the upcoming announcements on the disbursement of new funding by the Canada Council for the Arts, and will be in attendance at the Council's meetings on February 12th.

For more information on CAVA and their planned initiatives, contact any member...

Maegen Black, Fredericton Canadian Crafts Federation 506-444-3315, info@canadiancraftsfederation.ca

I am pleased to announce that the Canada Council’s Action Plan 2008-11 is now available on our web site. The Plan describes the program and operational strategies the Council will pursue in the next three years and budgetary information for the upcoming fiscal year (2008-09). It explains how the Council has aligned its budget with its priority strategies and how it will allocate new funds totaling $31,500,000 in 2008-09. It follows the values and broad directions set out in the Strategic Plan 2008-11, published in October 2007, and has been informed by the largest and most extensive consultation in the Council’s history…

The Action Plan, the Strategic Plan and information about the consultations are available on our web site at www.canadacouncil.ca. Yours sincerely, Karen Kain, C.C., Chair

CARFAC welcomes Canada Council increase to individual artists’ grants (CARFAC is the national voice of Canada’s professional visual and media artists. CARFAC defends artists’ socio-economic and legal rights and educates the public on fair dealing with artists. CARFAC engages actively in advocacy, lobbying, research and public education, on behalf of artists in Canada.)

Ottawa, February 20th, 2008 – The Canadian Artists’ Representation/le Front des artists canadiens (CARFAC) welcomes the increase of nearly $4.6 million to individual artists’ grants, recently announced in the Canada Council for the Art’s Action Plan for 2008 11.

The increase in individual grants provides much needed funds for research, creation, production, and travel, and higher success rates for applicants. CARFAC hopes the plan will also help to improve conditions for visual and media artists in Canada. “We’d like to work with the Canada Council on a review of individual grant criteria, the creation of a social security net for senior visual artists, and the abolition of the federal income tax on artist’s grants and awards,” said April Britski, national Executive Director of CARFAC.

CARFAC is also pleased that new money has been allocated to research initiatives. In particular, there is sector-wide interest in a study on the feasibility of a establishing a dedicated fund for the public exhibition of artworks, similar to the Public Lending Right fund which pays writers whose books are available in public libraries….

CARFAC is happy that the Canada Council involved national arts service organizations in this strategic planning process. The new Canadian Alliance of the Visual Arts (CAVA), an independent alliance of national visual arts organizations of which CARFAC is a member, will work with the Canada Council to implement the plan in the visual arts sector. CARFAC National, carfac@carfac.ca www.carfac.ca

Cahier des métiers d’art * Craft Journal is launched!

The bilingual publication Cahier des métiers d’art * Craft Journal is currently in print, with their first magazine already released and a second on the way. Given the current limited resources of the organization the print runs will only cover those necessary copies for subscribers and promotional purposes, so copies are limited! Support your community and encourage growth in craft writing and coverage while learning about Canadian Fine Craft by subscribing to Cahier des métiers d’art * Craft Journal. For more information on membership & subscriptions, and to find out how you can submit materials for consideration, check out www.craftjournal.ca.

The Canadian Crafts Federation/Fédération canadienne des métiers d'art is pleased to have commissioned a selection of new articles based on the various activities that Craft Year 2007 has inspired and exposed. The following articles, produced by some of the best craft-focused authors in the field, touch on just a few of the many events, ideas and artists Canadian contemporary craft has to offer. The CCF/FCMA is grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts for the financial assistance which made these articles possible, through the Jean A. Chalmers Fund for the Crafts.

Visit the website to read them all. We are reprinting the article by Bettina Matzkuhn as we think this is a challenge we tapestry artists should answer. Go to http://www.canadiancraftsfederation.ca/ - and click on craft year 2007, then on line library, then commissioned.

Touching Hands: A Challenge to Craftspeople

Bettina Matzkuhn leads the reader through her personal journey as a craftsperson, touching mainly on the feedback she recieves from audiences of her work, and the need for more critical writing on Canadian contemporary fine craft.

Sharp Turn (detail)
Bettina Matzkuhn (1987)
appliqué and hand embroidery
(cotton, silk, synthetic thread)
on cotton 40cm circular
Photo: B.Matzkuhn

Years ago I exhibited a work I called “Sharp Turn”. It was hand embroidered, depicting a memory of driving to Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. There was a clear night sky, a full moon and a pantheon of trees partially illuminated by the headlights. Announced by a yellow sign with a bent arrow on it, the road veered around a cliff. After the show, the gallery passed an unsigned note on to me. The writer described how it evoked memorable road trips and the constant longing to know what was around the corner. The person regretted not having enough money to buy it, but wanted me to know of the many memories it conjured. I keep this scrap of paper in my desk. It reassures me. There is no mention of medium or theory; it is simply a response, a generous gesture.

Gestures of support are important to me as a creative person. I work in textiles, embroidering by hand, printing and painting fabrics to use in my work. It is a slow, solitary pursuit and I am never sure how the work will be received. My friends and family wax enthusiastic, but I fear they are too diplomatic. Even on the opening night of a show, or at a presentation of my work, I have little detailed feedback from viewers. I am discouraged when people look at the work and say “My grandmother does this stuff” or suggest helpfully, “Why don’t you get a machine to do this?” The comment book from a gallery show often has either very kind words or ones to the effect of “what is this crap?”, but they are rarely specific. What that stranger gave me was a small but tangible reply, a sense of how it had spoken to them.

I am reminded of watching my son’s high school basketball games when the teams line up on either side of the basket so one player could take a foul shot. Some wiry boy at the shooting line would focus himself and launch his first attempt out of two. Then his teammates would all step over to touch his hands before the second shot whether or not the first one had gone in. I wonder what would constitute a parallel in the crafts community? How can we find the equivalent of this gesture? How can a process that is often meditative and personal –no cheering fans here- be acknowledged and celebrated publicly?

An obvious way is to acquire another person’s work, but most of us don’t have significant amounts of spending money. Another way is to attend the exhibition openings of our peers, raising a glass to the new body of work. But I think the most significant way of “touching hands” in the crafts community is to write about each other. The written word can be more durable than a pat on the back. Through writing one can toot another’s horn. And toot the horn intelligently: to describe why the work is significant, why the process is relevant to the finished piece, and to describe a greater context for the work. Writing connects the maker and viewer by explaining the impetus behind the work, how the maker has arrived at his/her form of expression (never a straight line) and the adventures, innovations and metaphors bound in with the making. Paula Gustafson, in a presentation at a conference hosted at the Alberta College of Art and Design and the University of Calgary, talked about the absence of a national (English) magazine devoted to craft.1 She described how writing “documents artistic endeavor” and that the shortage of writing on craft makes us “invisible”. Lack of written documentation means lack of resources for teaching, a lack of analysis of the position the work inhabits –both in the craftsperson’s body of work and on a grander, cultural, international scale. Lack of writing means a lack of promotion and celebration.

It is easy, as craftspeople, to maintain that we are not writers. But writing is a craft like any other –the first attempts are wobbly but improve with persistence. Writing is a craft-like practice in the sense of working the material, the same way I pin, cut and colour fabric, embroidering, embellishing, ripping it out, re-working the piece. The craftspeople I have interviewed –as a paid or volunteer writer- are articulate, perceptive, witty, well-educated people. There is much to discuss. I feel that we are uniquely qualified to write about each other as we have an appreciation for the process and practices in craft disciplines, the way athletes on a team know and admire one another’s investment, special skills and personal breakthroughs. Describing and analyzing our responses to another’s work often results in the focusing of ideas around our own work.

And so I challenge you to take this on. Volunteer to write a short essay as a handout for a peer’s exhibition –it would serve as an introduction and a record. Send in a review to a local paper –it may be rejected, but that is part of any creative process. The writing could be critical –if it is undertaken in a sincere spirit, it will generate discussion, even controversy. The writing could be as understated as touching the hands of the person taking the foul shot or as jubilant as a high five. The tiny note left to me has the kernel of how we must begin to write: as a generous response.

1 Gustafson, Paula Publishing Craft, an unpublished speech prepared for the Universities Art Association of Canada conference at the Alberta College of Art and Design and the University of Calgary October 31-November 2, 2002.


ATA (American Tapestry Alliance) News:
Connections: Small Tapestry International : ATA is proud to announce the beginning of a new biennial juried exhibit, to be held in the years that alternate with ATB. The first Connections exhibit will have an entry postmark due date of November 30, 2008. Tapestries will be limited in size to 100 square inches. More information about the exhibit can be accessed at:

http://www.americantapestryalliance.org/Exhibitions/STInt/Connections.html 

and a downloadable PDF entry form can be accessed from either that page, or here:

http://www.americantapestryalliance.org/Exhibitions/EntryForms.html

I hope you all will be as excited as we are to see this new juried exhibit looming ahead (sorry, couldn't resist). Get to your looms! We're hoping to see entries from all of you!

