Featuring Fabric

 

(I apologize for being such a slack blogger! It's been so busy and I've been pushing images on Instagram and Facebook! New blog for the new year 2017! Launching Now with a new project!)

Residency in Hope Mills, NC at Baldwin Elementary.

I asked the students participating in my visit to Ed V. Baldwin Elementary School,Hope Mills, NC what they liked about weaving. They had some wonderful answers- "patterns", "color", "relaxing thing to do", "creating" and other inspiring and fearless responses. 

I love visiting schools. Sometimes I get a bit anxious meeting new teachers and I suppose that is mostly because I want the experience to be good, I want the project to be successful and I want the students to like what they do. When teachers are as engaged in the success of their students as the teachers I had the opportunity to work with here, I expect these students to grow into intelligent young adults; to be fearless, supportive, sharing,  ready to make good choices and be "risk takers". That is a phrase that was used a lot as we brought a variety of non-traditional materials for students to use and they used all of them!

We wove on grids with shoelaces, plastic newspaper bags, re-purposed fabrics from clothing, sheets and towels, yarns, roving, basket reed (we dyed a little, too), beads and buttons were worked into the composition and papers.  Some of the materials were from my personal collection but we had contributions from many students and their families. Students were very eager to show that "sharing is caring" and were fine putting their fabrics into the community stash where we all took sections of tshirts, leftover sewing projects an clothes that were ready to be re-purposed.

Using the idea of a monochromatic color scheme, we worked texture as much as we could squeeze into an 8x8 square.   The pieces are to be included in a spiral design that will be installed in the hallway of the school entrance. We are inspired by Native American patterns for this project and the squares are assembled into the Lumbee Pinecone Pattern, an attractive pattern that uses the Fibonacci numbering system.

 The Arts Council documented the project as we worked along- I like to take photos but usually I'm not the better photographer. I read that documentation is usually created by the winners in history... here is a winning documentation- an on the spot interview!

As soon as the pieces are assembled I'll post images.

There are so many reasons to support arts in schools. Some reasoning includes the opportunity for students to embrace and express their individual creativity while many support the idea of independent problem solving skills used in the students' own challenges. My best guess is both are good conclusions. The programs we have been sharing include addressing age appropriate classroom goals and give more support to the work where the classroom teachers have given instruction. We know that the more we use our knowledge skill-set the better we can develop our problem solving skills and be more creative individuals in our personal lives and in future workplaces.

(Soapbox entry begins here- scroll on past if you'd like!) As we currently have some polarizing politics, proposed budget cuts, concerns about how we look to the rest of the world, consider how we look to our most valued assets. Our children embrace the world with enthusiasm, creativity and if supported properly they radiate promise, positive energy and an intelligence that is so warming to view. They discuss and speak what they have heard- I think often they say "things" to just test it out in the world more than an actual opinion. Consider what you say and how you say it.

The teachers at this school let students know they care about what they think, the importance of how you say something and behave to be a good citizen and part of a loving community. I am so glad I had the chance to meet these people.

And, as you decide how you support local, state and federal policies don't lose focus on the way things come next. The consequences of your actions and those you support. It is easy to just look for answers that you want and while a mantra for focus is a way to stay on task for goals you've set, review and perspective are important.

As a goal is a monochromatic color scheme, there are varieties of that color. There are textures in the color and there are a variety of materials that can be contributors to that color scheme and composition. (end of soapbox entry.)

If you're interested in a very tactile project Featuring Fabric please contact me and let me know! I really enjoy meeting new groups and bringing a carload of stuff to work with to create a Community Tapestry.! We received funds from the Arts Council for this project. If you need help with funding, I can possibly help find that (bit of experience there).

Passion and profit

I've been thinking.

I've been working and reading and painting and weaving and dyeing and listening and not blogging. I am still ruminating.. I am a Capricorn so it is natural to gnaw on stuff a while.
And the more important the stuff, the longer the gnaw.
there is my new tagline.

I think this is a good time to take some of the inside thought and give it a shot at sunlight. So please, share your thoughts as I am struggling with this.
This year i hit a milestone that i was pretty much unprepared for. I've hit a few things for which i was not prepared and while they are mostly behind me, they do give me a poke in the back pretty regularly... but it is a familiar poke and i  am better at deciding how much time i want to spend on worrying.
except for a few things
and here is one of those things

The market for art and craft has changed significantly.
Things do change. It would be dull as f*ck with the same old thing every day. I am not against change (there is another whole epic rant here ... i'll save for another time. But just to say that in most cases, doing things the same way every time usually gives the same results. Usually. Comfort in familiarity isn't always very productive. And I'm not  referencing anything chocolate here. or scotch. so there.)

