ABOUT WARP
"WARP brings together people capable of working with their hearts, hands, and heads ... They understand the incremental power of the small. And from that understanding comes change and joy."
--Deborah Robson (writer, Colorado)
WARP's Core Values
- Textiles are an important component of the human experience.
- Providing support to textile artisans from communities-in-need gives them tools to shape their own destinies.
- Networking and sharing information creates an environment for constructive action.
- Making connections between textile artisans worldwide promotes positive social change.
- Interacting with people who have similar values enriches our lives.
WARP's History
WARP began in 1992 when Deborah Chandler contacted friends in the United States who were working with, or interested in working with, weavers and dyers in developing countries to see if they would like to get together to share resources, provide support for one another, and exchange stories and experiences. There was so much interest in this idea at the initial meeting at Convergence 1992 (biennial national weaving conference) in Washington, DC that the idea grew and a new organization was born, starting with a gathering later that same year in a high mountain cabin near Kremmling, Colorado. That meeting was mostly about creating a name, a structure, and other logistics, but it also had lots of sharing time, slides, stories, hikes in the wilds – all those things for getting to know each other that drew the group together in the first place. And we’ve been doing it ever since.
Along with Deborah’s idea, this organization would also not exist if it weren’t for the tremendous organizational work of Linda Temple including work that led to WARP being granted its non-profit 501(c)3 status. Linda continues to edit the newsletter, a core function of WARP as a networking organization.
WARP now has a part-time paid Administrative Coordinator, a working Board of Directors, and members from around the country who share a sense of the importance of the organization. It has over 250 members, most in the U.S. and Canada but in other countries as well. We publish a dynamite newsletter four times a year, a membership directory that makes for truly inspiring reading, a web site and listserve, and of course the annual gathering that continues to be as amazing and energizing each year as we originally knew it would be.
WARP has stayed true to the original intent of providing networking and support. In addition to linking members working in developing countries, WARP enables those who cannot work abroad to become involved in supporting textile artisans worldwide.