...Kathy Spoering, Connections: Small Tapestry International chairperson

Congratulations to the ATB7 Artists - There were 171 entries from 102 artists from 10 countries. Susan Warner Keene, the juror, commented, "I think all of the pieces I have chosen contribute something intriguing, meaningful, thought-provoking, or amazing to a consideration of the tapestry form." Canadian artists are in red. American CTN members are in blue.

Mary Babcock Finding Center

Liev Beuten Schellekens Lady with Red Hair

Barbara Burns Blue Frida II

Gabriela Cristu The Miragery

Line Dufour Gravity

Patricia Dunn Zacatecas 5: Cerro de Grillo: Dry Season Birthplace

Lany Eila And

Marcia Ellis Windsong

Joanna Foslien Arcana

Alex Friedman Flow 1

Birgitta Hallberg Minds

Joyce Hayes Conciliation - Peace

Barbara Heller The Shaman

Fiona Hutchinson How Calm the Wild Water

Susan Iverson Dream Sequence

Anne Jackson Leaving Eden I

Urban Jupena Blase of Glorie

Lialia Kuchma Summer in Quincy

At the Gate

Connie Lippert Sacred Places; Emerald Pool

Margo MacDonald Shimenawa for Puget Sound

Susan Martin-Maffei Sports Series -Golf at Chelsea Piers

Lynn Mayne Flower to Bird

Julia Mitchell Marsh Grass

Ulrikka Mokdad Honour’s Victim

Ann Naustdal Girl II

Olga Norgaard Fimbulwinter/Rasnasrok

Brenda Osburn Stone Buddah

Kathryn Pannepacker Two Children on Unicycles

Eve S. Pearce The Rider

Bozena Pychova Poetic Line

Robin Reider Midnight Folly

Michael Rohde Tibetan Prayers

Jennifer Sargent Shift and Shift Again

Sarah Swett Blue Day

Marika Szaraz Entrelacs

Maximo Laura Taboada Camino Ardiente a la Luz

Kathe Todd-Hooker So Sought

Linda Wallace Homage to Aubrey

Mary Zicafoose Ancient Text: Ochre

Ancient Text: Indigo

ATA Education Articles - A New Resource - ATA is inagurating a new area of the website that will be dedicated to educational articles. These articles will address a variety of topics authored by a diverse range of artists. If you have suggestions for topics, please contact marylane53@mac.com
www.americantapestryalliance.org/Education/Edu_Articles.html

ATA Offers Various Programs at Convergence 2008:

The American Tapestry Alliance is pleased to announce the following programming during HGA's Convergence 2008 in Tampa Bay, Florida. Registration for Convergence is not required for any of these events, although a day pass must be purchased to attend "Reinventing Landscape: Two Perspectives."

Check our website here:  www.americantapestryalliance.org/NandR/Conv08.html


Waterfront Gathering No Host Dinner - Jackson's Bistro, 601 S. Harbour Island Blvd #100, Tampa, FL - Thursday, June 26, 2008, 6:00 - 9:00 pm - You are invited to share an evening of food and conversation with fellow tapestry artists during Convergence 2008. For a reservation form please visit the ATA website, or contact Jennie Jeffries, jenniejeffries@msn.com (425) 557-9358.

American Tapestry Biennial 7 - University of Tampa Scarfone/Hartley Gallery Tampa, Florida - June 16 - July 11, 2008

Convergence Gallery Crawl Friday, June 27, 2008

Woven Gems - Teco Plaza Gallery 704 Franklin St. Tampa, FL - June 1 - July 31, 2008

Reinventing Landscape: Two Perspectives - American Tapestry Alliance Forum
Tampa Convention Center - Saturday June 28, 2008 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Slide talks by tapestry artists Mary Zicafoose and Joan Baxter will offer insights into their work. A presentation of contemporary tapestry (Digi Slam) will conclude the forum.

Digi Slam - To participate in the Digi Slam, please submit the following by May 15, 2008:
1) Up to five digital images of your tapestries. Label each digital image file with your last name followed by the title of the tapestry, e.g. Smith_Morning_Mist.jpg
Digital image specificiations: jpegs saved at 300 dpi and exactly 1000 pixels on the longest side. Save the image with maximum image quality.
2) A Word document (or pdf) containing the following information: Your name, address, phone number and email; an annotated slide list (title, dimensions, date, materials); a one paragraph bio and up to two paragraphs about your work. Label this file with your last name, e.g Smith.doc
Burn the image files and the file with the text onto a universal CD and mail to Celeste Hansel, 727 Driftwood Drive, Lynn Haven, FL 32444, chansel@knology.net (850) 271-1645
The Digi Slam digital slide show is not juried, but is limited; first come, first served. The only commentary will come from the text you provide with your images.

Convergence 2008 Retreat Registration Form - "Channeling your Muse: Experimentation, Research, Innovation, Design" - Once again, please note that the dates listed on the registration form in the last edition of Tapestry Topics are incorrect. ATA's Educational Retreat starts the evening of Saturday June 28th, 2008 with a dinner. Three full days of instruction follow on June 29th, 30th and July 1st. There is an option to spend the night on Tuesday, July 1st. The corrected registration form can be found on ATA's website.



Friends of Fiber Art International

“Friends of Fiber Art International grants $12,700 to Six Organizations Mounting Fiber Art Exhibitions.

Furthering their mission, Friends of Fiber Arts International presented their 2007 grant awards to five organizations whose projects raise interest, awareness and appreciation of contemporary fiber art. The following institutions received funds totalling $12,700.00 toward their exhibitions and accompanying catalogs: Museum of Arts and Design, Quilt San Diego, Studio Art Quilts Associates, Berkely Art Center and American Tapestry Alliance.

American Tapestry Alliance: American Tapestry Biennial 7 features approximately forty tapestries selected from several hundred international entries. Opening to coincide with Convergence 2008, the biennial conference of the Handweavers Guild of America, this show will exhibit a cohesive, world class exhibition of contemporary tapestry.

The Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, University of Tampa, FL - June 16, 2008 – TBD 2009

Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY – September 6 - December 31, 2008

Friends of Fiber Art International, a non-profit organization, is proud of a diverse membership of dedicated collectors, curators, critics, artists, educators, authors and gallery personnel. Friends communicates through an informative newsletter and offers its members the opportunity to experience interesting, educational encounters several times each year. For more information, contact Friends of Fiber Art International, P.O. Box 468-G, Western Springs, IL 60558; (708) 246-9466

Celebrating the Colourful Blossoms and Forest in the Springtime:
Imagine the situation in which one has been working at the computer since 7:00 am, enjoying the sunrise and the parting of the gray clouds, allowing rays of sunshine to stream through to warm one’s heart and soul. It is definitely a time to celebrate with a walk in the forest and to appreciate the natural blooms where the Douglas Fir and Cedar trees are not so dense.

Foxglove or Digitalis purpurea plants are plentiful here on Mayne Island, (a southern Gulf Island in British Columbia), as the numerous black-tail deer know better than to prune these plants. Quickly the very young fawns learn the painful lesson that come with trying even a nibble of a foxglove flower.

According to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension, “The name foxglove is from the old English name “foxes glofa.” It comes from an old myth that foxes must have used the flowers to magically sheath their paws as they stealthily made their nocturnal raids into the poultry yards of rural folk. The association is natural for the foxgloves grew on the wooded hillside slopes that foxes chose for their dens.” One can easily slip one’s finger into the flowers, thus the scientific name in Latin “digitalis”, literally meaning “measuring a finger’s breadth.” Medically, drugs made from the foxglove plant are used to regulate the heartbeat and thus strengthen the heart.

I thoroughly enjoyed appreciating each subject, capturing a design, and weaving these two small tapestries, “Digitalis purpurea” and “A Forest Stroll”; the imagery being captured courtesy of my new digital camera. Sometimes, I work from a photocopied blow-up of part of the image, and other times, from a stylized sketch from the original photograph...all good fun! ...Madeleine; madeleinedt@shaw.ca



The Significance of Absence

The morning I was asked to write this article for the newsletter I had gone down to the back of our new garden to dig up the current tapestries in the ‘Field Trials’ series to see what transformation had taken place. One had completely disappeared.

This started off a train of thought on absence, and its significance and how absence has seemed to be a fixture in my life at this time. Absence of water, absence of warp; absence of weft and sometimes both; a lack of image and no apparent narrative in the fragments that are left. Absence makes you look at alternative ways of doing, ways of thinking.

