WARP Conference Reflections 2016

International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe
International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe Photo Credit Bridget Thompson

This year WARP’s annual meeting was held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We were extremely fortunate to be staying just down the road from the International Folk Art Festival!

The two recipients of the Alice Brown Memorial Scholarship that attended the meeting this year were Bridget Thompson and Carrie Miller. In this post, we will share our experiences of the meeting and a little bit about ourselves!

Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel
Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel                   Photo Credit Bridget Thompson

bridgetpic
Bridget Thompson at International Folk Art Market                                 Photo Credit Bridget Thompson

Bridget Thompson is from Marin County, California. She recently graduated from Lewis and Clark College with a BA in Anthropology. Her senior thesis was titled, Fashion Conscious: Sustainable and Ethical Textiles in the Guatemalan Highlands, and focused on the interaction between contemporary designers and traditional artisans. Now back in San Francisco, she is working for local retailers, and pursuing fashion development and production that champion radical transparency as well as vertically integrated business practices.

Bridget’s comments about the conference were:

“It was an incredible opportunity to have been a part of the conference and to have visited the International Folk Art Festival as part of an ongoing education in textiles. Visiting the market and seeing all of the arts and crafts, and the traditional clothing of the participants, as well as the various countries they were coming from was impactful. I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to WARP and all of its members for having me this year. I learned so much while in Santa Fe, and not to mention, had a truly fantastic time exploring the area and getting to know the members. You all are so wonderful!”

Carrie Miller
Carrie Miller

I (Carrie) am an MFA student at Colorado State University focusing in Fibers. My academic and professional work revolve around education and women. I’m very interested in the intersections of new technology and traditional methods.

My experience of the WARP meeting was defined most by the opportunities it gave me to meet many members and learn about their incredible work. I was overwhelmed by the group’s generosity in helping me think through my aspirations.

Members of WARP sharing on the Lawn
Members of WARP sharing on the Lawn

As an artist, and as an educator working with girls, I felt inspired to see so many examples of women and children being supported through textile work. One of my dreams is to use textiles as a medium for development and prosperity in the lives of teenage mothers. I was excited to hear how Weaving for Justice and the Cuzco Center for Traditional Textiles are providing opportunities for women to be part of the preservation of their traditions while developing their economic stability. I still don’t know what this dream will turn into, but I believe that it is possible.

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Bridget and I would like to extend our gratitude to WARP for giving us the opportunity to experience the 2016 Annual Meeting and the International Folk Art Market. We learned so much!

fabrics

I am very excited to currently be interning with WARP and working on getting the word out to prospective young members. If you are interested in writing a blog post for WARP please send me an e-mail at .

We welcome any fiber related topics!

 

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