Two WARP members add to the story of making connections, both local and global at the Textile Society of America Symposium in Canada…Judy Newland

From Teena Jennings

The opening plenary and keynote was given by Meghann O’Brien, who described her reconnection with her people and place through her personal discovery of traditional textile and basket making techniques. The closing plenary was delivered by Charllotte Kwon who used her MAIWA vision to demonstrate her version of “Deep Local to Pan Global” while referencing textile communities in India and their commitment to MAIWA and vice versa.

Some sessions prompted heady discussions such as one that evolved into a heated discussion on cultural appropriation and another that tried to help Sumru Krody solve her open-ended research questions.

The evening programs provided visits to the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology and the Emily Carr University, multiple Gallery Hops and a visit to Granville Island. The pre- and post- symposium events served as icing on the cake and in many cases created intersections among the attendees and people of the First Nations of the region, particularly as they demonstrated commitment to their indigenous craft and design. Teena and Philis Alvic went on the post conference bus tour to Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler.

From Philis Alvic

Since I was fortunate enough to receive a travel grant from the Great Meadows Foundation in Kentucky to attend the Textile Society conference in Vancouver, I took advantage of pre and post conference activities. Before the conference, I took the WARPS workshop presented by Julie Holyoke, Ruth Scheuing, and Mary Lou Trinkwon and based on Julie’s book, “Digital Jacquard Design.” (Bloomsbury, 2013) In two days, we learned how to design for Jacquard looms and also tried our hands at the very complex loom.

The registration was limited to 10, so we all got to know each other. After the conference, I went on a bus tour to Whistler, a two-hour ride through beautiful country north of Vancouver. First, we visited the Audain Art Museum to view art from coastal British Columbia, which included historic First Nation pieces and works from area artists spanning the last 100 years. Then we went to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre to learn about the people that inhabited this part of Canada for centuries.

As Teena states, it was an exhilarating conference that covered major and significant topics. Kudos to the organizing committee in Vancouver and to the TSA Board. I agree and hope that WARP and TSA can continue to find ways to collaborate and support artisans everywhere.

Next month, we’ll dig deeper into what “working local” might mean for our members…Judy Newland

This month and next WARP members share their experiences at the Textile Society of America Symposium in Vancouver BC, which was September 19-22 and centered around the theme The Social Fabric: Deep Local to Pan Global

From Susan Weltman
What an incredible treat it was to attend the TSA Meeting in Vancouver!  This was an opportunity to spend time in what is the most beautiful city I know. I not only heard fascinating speakers, but also got to connect with so many WARP members, including several I’d never met before. Among those was Rachel Green of Southern Georgia University who presented on the Wichi of Argentina; sitting next to her on the bus, I introduced myself as the President of WARP. She responded by informing me that she was a member! I attended her fascinating presentation.

Nancy Feldman, who I had met at our Oaxaca meeting was presenting on Shipibo Textiles, another very interesting presentation. Meeting Cathy Stevulak in person was a wonderful experience as Cathy, a new WARP member, is a very active part of the Planning Committee for the DC Meeting in June, 2019. She facilitated a presentation by Yasmine Dabbous, whose topic was the role textile traditions play in the lives of Syrian women in a Lebanese Refugee Camp; Yasmine could not be there as she is presently in Lebanon. Her work, and the work of the Syrian women with whom she works, absolutely represents what WARP believes the role of textiles and artisanship can play in the lives of women in crisis!

From Carol Ventura
I learned so much, reconnected, and made so many new connections at the recent TSA Symposium in Vancouver. I enjoy attending even when not presenting, but this year my paper was included, “Tapestry Crochet in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East: Tradition and Innovation”. It will appear in the free online TSA Proceedings next year. I hope all the presenters publish their papers because each time slot included several fabulous panels that I hated to miss! As usual, everyone was so friendly and supportive and each day felt like a fashion show. We fiber people have great taste – and all the wonderful fabrics could be touched that were being shown in the elevator, in the meeting rooms, everywhere!

From Judy Newland
My small naturally dyed piece submitted to the TSA members’ art exhibit was accepted. Each piece was developed around an inspirational object or place. My Sonoran Souls was influenced by my time living in the Sonoran Desert and honored those who have been left behind. I was asked to be part of a panel of six artists and makers who discussed their artwork and how we work collaboratively with various communities. What a wonderful group of women, all of whom I would like to know better. Friday evening was spent on Granville Island taking in exhibits and shopping! A group of ten, mostly WARP members had the most delightful dinner at the Sand Bar restaurant. Inspiration surrounded us each and every day.

Every one of us found special activities and experiences…more to come in November.

Philis Alvic and Teena Jennings will tell us about their experiences.

This month Hellen Ascoli is sharing her experience at the annual meeting in Decorah. She gave a wonderful presentation about her work as the Director of Education at Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Dress in Guatemala. She now lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Here is Hellen with new WARP friends and this is her story… (judy newland)

A couple months ago a friend, a fellow Madison Weaver’s Guild member, Char Thompson, sent me an email to apply for the Alice Brown Memorial Scholarship to attend this year’s WARP meeting in Decorah, Iowa. Having recently moved to Madison, WI from Guatemala this email and the following scholarship couldn’t have been better timed!