Working with tapestry by weaving, decomposing, then stitching the transformed fabric has given these fragments of cloth a new kind of story. They mark that passage of the year, the dryness of the autumn and winter, and the dampness that recent rains have brought with a hint that perhaps the drought might release its hold, at least temporarily. The tapestries retain a slight earthy smell; the odd leaf has fallen into the planting hole onto a tapestry has left odd marks - clean of soil and bleached lighter than the remaining cloth. They become a record of the land and the climate.

The twelve tapestries in the series, of varying yarns, fibres and rags, are being planted in the small wild patch in our back garden – one every month of the year. Each is dug up every month and if what remains looks interesting the decomposition process is halted, they are cleaned and stitched to handmade paper panels. When faced with slimy silk that disappears completely when washed, a brittle linen fragment that crumbles to small scraps of warp and weft, or what looked like solid weaving become hundreds of stitches to hold it together I admire the job that conservators do, knowing that these composted tapestries will not last, but will continue to fragment, crumble and transform.

Each tapestry, when it is transplanted to the studio, is a surprise – the first one ’Flow’ has very little weft left and the blue cross-stitch replaces the weft. The most recent one ‘Pulse’, which I am still working on, is almost entirely weft, with just a few spiky bits of warp protruding from fragments of woven cloth. ‘Pulse’ reflects the weather over the last four months in the excessively dry weather of August and September it looked like it was never going to transform. During October it rained and the tapestry suddenly started to decomposed very quickly and by mid November it was ready for the studio.

The seine twine warp disappearing, the hemp weft going very brittle and slightly felted, small feathery rootlets intertwined in the yarn and the tapestry has become a record of the sun, heat, rainfall and growth of plants.

The remaining threads and woven fragments of ‘Pulse’ echo the water heights in our river, a flat graph for most of the time with a high that records the pulse of water that brings the land to life.


Submitted by Dorothy Clews, 10 The Terrace, St. George, 4487, Queensland, Australia;

ads10565@tsn.cc


Internet and Blog Sites to Enjoy...
http://www.weavecast.com  The latest episode of Weavecast features a fabulous interview with tapestry weaver Sarah Swett. The file is large (the podcast is a full hour so get a cup of tea and enjoy) and if you only have dial up it will take hours to download, but it is worth the wait.

Weavecast seems to be an excellent website and fun to explore. The tapestry interview is episode number 24.
http://www.uqqurmiut.com/Tapstudio.html  - website of Pangnirtung Tapestry Studio
http://www.horn-tapestry-studio.homepage.t-online.de  - Peter Horn has a new website. It is in German and English.

http://www.americantapestryalliance.org - see the new educational article by Archie Brennan, The Space Between the Warps – check out the other educational articles as well. And don’t forget to view the online exhibit of tapestries by Christine Laffer, Lines of Inquiry

http://ixchelsuarez.com - web page of Ixchel with images of her latest tapestry

http://www.fiberscene.com - a good site to browse – click on “artists”

http://www.aubussonhouse.com – Jean Farrington’s website

http://www.canadiancraftsfederation.ca/korea/ - Cheongju International Craft Biennale, Canada is their official guest country in 2009

http://www.pbs.org/craftinamerica/index.html - Craft in America

http://www.lacismuseum.org/ - rich website to explore – go to the slide show of recent acquisitions and the exhibitions

http://www.resartis.org/ - worldwide network of artist-residencies and residential art centers.

http://www.tasaraindia.com/ - The Tasara Centre for Creative Weaving – offers residencies – “The Centre endeavors to deliver a contemporary touch to this age old form of art, by bringing together artists and weavers in an inspiring ambience, enabling both to break through the limitations of their own mediums.”

Artist Help Network - www.artisthelpnetwork.com a free information service designed to help artists take control of their careers. The network assists artists in locating information, resources, guidance, and advice on a comprehensive range of career-related topics.

http://www.know-britain.com/churches/images/coventry_cathedral_tapestry_sutherland.html : tapestry at the East end of Coventry Cathedral; the cartoon was by Graham Sutherland and the tapestry woven by Freres Pinton in France

www.mcs.surrey.ac.uk/.../covtapestry.jpg - and interesting info on the golden mean in relation to the tapestry design – scroll down

http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/index.html - website for the World of Threads Festival 2009. 18 September to 4 October, 2009 in Oakville, Ontario – looking at the last show, we need more tapestry entries!

http://www.weavezine.com/ - new online magazine for weavers – looks interesting!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scanweavers/ - Symbols Myths and Fairy Tales, an exhibition of the study group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and exhibited in the Textile Center Community Gallery. Over 1/2 of the pieces "captured in the splendor of weaving" were tapestries.

http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf  http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf Gardening is easy ...After you open the website just click your mouse anywhere on the black space to create your garden of flowers. Try holding down the mouse button and dragging it across the page. Also Neat!

http://poplarartcraft.mackenziefrere.com/gallery2A-index.html Here is an invitation to my first on-line show. No dressing up for the opening...no travelling required! ...Bettina
Also check out a tapestry weaver at http://poplarartcraft.mackenziefrere.com/archive-UnJin-Cho.html

Storing Yarns Safely I became a little alarmed when I read that some people are still using moth balls (the nurse in me still comes out sometimes)... the chemicals in moth balls are listed as probable carcinogens and you should really think twice about using them. Not only might you inhale the fumes, but also I would take a guess that, as most chemicals, they can also be absorbed through the skin.
I did a little research online and here is a link with information about moth infestations, how to treat them using an organic insecticidal spray, and how to prevent them (it contains a link to information resulting from a study done by the University of California) - http://knitting.about.com/od/yarn/f/rid_moths.htm [ an excellent site, full of good info – Barbara]

In my new studio I wanted to be able to see my yarns, but here in Arizona we also deal with dust. I ordered industrial steel cabinets with plexi-glass windows in the doors to use for storage. To repel moths, I put cotton batten (recycled from medication bottles) to which I have applied essential oils of lavender and eucalyptus, in small plastic containers with holes punched in their lids in the cabinets that contain my yarn. I have my dyed wools on the shelves of the cabinets so I can see them, but keep my undyed wools in sealed plastic bins.

... CTN Member, Lyn Hart, who lives and weaves in Tucson, AZ

Visit the Desert Tapestry Weavers website, www.deserttapestryweavers.blogspot.com



RAMSES WISSA WASSEF ART CENTRE PETITION – A THANK YOU.

The petition launched in January 2008 on behalf of the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre calling on the Egyptian authorities to take action against the rising ground water table that has greatly damaged the adobe buildings of the Art Centre has had an encouragingly positive outcome.

The petition was organised by The Ramses Wissa Wassef Exhibition Trust, London and signed by some 1700 people from many different countries. It was presented to the Governor of Giza in mid-March. Plans made by the authorities to cover the drainage canal that was causing the devastation were given top priority. Construction work has begun and it is expected that most of the problems will be eliminated by the end of April. Renovation work to restore the buildings of the Art Centre will begin in the summer.

The Wissa Wassef family wish to thank the Governor of Giza and the irrigation and drainage departments for the swift action and most particularly to thank all who signed the petition for your most valuable support.

Ikram Nosshi

Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre
Barbara Heller

Ramses Wissa Wassef Exhibition Trust London


Tapestry List Discussions:
Recently there was a discussion on Kathe Todd Hooker’s email tapestry list about choosing which juried exhibits to enter. We have all been rejected from exhibits entered and it always seems to hurt. (Barbara: At least, I was hurt two years ago when I was rejected from ATB6).
Tommye Scanlin had this to say: First, I want to say that I've entered juried exhibits for over thirty years, some of which I've gotten in and some not. Most of the exhibits have been fiber art focus but some have been media of all kinds and my success rate of acceptance in the varied media exhibits has been about that of strictly fiber...sometimes yea, sometimes nay.

I entered juried exhibits when I taught full-time in a university because that was expected of me as part of my professional development. However, I also wanted to enter to "test" my work against the eye of the juror. I continue to want to see if my work is of interest to jurors. I usually enter exhibits where I'm aware of the juror's reputation in the field. I don't always know a juror's work, however (recent shows I entered I knew of one's work and reputation and did not know of another's. My work was rejected in both exhibits).

What I mean by "reputation in the field" is that, to me it is someone who has longevity in publications and exhibitions, is known for both the quality of their own art work and their writing, has had their own work critically reviewed and commented upon for a number of years. I understand, when I enter juried exhibits, that the juror's opinion and experience are always at work as she/he views the works submitted. There are also factors at play that are maybe trivial yet may affect the outcome--the room's too hot/cold, it's late in the day and hundreds of images have flashed past, the juror needs to take a potty break just as my image comes up.... There's also the more particular demands of the exhibit being assembled--there's a limit of space available to hang works, the exhibit committee suggests or demands certain things, the works that are submitted have some number that may visually work well together...all of these things and many more are part of the jurying process and ultimately may affect the outcome.