When I joined the studio I share with (now) four women who work primarily in fine craft and wearable art the world embraced a very different economy. We enjoy our studio with folks coming in that were there to observe a live working studio, invest in handmade items that we carry of our work and local artists plus a few we met along the way and are a physical point for tourists and downtown functions. We have always maintained regular hours so we are easy to find open and ready to help.

As the economy changes, as the energy in downtown changes, as the traveling "shows" and exhibits we used to plan for throughout the year changed and expenses increased above profit we have made a LOT of adjustments. We have an online presence through Facebook, SquareUp and an eletter, have social events, present workshops, bring new artisan work to the gallery and continue to research what we can do to meet our expenses. My situation has definitely come to that.

I  am a counter.
I think about expenses and income and their relationship to each other. Very often this is wrapped up in "state of mind" (a short Lifehacker article about that is here). As I am older, finding outside employment is really not working. Even tho anti-discrimination has a large voice, it is huge. And I feel it like a bucket of ice pretty regularly as a "mature" woman. That is two. Being an alpha just puts the wet nuts on top. I've realized that cutting expenses doesn't increase income. I read a lot of articles that support this, support how over-saturated the online market is, confirm that there is a giant disconnect between an item and a handmade item (this article is very well written on this subject).

Adding workshops and supplies has given us some new perspectives on what attract people. While it is fun to learn to make something, not everyone has that connect. And usually there is someone who is selling online for less than a small shop like ours can offer the item. (interesting article here... again!)

So where does that leave the small business retail shop? We have consignors that do very well at local markets. We participate in local markets -- it is a different energy. As discussed in the last Mary's Maven's group I attended (check that closed group on Facebook out here)  where women in a variety of careers, business ventures and demographics listen and speak out about their life experiences with a supportive atmosphere, your work is a passion and business is so important. Really patronizing those businesses is the way to show that support- it takes commerce, collaboration, inspiration and positive interaction to keep those things.

It is easier to let something go or to tear it down than to rebuild. Always. I cannot think of ANY situation where that is not true. Are small retail businesses unnecessary? With the over-saturation of craftiness on Etsy and other online shops, is online still the venue? Has the market become so polarized with the pop-up market vs. gallery making the small business/studio invalid?
so many questions, such conflicting answers.
What do you think?

January is such a Confused Month!

This is North Carolina. We have days that are 68 degreez, now it is 12 and we will probably get snow this weekend. Among all of this variety of weather, daylight, rainy days, icy days, snowy days we have some inside time.

Fortunately, we have just about wrapped up the Tapestry Club. And good thing-- we will have snow.

And that means closed school and makeup days, no  more after school work time. Then, it will be time for snowballs not yarnballs. You can read an article about the project in Eden's Own, our local newspaper (we are on page 23!)

We will finish the last bit of weaving, work on a few details and mount the tapestry on a board. The principal says we can display it in the cafeteria. The kids have been great on this project!

It is a good time to weave. And I continue to be challenged with weaving- color ways, structure ways and new inspirations. I recently wove a lovely baby wrap... Sandi chose some wonderful colors. After weaving with these familiar yarns, I miscalculated how much a large piece of fabric will full. While the first wrap is fine, it can be better so I'll be making a do-over wrap that will look the same but the threads won't need so much processing to full to the proper size. She has been really wonderful about the process.

I have a new loom! New to me and I received a grant to purchase the dobby head. I am really excited about this. I can do more complex weaves and as much as I love tapestry, plain weave, simple color changes, structure is such wonderful stuff!!!

As many changes as there are in January I think it is moving along ok. Time to check out shows to take work, update online shops and fill out artist residency forms. Happy New Year!!!

Over the Rainbow babywrap

This sample is for a special order on its way to get squeezed! Tiny hearts on a field of rainbows for a toddler wrap!

Weavember!!!!!

Weavember is here!!

So many reasons to celebrate November! and So many things for which to be thankful. There is a day set aside  just to be thankful, but as with any list, there are bits and pieces that come together to make that list solid. And a firm and colorful list it is this year!!!

I'll try to keep this short but... it's me. 

I like stories!

A new project for this year- and it is a day I look forward to every single week! is the Tapestry Club at Leaksville-Spray Elementary School in Eden. The art teacher, Mr. Hart, an artist also, is very dedicated and volunteers his afternoon every Wednesday til he has to leave the school in January. We have the added experience of a former art teacher and current community art organizer/broadcaster/a lot of other stuff volunteer Ms. Debbie Moore. And we have this group of kids that are enthusiastic, fun, polite and have a great sense of cooperation for the project.

I want to point out the cooperation part for a few significant issues. 