I've been a juror for exhibits in the past. The last time I was a juror the exhibit was an open one and I, as judge, simply made decision about award winning pieces (and there were a number of awards available to present, $$ included). The decisions I made to select some works for awards, rather than others, were so difficult for me (because so many were exceptional works) that I decided that I could no longer justify being a judge. Now I decline any invitations to be a judge or part of a jury committee.

How do I now decide which exhibits to enter? Well, I don't really know other than to say. I like to have my work seen, especially the body of work that has a statement involved. Sometimes juried exhibits have publicity accompanying them that may bring more viewers into the venue.

I've been fortunate to have had my work included in several invitational exhibits in the past few years so haven't submitted to as many juried ones as in the past. However, one of my goals for this year is to be more active in trying for juried show acceptances and to submit to shows out of my region to have my work more widely seen.

So far in 2008 I've submitted to three juried exhibits and my work has been rejected in two (haven't yet gotten results from the third). I'll also be having work in several open exhibits this year. I encourage my students to enter exhibits - I tell them their work won't ever be seen if they don't enter! And I try to follow that advice myself.

AND, I do have to GET OVER IT!, when my work isn't accepted. It used to take me days of moping to recover. Now I usually just use my mantra of "rejection without dejection!!"

Joyce Hayes replied: Beautifully said Tommye. To continue the thought on jurying I have been a juror and a juror's helper and they were enlightening experiences. Being a juror is a very difficult job and just keeping track of hundreds of slides is not easy, so it is very easy to have work slip by because you have seen so many, you need a drink of water and the list goes on. Or, the slides weren't very good and 98% of the slides were amazing and professionally taken. Another perspective is being a helper during the jurying process which is very interesting. The juror whips through slides rejecting and accepting work very quickly on the first round and repeats the process until he has the show; with each go through becoming slower and more contemplative. As the looker on I would have had a different combination of works but this is where his taste came into play.

It is never easy to get rejected but after years of experience it becomes an Oh! experience and I move on. On the other hand it is always nice to get in.

Warp and weft and woolen and worsted: Another good discussion on the email list about a year ago centered on the best type of yarn with which to weave.

Jean Farrington, fresh from a trip to Les Gobelins in Paris, wrote: Just a note to say that I am back from Paris and my stay at Gobelin. It was wonderful and I have lots of information to share with you. On the main floor is the large gallery of recent works, and some things to note are; they are using a sett of epi between 10 and 12. Their warp is cotton seine twine and interestingly enough is very, very heavy. The warp I sell has a heavy weight was used for their 10 and 12 epi.......I was quite surprised.

The weft was a fine two ply merino like the Paterna Crewel not like the Paternayan Persian yarn and they used about 3 strands. The thickness of the warp was what I would call a seine twine at 450 yards per pound. The number system in the seine twine seems to change a lot so this may help. I saw no fine warps at Gobelin except on the old tapestries and they were sett at around 16 to 20 epi.

(The Paternayan Persian yarn comes apart for mixing (3 strands) and is a long staple but not worsted. It was designed for fixing old Persian Rugs and that is why it comes in 418 colours. Many tapestry weavers use it and love it but of course that is their preference. The Paterna yarn is a worsted yarn and is finer so you can use 4 strands at 8 epi or 3 strands at 10 epi. This is the yarn I like to weave tapestry with. … The Paterna yarn comes in 252 colours but that should be enough, don't you think?)

Another note about finishing. We often use a twill tape to cover our knots but they do not. The hem is turned back and the warp ends are tacked down by hand in an overhand stitch. None of their tapestries that are new are backed but all the old Historic pieces are backed with cotton to protect them. The length of time for executing a piece is about 2 or 3 years depending on size of course but still it's nice to know that even they take a long time to complete a piece. Their looms are wood and very large. They have upright and horizontal looms depending on what is being done. There is still as many men as women weavers and some are young (under fifty)............I guess it's all relative.

Nancy Jackson wrote a detailed analysis of worsted vs woolen yarn for weft: Jean-Pierre Larochette & Yael Lurie are my mentors and I apprenticed with them for three years in the ‘80’s. While there, I noted that Jean-Pierre referred to the wool he used as “Paternayan Crewel” or just “Crewel.” An old color card in my studio is titled, “Paterna Crewel and Tapestry Wool.” There is no reference to it being “worsted” on this sample card and I am eager to investigate this with the company. It seems to have more loft than I would expect in a worsted-spun yarn.

In 25 years of weaving, I have noticed several differences between “Crewel” and “Persian.” As I note them below, I will refer to the “Paterna” as “Crewel,” since this is the language I have used since working with Jean-Pierre.

WORSTED SPUN: Worsted spinning produces yarn with fibers aligned lengthwise. My experience has shown that worsted-spun wool tends to feel harder, not as spongy as “woolen spun” and tends to be shinier (depending on the length and gloss of the wool fiber). It is not as likely to “pill” and is the type of wool used for Scottish tartans, if I remember correctly. I think of it as producing a durable fabric and expect that most tailored wool suits are probably made from wool spun by this method.

WOOLEN SPUN: Woolen pinning produces yarn with fibers aligned somewhat more perpendicular to the length of the yarn. Quite a lot of air tends to be incorporated into this type of spun wool producing a lofty, soft, somewhat stretchy yarn especially suitable for knitting. This kind of stretchier wool would probably not be used to make fabric for a tailored suit. When a weaver wants to have a fluffy nap brushed up on a handwoven blanket, woolen spun yarns are often used. It is also true that other woven fabrics fluff and become soft and airy when “finished” after weaving with this kind of spun wool.

The “Crewel” seems spongier than “Persian.” It has more lengthwise stretch than the “Persian.” To my eye, the color is a little duller than the “Persian” and I attribute this to the type of wool and the method of spinning. Given the definitions I wrote above, I expect a worsted-spun yarn to appear shinier, since the fibers are aligned lengthwise in such a spun structure. This makes me want to investigate whether “Crewel” is indeed worsted spun. Finally, as Jean or another poster mentioned, there are fewer hues in the range compared to “Persian.” The “Crewel” comes as a single strand in a 4oz skein and may be available in different put-ups as well. This is high quality wool that is good for tapestries.

“Persian” wool has more gloss than the “Crewel.” It does not stretch lengthwise as much as the “Crewel” and it tends to be very slightly more wire-y, for lack of a better word. The color appears brighter, even when it appears to be from the same dye formula. I am reminded of the quality of color achieved when dyeing mohair, though not quite as saturated. The fibers are longer in “Persian” (and probably come from a different part of the fleece or perhaps from a different type of animal), which may contribute to the greater intensity of color. I would have guessed that the “Persian” was worsted-spun because of this gloss and color vibrancy so I also want to investigate the spinning structure with the company on this yarn. Over 400 colors are available in the “Persian” and it comes in 4oz skeins and smaller put-ups. It is also available in thick wool suitable for some kinds of rug weaving, but not as desirable for highly articulate tapestry imagery at small to medium setts (10 epi, 12 epi, etc). Most tapestry artists using this wool separate the three-strand skein into single strands before using it for tapestry weaving. Having been designed to repair Oriental carpets, the “Persian” is a tough, durable, vibrant yarn, very well-suited to tapestry weaving.

Both “Crewel” and “Persian” are very high quality yarns. I decided to use the “Persian” for my work based on my visual preferences as an artist and for the qualities of longevity that make it good Oriental carpet repair wool. I like the way the “Persian” behaves on the warp and the gloss and vibrancy of the color. Using three strands at 13 portee (approx. 10 epi) allows as much blending potential as I need. Separating the 3-strand skein is inconvenient, but I decided not to let that inconvenience interfere with my aesthetic preferences. The inconvenience of this intermediate step is small compared to the qualities this wool offers me. It is also small compared to the total time involved in creating a tapestry. Ultimately, I decided that my primary concern in this root material of my medium would be its aesthetic and longevity qualities, not its convenience. One more step in preparing it seems like a minor thing to me now.

If I had only “Crewel” available to me, though, I would not hesitate to use it and would find it well-suited to my basic needs as a tapestry artist. All the Paternayan yarns are high quality and can be trusted.

Claudia Chase, the owner of Mirrix looms (www.mirrixlooms.com ), had this to say: There are two qualities that make a tapestry yarn a good tapestry yarn: the length of the fibers that make up the yarn and how spun (over even over-spun) the yarn is. In the US, Navajos perfected a tapestry yarn which was spun from Churro sheep (this ancient breed of sheep is double-coated . . . the longer outcoat fibers are spun for the yarns that are used to weave the Navajo rugs). They over-spin these yarns. Over-spinning gives strength because it buries the ends of the fibers in the yarn itself. So if you combine a long staple fiber with over-spinning you have a yarn that is hard to break, that won't fuzz. My main problem with Churro is I don't find it takes dye as well as some other breeds of sheep.

My three favorite breeds for tapestry yarn include two kinds of sheep and one kind of goat. My all time favorite is Cotswold. This breed descended from sheep that grazed the Cotswold Hills at the time of Caesar's conquest of Britain. Their coats are long and shinny and curly. The fiber takes dye beautifully. The Lincoln breed of sheep shares those qualities. I don't know off-hand the history of the Lincoln breed, but most likely it's descended from an ancient breed of sheep. My third favorite breed is the mohair goat. There is baby mohair and adult mohair. Baby mohair comes from the younger goats, obviously, and is finer then the adult mohair. You will most likely find the baby mohair in a sweater whereas the adult mohair is perfect for tapestry because it doesn't matter if it's coarser and scratchy. Additionally, the adult hair has less loft, which is what you want for tapestry.

A long, long time ago the longer coarser fibers were used for warp and the shorter finer fibers were used for weft. The fibers were initially prepared with combs. Combs have rows of long points. The fiber is put on the stationary comb and pulled with the hand-held comb until the fibers are neatly lined up. The shorter fibers were removed to be used for weft. Once spun, the resulting longer combed fiber will be extremely strong and will have little loft (hence not as much warmth as a fiber with loft). Cards were used to prepare the shorter fibers that did not stay on the combs. They are like paddles with many closely-spaced tiny wire-like points. The fiber is spread on one card and the other card, held by the other hand, is used to sort of comb the fibers. (Cards do not work as well for the long staple fibers because it's difficult to get those small points to deal with such length.) When the fibers are properly carded, they are then rolled off the card so that the fibers are (unlike the combed fibers) not parallel once spun. This is because the goal is to give the weft fibers loft (hence warmth).

In the US we've sort of done away with specialty fibers. We have what I like to call "mono-fiber" since we don't really pay attention to specific breeds. When companies buy fleece for producing yarn in this country they for the most part buy what is cheap. Sometimes they even recycled old yarn by chopping it up and bleaching the heck out of it before reconstituting it. Many people who are "allergic" to wool are really allergic to the chemicals used to process wool.

Specific breeds are still respected in other countries. Hence, most of our "tapestry" yarn comes from abroad. It's really educational to see the different fleeces that come from the various breeds. Fleece is the building block for yarn. If you are looking for a strong vibrant yarn it needs to be "built' from a strong vibrant fiber.


TAPIS DESIGN COLLABORATION

In October 2007 eight members of TAPIS from Victoria, Mayne Island and Vancouver met to discuss a new way of doing tapestry designs. In previous years the group had worked on community tapestries and collaborative projects but never on personal designs. It was agreed that everyone would prepare a cartoon for their next tapestry and make photocopies for everyone. The design could be on any subject and be of any size. Everyone agreed that the philosophy of the exercise was to have fun and play with design.

At the next meeting in February, each person spoke about their design—what inspired them, what story they were wanting to tell, what research they had done and what design problems they hoped would be resolved. Questions about colour and scale were also raised.

We all went home with each other’s designs to ponder, re-draw, and add new ideas. Quite naturally, there was some trepidation about making changes to another person’s design. However, the looming deadline in March encouraged doing something. The process was quite fascinating. Some design changes came easily and naturally, especially if the style was similar to one’s own. Others were more difficult and required much thought. The process allowed an objectivity that is not always there in personal designing.

At the beginning of the meeting in March we reviewed the philosophy of encouraging new options. In turn, the group’s ideas on each person’s design were presented. A feeling of amazement and delight grew. The ideas were diverse, creative, and at times humorous and playful. As well, suggestions were made for colour, background, overlays, borders and tapestry references and techniques.

Right from the beginning, we said that each designer would stay in full control of the cartoon. All the ideas are open for acceptance or rejection. What was so exciting to see happen was that these thoughtful re-designs are going to be the impetus to refine the original idea or to take the design onto a different level or to inspire a whole series of tapestries. As Karen Leitch said, “It is not often that we get feedback at the beginning of the process and now we can implement the new ideas we like.”

For our next meeting each member will bring their ‘finished’ design, having considered all the ideas put forward in the previous session. If someone wants more feedback, they can distribute copies to the rest of the group for discussion. We’re going to keep going with this – it’s just too much fun to stop now.

Footnote: At all these meetings, the communal enjoyment has been greatly enhanced by a potluck meal. TAPIS lunches have always been known for great food, which became the inspiration for our on-line recipe book, complete with tapestry illustrations. See www.elaineduncan.com and click on Tapestry/Recipe Collection.

... CTN Members, Elizabeth Murdoch, who lives and weaves in Vancouver, BC, and

Anne Clark, who lives and weaves in Victoria, BC

“Doors, Gates and Windows”

"Doors, Gates, and Windows" is a group tapestry show featuring an international group challenge project involving thirteen weavers of the Las Arañas New Mexico Tapestry Group and a similar number of Canadian Tapestry weavers on Vancouver Island, each weaving a gate, door, or window of their particular region. Then, the two groups “exchanged” tapestries by drawing names, with each “partner” weaving a response tapestry to each other’s pieces. . This exhibit will then go to the American Tapestry Alliance Small Format Tapestry show, entitled “”Woven Gems”, in July of 2008, at Convergence in Tampa, Florida.

The response tapestry was defined as a “recognizable complement” to the original. For example, it might imagine the other side of the wall or looking in instead of looking out or looking farther into the distance than the original. It might be a “portal” of a similar shape in the other locale. It could complement the original by using the same colors and/or the same shapes and/or a similar design style. There could be an abstract response to a representational original or vice versa. It need not be the same sett or the same size weft, but it does need to include the basic beige and purple yarns that we originally decided to include in every tapestry. We wanted to not limit creativity by being any more definitive.

Canadian artists featured are: Sharon Cameron, Madeleine Darling-Tung, Elaine Duncan, Valerie Kohler, Karen Leitch, Luanne McCollum, Donna Millen, Teddy Powell, Christine Rivers, Heather Sinclair, Jennifer Tindall, and Linda Wallace.

...submitted by Elizabeth Buckley


Conferences

TAPESTRY 2008: The Fine Art of Weaving, 9 APRIL – 3 MAY 2008 - A major tapestry event will be held in Canberra, Australia in 2008. There will be a program of exhibitions, focussed talks with tapestries in collections and institutions, practical workshops, seminars and symposium, 1 - 4 MAY 2008. This will build on the momentum of previous events in Australia and will explore the relationships between Fine Art, Tapestry and Weaving. The event will bring together practitioners, educators, students, collectors, critics, theorists and historians for exchange of ideas, interaction, practical learning, exposure to new works and informed debate. In recognition of the strength of contemporary tapestry world-wide, there will be an open submission award exhibition: LAND: The Tapestry Foundation of Victoria Award Exhibition.
“Convergence 2008” Tampa Bay June 22 - June 28, 2008. Convergence is an outstanding conference for everyone who loves and works in fibre. It is the biennial, international conference sponsored and organized by the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. (HGA), and hosted by a committee of dedicated fibre enthusiasts. Convergence features special lectures, workshops and seminars, exhibits, tours, special events, and a commercial vendor’s hall full of fibres, fibre-related equipment and an artist market. HGA's Convergence 2008.will be held June 22 through June 28, 2008, in Tampa Bay, Florida, and will be hosted by the Florida Tropical Weavers Guild (FTWG).
The Florida Tropical Weavers Guild has a long tradition in the weaving and fibre arts community as well. Founded in 1943, this state guild has provided an educational conference for its members annually, drawing instructors from all over the US and the world. For more information visit: www.weavespindye.org 
Channeling your Muse: Experimentation, Research, Innovation, Design
Educational Events at Convergence 2008: ATA's 2008 Educational Retreat
Tuck your muse in a beach bag and set sail for Tampa Bay to join talented tapestry artists Joan Baxter (http://www.joanbaxter.com/) and Mary Zicafoose (http://www.maryzicafoose.com/)! Dive into ATA's educational retreat and stuff your treasure chest of creativity with tools that will make your tapestries shine. Like hunting for buried gems, you will discover: strategies to identify, develop, and personalize design concepts and resources; skills and motivation to move beyond the initial design phase; formal tactics for concept expansion; image manipulation; dynamic use of color; and methods to catch and ride your wave of creativity. Whether new, novice, or seasoned, all weavers will uncover pearls of wisdom during this tropical retreat! This ATA's retreat will follow Convergence 2008 in Tampa Bay, and will take place at Eckerd College from June 29 through July 1, 2008. Registration materials will be available by December 2008.