This is not a school funded project.
 It is not a state funded project. It is a volunteer funded project. (If you'd like to help with the expenses of community projects please email me! we should talk and work together!). Sometimes it is important to just do what needs to be done. I wanted to share with my community... on a more hands-on level than I had been volunteering with in the past few years.
And, I am constantly inspired by success.  I had a wonderful experience once again, in Roanoke, VA at the Cityworks (X)Po, with so many stories of community, collaboration and embracing the positive spirit of neighborhoods.

Weaving is math.
It is soft, colorful, structural and concrete math. We talk about the "x" and "y" of the weft (woof- they like the word woof!) and warp. Weaving is a great way to see what 150 truly is when you see 150 threads in your warp, three weavers at the top and three weavers at the bottom weaving across and exchanging shuttles and talking about what they are doing, four people working independently on the sun, 24 cones of yarn and a finite number of times we will meet to create the tapestry. It is real art in real time with real people. It is not a small piece, either!

Art is the creative economy.
Art and craft create images, theme songs for our life, stories and theatre, and with those creations there is income, jobs and creative solutions using a variety of materials, technology and a wide range of talent. Art is important to engage in the global economy and that is where our local prosperity will gain it's momentum.

Working outside the classroom sets a standard for youth to understand community commitment and support.
Community art creates a strong stage where we can share the importance of working together as a supportive neighborhood, giving back as the generations that have come before us have contributed to who we are now. Children remember these experiences.. I remember them from my youth- the people that just did something- contributed their skills because it needed to be done.

Reading the news sometimes doesn't reflect that we have good in our society. Perhaps we are reading the wrong news. Perhaps we need to create better news to share.


So, looking at the word count, there will be more in the next post.
Homeschool Drawing and Painting class continues to be a wonderful group of kids, weaving special orders and items for sales in my studio and at the DyeCrazy shop online, working on grants for future projects are filling up the days. And all of this color! And the temperatures!!

So many things to be thankful for.

Meanwhile, Weavember moves ahead!
And please, support the arts, support the community and please shop local as the Holiday season approaches!

And so it begins

What a great group of kids!

Friendly, interested, ask great questions..

We started our individual loom weaving part of the project last Tuesday. That will accomplish two things.. get the "over-under" structure part down, and everyone will have something to work on. One hour goes by quickly.  

Today we set up the larger loom. 

Mr Hart helped with a diagram of weaving and enlarged his sketch for the tapestry. We will be working quickly with 10 meetings to complete this project.. with such a great group at Leaksville-Spray we should move along very well.

(climbing on soapbox)

When funds are restricted, complicated and minimal, the need for projects and programs is not minimized. Grants are available sometimes, but they run on cycles. Opportunities don't always. The best way -- I truly believe !!! to invigorate and engage a community is from grassroots efforts with neighbors, caring businesses investing BACK into their community and volunteer efforts. This doesn't mean that those working in the project with design, execution and supervision should all be uncompensated volunteers. Consider investing in projects with funding, with time because we all know nothing is free. But it can be freely given. (climbing down from soapbox)

Hope you enjoy the photos.. more to come!!!

Tapestry in the Schools- Weaving an Epic Journey

Tapestry as story

History has been full of storytelling... one of my favorite parts!

Unicorn Tapestry (detail)

Bayeux Tapestry (detail)

Stories ground us in why we are doing what we are doing ... all of the big "w" questions. The Battle of Hastings in the Bayeux Tapestries, (not really tapestry but textiles and I'll take that!!!) and the story of England, Vikings and 1066, the Unicorn Tapestries and more contemporary tapestry artists all tell stories but with so much tactility and texture!!!

Mix yarn, elementary education, community projects and engagement and we score big!!!

Yarn and other supplies!

For 10 weeks, I'll be a resident artist with Mr. Bret H. Hart, school art instructor at Leaksville-Spray Elementary School in Eden, NC for this afterschool project. For those unfamiliar with this area of NC, Eden has been a "textile town" with several mills that produced towels, socks and other hosiery, rugs and so many other woven items that are no longer produced in NC or in the US. My grandfather, father and cousin worked at the Fieldcrest Mill when we all lived in "Draper", one of the three towns that blended into "Eden". Mills were located along the Dan River all the way into Virginia. The area is beautiful. Clear water now, ... except for the Coal Ash spill up river courtesy of Duke Energy... another story. 

School Mascot "The Dolphin"

The Textile heritage is strong here, 

and so many families are rooted in the area because of their employment by these mills.. the area is struggling financially. Not a lot of funding for school projects is available and what can be used is VERY competitive. This is an opportunity to work in the schools, to bring the importance of art, craft and community with all of the side benefits of story, awareness, education, history... it goes on! Want to contribute? Personal Message me and I will be glad to share this project!!!!