For more information and registration see www.americantapestryalliance.org or contact Mary Lane at marylane53@mac.com or (360) 754-1105. Mark your calendars!
“Textiles as Cultural Expressions” – 11th Textile Society of America Biennial Symposium, 2008; Honolulu, HI; September 24th – 27th, 2008. Hawaii is the most geographically isolated island chain in the world and a crossroad of cultures between the East and West. As the melting pot of the Pacific, Hawaii’s diverse cultures will be highlighted at the many tours offered before and after the Symposium. Call for Papers – Submission Deadline: October 1st, 2007; Program Proposal Submissions Deadline: January 1, 2008. For more information, visit: www.textilesociety.org/symposia_2008.htm The TSA encourages presentations of textiles from all parts of the globe and from textile-related disciplines including (not limited to) anthropology, archaeology, art, art history, indigenous traditions, linguistics, theatre and the physical and social sciences. Scholars, artists, gallery and museum professionals, educators and lovers of textiles are encouraged to submit proposals. – Address: Tom Klobe, TSA Symposium Programme Coordinator, University of Hawaii Department of Art & Art History, 2535 McCarthy Mall, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822

The Bishop Museum Textile Exhibition set for Fall 2008 Presentation coincides with the Textile Society of America Event.

“Ili Iho: The Surface Within” will explore, from an indigenous perspective, four textile treasures from Bishop Museum: a magnificent feathered cloak, fine makaloa mat, intricate kappa, and moving protest quilt. Guest curated by Hawaiian artist and University of Hawai’i associate professor Maile Andrade, this exhibit will invite 8 contemporary Hawaiian artists to explore these ancestral creations, creating their own works that delve into the surfaces within. “Ili Iho” thus considers how thin the veil between the past and present; the traditional and contemporary – revealing how surface truly is.

There will be a city-wide schedule of exhibitions featuring rare textiles from the collections of Bishop Museum, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Shangri La, University of Hawai’i, Mission Houses, Queen Emma Summer Palace, and more. These exhibits will be on view at galleries and museum venues throughout Honolulu. An International Textile Marketplace will be held at the Sheraton Waikiki and will be open to the public. For more information, visit: http://www.bishopmuseum.org

Exhibitions

Embroidered Narratage: Visions of the Twenty-First Century stitched by Indian Women

Opening: Saturday, March 29 mars, 2 p.m. until May 25, 2008

This exhibition is the culmination of three years of fieldwork with two groups of Indian women who make embroidery that tells stories -. Sirali Santal Women’s Self-Help Group in Jarmondi, Jharkhand. They make ‘khatwa’ appliqué and embroidery known in Bihar and Jharkhand States of India and introduced to this group of Santal tribal women artists in 2004. As tribal women the members of the group have a strong sense of their identity and the importance of storytelling as part of preserving their culture.

“Stitching Women’s Lives: Sujuni Mahila Jeevan is a rural Rajput caste Hindu woman in the Muzzafupur District of Bihar. They stitch ‘sujuni’ the Bihari term for straight stitch embroidery on layered cloth also known as ‘kantha’ work. These women have stitched since they were young girls and were organized first in 1989 and again in 2005 through income-generation projects in their village. The word “narratage” is used because the person drawing and stitching is sometimes, but not always, the same person. This is a parallel to the ‘narratage’ of film or television. The women's stories are about today, the present as it relates to their current or past situations. In the world of hand embroidery this work is an expansion of the women's worldview and personal experience."

Etymology: narrate + -age: a technique sometimes used in plays and films and on television whereby the voice of a narrator usually begins and often supplements the actual story and gives thereby the illusion that the story itself is merely an expansion of her own words.

The Museum of Costume and Textile of Québec, St-Lambert, 349 Riverside Street, Quebec is sponsored by the ministère de la Culture. The MCTQ is open to the public from Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. For more information: phone (450) 923-6601 or visit: www.mctq.org 

Exhibits at the Australian Conference: Lao PDR Tapestry: “Weaving Dreams and Aspirations”, ANU, School of Art Foyer. Fine silk tapestries from the rich artistic tradition of Laos where the weaver works directly at the loom creating a composition of patterns, symbols and motifs. She invests her life in the fabric and it tells of her hopes, dreams, ambitions, sense of self and position in the world.

“The Fine Art of Tapestry Weaving” School of Art Gallery. Aino Kajaniemi, Finland, Susan Mowatt, Scotland, Yasuko Fujino, Japan, Sue Lawty, GB, Sara Lindsay, Australia, Jane Kidd, Canada and Fiona Rutherford, GB.

The Australian National University School of Art, Textiles Workshop, 9 APRIL – 4 MAY 2008. An open entry tapestry award exhibition to encourage emerging artists and recognise professionals. The Tapestry Foundation of Victoria Awards, American Tapestry Alliance Award. ANU School of Art, Textiles Workshop: Gallery Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9am – 5pm. For more information, phone: (02) 6125 5841, or visit: sofagallery@anu.edu.au . RECEPTION FRIDAY 2 MAY, 6PM 2008; Awards presented by Wendy Teakel.

“LAND” The Tapestry Foundation of Victoria Open Entry International Award Exhibition to encourage emerging artists and recognise professional artists.

“En Pleine Air Tapestries - A Month at Bundanon: Tapestries and Drawings by Cresside Collette”, curated by Alison French, at the Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra. There will be focussed talks at public venues displaying tapestries in Canberra, 9th April – 3rd May, 2008.

“Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles & Costume” opens in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario; April 5, 2008

The Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles & Costume presents highlights from the ROM’s renowned collection of over 50,000 textile and costume artifacts, in a display of approximately 200 pieces dating from the 1st millennium BC to the 21st century AD. Outstanding examples include Chinese imperial costume, late Antique and early Islamic textiles from Egypt, western fashion from the Baroque period to the present day and early Canadian coverlets. For more information visit the ROM website, http://www.rom.on.ca/exhibitions/wculture/textiles.php.

“Sixth International Fibre Biennial”, until April 20th , 2008, at the Snyderman Works Gallery in Philadelphia, PA

Weaving Southwest 2008 “Artist of the Month Series”, April: Connie Enzmann-Forneris, Reception: 5th April; May: Donna Loraine Contractor, Reception: 2nd May; June: David Kozikowski, Reception: 6th June; July: Michael Rohde, Reception: 5th July; August: Alex George Sullivan, Reception: 2nd August; September: Robin Reider, No Reception; October: Sandy Voss, Reception: 4th October; November: Donna Mitchell, Reception: 2nd November; December: Skaidrite McKeag, Reception: 6th December. For more information, visit: www.weavingsouthwest.com; located at 216B Paseo de Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM 87571

“Splendor of the Maghreb: Rugs and Textiles from Morocco and Tunisia”, April, 2008, at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto, Ontario; visit: www.textilemuseum.ca

“Latvian Roots”, Exhibit on the Internet: http://www.fiberscene.com/ ; and click on “Gallery”

“Tapestry in Baroque, Threads of Splendor”, until June 1st, 2008, at Palacio real in Madrid, Spain This exhibit is through at the Metropolitan Museum in new York but if you are in Spain you can still catch it!. Jan Austin posted these quotes from reviews of the exhibit in the New York newspapers.

“Tapestries are some of the least seen, and least understood, examples of European art, said Holland Cotter in The New York Times. “Tapestry? Doesn’t that come under home furnishings? Isn’t it, basically, rugs on a wall?” Actually, far from being artistic afterthoughts, tapestries were for centuries among the most expensive and prized possessions of European nobility. Playing the role both of propaganda and status symbol, these visions of battles, triumphs, and processions were the Hollywood blockbusters of their era, “Cinemascopic” in scale and designed to awe viewers with their splendor. They still do. The current display of masterpieces at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, assembled from museums all around Europe and the U.S., “is stupefying, a king-size display of a space-eating art.”

”Though huge, these works explode with intricate detail, said Lance Esplund in The New York Sun. We’re overwhelmed by “an overabundance of life-size tumbling noblemen, horses, warriors, saints, and putti.” In backgrounds, plants weave themselves into intricate gardens and panoramas, while oceans in naval scenes teem with exotic sea life. Weavers of the era were remarkably capable of re-creating realistic textures and materials as well as three-dimensional architectural space. “Not every tapestry in the show is an absolute masterpiece from edge to edge, but in every work there is something astounding and absolutely hypnotic and unbelievable.” Many of the designs for these tapestries were sketched by master painters, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Raphael, and carried out by teams of weavers. The closer you look, the more “you realize that the artisans who translated the sketches were geniuses equal to their designers.”

”The physical process of creating a tapestry was excruciatingly intricate, said Mario Naves in The New York Observer. With each guild member completing a square yard every month, “it would take four weavers anywhere from six months to a year and a half to complete a 12-by-24-foot tapestry.” Such meticulous care ensures that each square yard in this exhibition offers splendid discoveries. Some of the best come in smaller works depicting mythological or pastoral scenes. The delightful Maidservant With a Basket of Fruit (c. 1635), designed by the Flemish Jacob Jordaens, is “framed by a ridiculously ornate bit of architecture,” and behind the life-size title subject you can just make out two lovers “bathed in an eerie brownish light.” Perhaps the finest work in the show, it proves tapestry didn’t need to be ornate to be magnificent.”

“Treasures from the Vault: Fiber Art from the American Craft Collection”, until June 1st, 2008, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, PA

“Masterpieces of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan Collection” and “The Song of the World: Art of the Safavid Dynasty”, until July 1st, 2008, at the Louvre, in Paris, France

“For Tent and Trade: Masterpieces of Turkish Weaving”, until September 21st, 2008, at the De Young Museum, in San Francisco, CA


Exhibition Opportunities
“Coming Up Next”, a juried exhibition, organized by the Alberta Craft Council is open to emerging fine craft artists who are in the first five years of their career or in the final year of their formal education. “Coming Up Next” is part of “NeXtFest, Syncrude’s Next Generation Arts Festival”. This multi-disciplinary, multi-location festival profiles emerging artists.
If you are creating contemporary fine craft with fresh new designs in clay, glass, fibre, wood, metals and other craft media submit a current CV, artist statement and 3-5 professional quality images (slides or digital)
Deadline for Entry: April 25, 2008
Exhibition Dates: June 7 – July 12 (Discovery Gallery)
Send your submission to the Alberta Craft Council, 10186 – 106 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 1H4; www.albertacraft.ab.ca/acc@albertacraft.ab.ca
“Connections: Small Tapestry International” - First Venue:

ATA has secured dates for our first venue with the Fiber Art Center in Amherst, Massachusetts! The dates are May 7 - June 27, 2009.

“Connections: Small Tapestry International 2009”: American Tapestry Alliance juried small tapestry exhibit (maximum size 100 sq. in./ 625 sq. cm.). Juror: Jane Sauer; Jane Sauer Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. Artists are encouraged to push the idea of connections with concepts, techniques, other artists, the viewer or other areas of artistic investigation. For more information, visit:
www.americantapestryalliance.org/Exhibitions/STInt/Connections.html

Connections Entry Form:
www.americantapestryalliance.org/Docs/Connections_09_Entry_Form.pdf or send a SASE to ATA Connections, 1050 Gunnison Ave., Grand Junction, CO 81501. Digital entry deadline: November 30, 2008.


Award Opportunities:

ATA Student Award - Deadline April 15th

The third annual ATA Student Award deadline is 15 April 2008. For information and guidelines please go to: www.americantapestryalliance.com/Docs/ATAStudentAward.pdf

An Opportunity to Express Yourself in the Craft Field

Fiberarts Magazine is always seeking submissions for the “Sampling” section. Send slides, transparencies or high-resolution digital images of your latest work. Include full caption information (including year completed), a resume, artist statement, and SASE to: Fiberarts, 201 East Fourth Street, Loveland CO 80537-5655. For more info contact lizg@fiberarts.com.


Call for Articles - Tapestry Topics: “Thinking Small”

The fall issue of Tapestry Topics will focus on small format work. Do you work in a small format? Does small work capture your attention? Would you like to share your experiences and thoughts about small scale work?

Small format, small scale, miniature... small art works are a distinct breed. Susan Stewart, in her book _On Longing_, writes, "the miniature... speaks of infinite time, of the time of labor... and of the time of the world, collapsed within a minimum of physical space."
Through their condensation of meaning and representation, small works evoke ideas and worlds much larger than their actual physical size. As they draw the viewer near, the world beyond the miniature seems extraordinarily large. Artists who work in a small scale might say that it requires more than a special set of materials or technical skills.
They might argue that a true understanding of the miniature scale involves a different conceptual and visual framework, a different paradigm.

Please send your proposals to Mary Lane, marylane53@mac.com; (360) 754-1105 by May 1, 2008. The actual article is not due until July 1, 2008.


Educational Opportunities

APR 29, 2008 in Oakville, Ontario – “IXCHEL SUAREZ – TAPESTRY. NOW AND THEN. TRADITION VS. INNOVATION”. Tapestry weaving has been for centuries a craft and art. It reflects art parameters and periods in time. Learn about the traditional techniques and materials used in traditional tapestry weaving, and what contemporary artists are offering innovating techniques and materials. Learn about the avant-garde Japanese fibre arts, the Polish contemporary textiles and the International Forums for the Fibre Arts. Learn the process of creating a tapestry. Try a hands-on-experience to feel the wonders of the fibres!

Ixchel is a Graphic Designer, with a Diploma in History of Art. She has exhibited her works in Mexico, USA, France, Belgium, Denmark, Panama, Poland and Canada. In 2007, she received a Best in Show Award at Sheridan College for World of Threads Festival. While in Mexico, Ixchel was a professor at Anahuac University in Mexico City for more than 13 years, and founded Textil Creativo , School of Fibre Arts, (1988-1998). Currently, she is the president of the Oakville Handweavers and Spinners, a docent at the Textile Museum of Canada (Toronto), and a member of the World of Threads Festival 2009 Committee.

For more information about Ixchel’s workshops, please visit: http://ixchelsuarez.com , and contact Judith Bjorn Buckley at (905) 847-0837; fax: (905) 847-3925; e-mail: judithbjornbuckley@sympatico.ca to register for a spot in Ixchel’s workshop.

James Koehler Workshops: May 3-7, 2008, “Colour and Design 2” , sponsored by the Greater Vancouver Weavers and Spinners Guild, Vancouver BC, James Kohler has been booked to give the weaver’s guild Memorial Lecture on Tuesday May 6, 2008. Contact Robert Kolen, 4578 Brentlawn Drive, Burnaby BC V5C 3V1, or Rob.Kolen@vch.ca for more information.

and June 21-28, “Double Tapestry: 3 day workshop”; “Colour Gradation: 1 day workshop”, and several seminars at Convergence 2008, Tampa Bay, Florida. For more information, visit: www.weavespindye.org 

“Individual Studio Classes” available by appointment at James Koehler’s Studio, 7 Estambre Road, Santa Fe, NM 87508; (505) 466-3924. For more information, visit: www.jameskoehler.com or e-mail: jkoehler@nets.com

A six year part-time correspondence course for tapestry, sponsored by the Southwest Institute of TAFE, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. Course material covers drawing, design, painting, printing, photography, textile technology and weaving. For more information, visit: www.swtafe.vic.edu.au 

Traditional and Aubusson tapestry weaving courses are being offered by Nancy Jackson in her studio, as well as Russian and Ethiopian sacred iconography. For more information about her classes, e-mail Nancy at “Timshel Studio” – nancy.jackson@prodigy.net or visit her website: www.timshelstudio.com 

The Medieval Dress and Textile Society, AGM and Summer Meeting: “Museum Collections of Textiles and Dress, pre-1600 in the UK” will be held at the Courtauld Institute, Somerset House, The Strand, London, (England) on Saturday, May 10th, 2008

The Autumn Meeting: “Aspects of Medieval Dress and Jewellery” will be held at the Courtauld Institute, Somerset House, The Strand, London on Saturday, October 11th, 2008. For more information, visit: http://www.medats.org.uk/index.php 


International Summer Academy of Textile Arts, Kaunas Art Institute in Lithuania, 2008. For more information, visit: http://www.kdi.lt/english/about/


Elaine Duncan offers a variety of tapestry and loom weaving courses as well as day sessions in dyeing techniques at her studio in beautiful Errington, (on Vancouver Island), BC. For more information, visit: www.ElaineDuncan.com or to contact her by e-mail: eduncan@island.net

Weaving Southwest, Paseo de Norte, Taos, NM. We are continuing to offer intensive weaving classes in three subjects: Beginning Tapestry Weaving, Frame Loom Style Weaving and Advanced Weaving Techniques. We are also beginning regular, weekly weaving workshops on Saturday afternoons from noon to 4:30 pm. Drop-ins are welcome. Weaving Saturdays is open to weavers of all abilities, including those who don’t know how to weave. Students start on a frame loom and continue in whichever direction they choose. For more information, visit: www.weavingsouthwest.com 

Advanced jacquard workshop with a six-color warp (tapestry warp) : A one-week workshop : from July 7th to 11th, 2008 Cost : 400$ cad (material included). These jacquard workshops include the Study of tapestry weaves and other complex weaves using a six-color warp; Additional instruction for special case issues pertaining to personal projects; Designing and weaving different samples; Possibility to leave complete designs to be woven after workshop.

Introduction (1) to Jacquard weaving: A one-week workshop : from August 11th to 15th, 2008. Cost : 400$ cad (material included) Instruction includes: Introduction to Jacquard weaving; Study of simple and some complex weaves; Adaptation of a scanned image into a usable form for a woven interpretation; Designing and weaving different samples; Possibility to leave complete designs to be woven after workshop.

Intermediate (2) to Jacquard weaving: A one-week workshop : from August 18th to 22nd, 2008 Cost : 400$ cad (material included). Instruction includes: Study of complex weaves, including different ratio wefts, mixing two complex weaves, etc; Additional instruction for special case issues pertaining to personal projects; Designing and weaving different samples; Possibility to leave complete designs to be woven after workshop.

General information:

- Jacquard weaving is done on two fully computerized Jacquard handlooms and Pointcarré software is used. Photoshop is also used for special design effects and composition.

- The warp on our loom consists of 1728 threads set at 40 epi for the Introduction and Intermediate workshops and at 84 epi for the Advanced six-color warp workshop.

- The computer lab and the weaving workshops are accessible at night and during weekends.

– one MacIntosh computer per student.

To reserve a place, please send as soon as possible a deposit of half of the registration fee. We will accept participants on a base of first come/first serve. Payments can be made with a VISA or Master card number. Please pass along the information to those around you who might be interested.

For more information/registration on the Jacquard Workshop(s) with Louise Lemieux Bérubé, please contact Louise at: llemieuxberube@mac.com
http://web.mac.com/llemieuxberube

New Distance Learning Program - Helping Hands:

The Helping Hands distance learning program is designed for beginning tapestry weavers who want to begin exploring tapestry with guidance and mentoring from a more experienced tapestry weaver. The student must be an ATA member. A beginning weaver is defined as someone who has little experience or one who has completed an introductory level workshop. This program will introduce students to warping a loom, shape building, warp and weft balance, and beginning cartoon development.

To enroll in the Helping Hands program, interested students submit an application form and $30 administrative fee to the Helping Hands Chair listed below. This fee is waived if you are a Circle Member. www.americantapestryalliance.org/Members/HH.html

Archie Brennan and Susan Maffei will be visiting Oregon to give a workshop at the Damascus Fiber school September 1Oth -14Th and a second session September 17th -21st . The sessions last year were so much fun and so popular. Host homes are available as are loaner looms all supplies included in the five day sessions.

Cost is US$450.00 and this includes a grand midday meal we all enjoy. For more information and registration.... contact Pam Patrie: 7835 SE 29Th Ave, Portland, Oregon 97202; or
(503) 250-1642 cell phone, home phone (503) 284-2963.

"Tapestry and Creative Potential", This course will be taught by a three-person team of Peggy McBride, Pat Williams and Tommye Scanlin. The course will be eight weeks long and will be held during the Fall Concentration at Penland, September 21-November 14, 2008.

"Tapestry weaving techniques are easy to learn yet often take a long time to master. Along the way to mastery, there are many roads to consider in methods and in design ideas. This class will be about both: the known paths to basics of tapestry technique and the creative meanderings where ideas develop.

Collaborations among teachers and students will encourage all to delve into sequence and resolution, tradition and innovation. We will explore ways to find and develop personal concepts and images through which to celebrate the nature of tapestry. Instructors McBride, Scanlin and Williams are long-time friends in fiber; over the past twenty-five years they've worked together in fiber art guilds, workshops, and critique sessions. They are eager to share ideas with others during this eight-week session at Penland, one of the most exciting craft schools in the U.S."

The Fall Concentration offerings are not yet posted at the Penland website but since the class is less than 6 months away Pat, Peggy and I wanted to get the word out about it as soon as possible. Please check the Penland website at http://penland.org for more information about the school; I'm sure Fall Concentration registration details and information will be available soon.

Brief bios:

Peggy McBride, mixed media artist (commissions: Atlanta's Alliance Theatre Company, Children's Hospital, Federal Reserve Bank), owner, Globe Gallery in Clayton, GA, grants administrator for state's Grassroots Arts Program, creative consultant for non-profit art organizations.

Tommye Scanlin, studio artist, juried member Southern Highland Craft Guild and Piedmont Craftsmen; professor emerita of art, North GA College & State Univ (GA), other teaching at John Campbell Folk School, Penland (NC), Arrowmont (TN); American Tapestry Alliance award (2007); work included in several public and private collections.

Pat Williams, studio artist, juried member Southern Highland Craft Guild, Masters in Art Education, art teacher of fifteen years (public school), American Tapestry Alliance award (2006), exhibited nationally and internationally with tapestry works in private collections.


“The Classified” – Supplies for your Tapestry Needs

Tracy Kaestner’s “Nordic Studio and Lone Star Loom Room”, 22506 Unicorns Horn Lane, Katy, TX 77449; Lone Star Loom Room houses the ongoing weaving classes, has a classroom for dyeing and other classes and all of the stock for Nordic Studio. We are much happier in our new space! Classes are offered for beginning and intermediate weaving, warp painting, and some classes are taught by guest teachers. Come by and visit! Website: www.lonestarloomroom.com; Phone (281) 467-1575, 1-888-562-7012

“This Mad Tapestry Studio & Retreat”, 184 Spinnaker Drive, Mayne Island, BC: Tapestry Yarns from Norway: Fine 2-ply Tynt Kunstvevgarn - $4.50 / 25 gram ball / 65 meters. Tapestry Weaving Instruction in my oceanfront studio with or without the option of B&B. For inquiries, please e-mail me at: madeleinedt@shaw.ca or by phone: (250) 539-3699.


"Brenda Franklin Designs" offering for tapestry weavers, small portable tapestry looms with convenient stands. Both the top and bottom bars are notched in a durable high density polymer plastic for easy and secure warping. For inquiries about these lovely and inexpensive looms, please e-mail Brenda at: help@bfdesigns.on.ca or by phone: (519-638-9958)


Cahiers métiers d'art * Craft Journal - This new Canadian magazine, is a non-profit organisation that encourages and publishes critical, historical and technical research on local and international craft. To learn more go to the website: http://www.craftjournal.ca/


“Weaving Southwest”: “Here at Weaving Southwest we are proud to promise the highest quality products for fibre enthusiasts from all over the world. Our tapestry gallery is unique in the southwest, showing the best of New Mexico tapestry weavers’ current work. Our weavers here in the studio produce blankets and rugs on our Rio Grande looms using the finest of virgin wools which we hand-dye. The weaving and spinning equipment is either designed and manufactured by us or carefully chosen from what we consider to be among the best equipment available. Customers tell us the exclusive Rio Grande hand-dyed yarns for weavers and knitters are the best. Enjoy”. For inquiries about this business opportunity, or for more information about buying quality tapestry supplies, visit: www.weavingsouthwest.com or phone: 1-800-765-1272; or e-mail: weaving@weavingsouthwest.com. “Weaving Southwest” is currently for sale by Pat Dozier.

“This year at the gallery we are doing an "Artist-of-the-Month" series. Every tapestry artist will do a small show, with a "Meet-the-Artist" Reception on the 1st Saturday of each month. April will be our 1st exhibit and we're all looking forward to an exciting year in 2008! For more information, visit: www.weavingsouthwest.com for the list of Artists and their exhibition dates.


Weaving Southwest is also looking for artists who weave wearables, to commission their work ....mainly looking for ruanas, shawls etc: loose fitting wearables that don't require a lot of sizes.

Publications on CD-ROM by Peter Harris. These collections on CD are compiled of commonly-used file types and self-running slide sequences, on a Windows-based computer. Available by lettermail for $10.00 each, postpaid, from Peter Harris / R.R.2 / Ayton, Ontario / Canada N0G 1C0; tapadesi@hotmail.com for more info.

--'Tapestry Shawl Design and Weave Patterns' (2005) Two slideshow sequences cover some basic technical concepts, and uses of pattern repeats in Kashmir shawl weaving; two more present the development of specific projects from image source to woven results.
--'Selected Early Kashmir Shawl Motifs' (2006) Sources, CAD drafts, row-by-row design instructions and woven results for 16 designs (14 from antique shawl fabrics, 2 from botanical illustrations) collected on two samplers made by the author.
--'An Ellen Adams Scrapbook' (2005) A catalogue of her pieced fabric wall hangings and biographical selections.
--Forthcoming: 'A Textile Tour of India' A wide-ranging compilation of travel and workshop photographs taken by two freshly-initiated textiles students in 1985-86: Ellen Adams, the main photographer; Peter Harris, the travel guide.

Fine Australian Yarn great for tapestry, hand and machine knitting and all kinds of needlecraft.

With 366 colours to choose from the creative possibilities are endless. For information, phone: (604)-255-5565, or e-mail Trena at: textiles@trenacoulter.com, or visit: www.trenacoulter.com