Let me tell you a little about myself:

From 2010 – 2012 I received my M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

I had applied with the precise purpose of returning to Guatemala, my home country, and putting into action what I had learned. My art practice centered around weaving on the back strap loom as a way to bring together my interests in identity and materiality. I balanced my work as Director of Education at Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Dress while also teaching art through diverse disciplines at Francisco Marroquín University and at Fundación Paiz (a private cultural foundation in Guatemala that offers classes in visual and performing arts and hosts the Paiz Biennial).

During those five years I was slowly building the life I had set out to make, one where I could weave together my interests between Art, Craft and Education. However, as many WARP members might know, Guatemala offers a lot of opportunities, but it can also be a hard place. Sadly in 2017, after the loss of my brother to violence, my husband and I made the difficult decision to move back to the United States. Regarding my practice I felt that leaving the country where so much of my work is embedded would just feel like another loss.

For several months I had been searching for a community in the United States that also wanted to have an integrated life. The community I wanted was made up of those that understood the richness that exists when different aspects of life are woven together and rooted in a place, a community or a tradition.

As I walked into the WARP conference, I immediately felt in the right place. The first person I bumped into was Deborah Chandler who I had briefly met through Museo Ixchel in Guatemala. It was exciting not only to see someone from home, but also to learn about the specific ways other’s work here in the United States is connecting to places like Guatemala. There were so many examples to draw from that creatively brought together aspects of craft and connected it to communities locally and globally.

Not even two days later after the conference I met Susan Weltman, Marilyn Anderson and Lynn Persson for lunch in Madison and they generously offered me ideas on how to keep growing professionally. As I sit down to type an email buzzes through from WARP member Nicole Giacomantonio, and I am excited to share my artwork with her and follow up on her travels. Another email dings in from Marilyn Anderson and I am exited at the prospect of interviewing her for a potential article. This past month I have looked at the notes from the WARP conference multiple times, connected with members and regained enthusiasm to start on a new “weave”.

Reach out to our new member and scholarship winner, Hellen Ascoli, through email, FB or Google Groups. WELCOME HELLEN

Museums have helped support cultural diversity in the US by collecting and preserving artifacts and documents from immigrants around the world. During the annual meeting June 7-10, we will visit the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, which houses a collection of fine arts and folks arts made by Norwegian immigrants and their descendants.

Preserved History

The museum collection started in 1877 to assist Luther College students in their studies. Within a few years the faculty and alums of the college decided the focus of the collection would be the material culture of Norwegian immigrants. In 1964 the museum became an independent institution, The Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. History comes alive when you enter the main building and see an immigrant log house from 1853, fabulous woven tapestries and a 25-foot wooden sailboat.

Culture Change

Norwegian immigrants used the word “vesterheim” to refer to their western home in America when writing to those still living in Norway. Imagine how different their new life was in a little corner of Iowa. The museum has emphasized the diverse backgrounds and experiences of Norwegian emigrants, using the material culture from the old country and the new to tell a story of identity, faith and beauty. The objects, such as costumes, paintings, silver wedding crowns and carved butter molds, speak the colorful stories of the ancestors and those who journeyed into a new world.

Textile Treasures

Norwegian museums gifted important textile collections to the Vesterheim in 1925. The textile collection now numbers 5,500 and includes clothing, household textiles and decorative items. They came from rural and city areas and the collections reflect these differences. Examples include embroidered samplers made by young women attending needlework schools in cities, as well as bedding, weaving and spinning tools…and those wonderful mittens!!

Other collections and experiences at the Vesterheim Museum

In addition to textiles, one can view a diverse collection of decorative woodcarving, fine arts, Norwegian metalworking, rosemaling and decorative paintings. Many of these objects can be viewed online in the museum’s virtual galleries. Books, photos and archives relating to the art and artifacts round out the collection. The museum offers more than exhibitions of objects. Visitors can take fiber arts classes, attend textile symposia and even textile study tours to Norway.

What does it mean to celebrate culture in Iowa?

I am an Iowa native and museum anthropologist, but no road has yet taken me to the Vesterheim Museum. Sometimes the best things are right in our own backyard and we miss them for all of the tall corn in the way! I left my Iowa farmstead years ago for the rolling hills of Eastern Washington. I have lived in five different states, Colorado twice. And yet, returning to the land where I grew up offers another new perspective on creating a connected textile community. We will learn about sustaining our environment, our multifaceted culture in the US and each other. Let’s get this show on the road! The Tradewind awaits our arrival…

This month I would like to share a blog I recently wrote for ClothRoads about the documentary film project our WARP member, Cathy Stevulak, produced in Bangladesh. Cathy has an article in the current newsletter.

The film THREADS is a story of kantha cloth and women. Kantha is an ancient form of hand-stitch embroidery originating in the Indian sub-continent (Bangladesh, West Bengal and Bihar regions). Kantha refers to the indigenous quilt form and to the running stitch itself, which gives the cloth the wrinkly appearance that is characteristic of kantha. We thought it might be fun to take you behind the scenes to see how this documentary film evolved.

The Making of a Documentary Film

Did you ever wonder how documentary films are made? The vision just seems to appear on the screen as if by magic. The film, THREADS, tells a story of inspiration, determination and liberation about how one woman, Surayia Rahman, transformed the lives of artisan women in Bangladesh. But the production of the film THREADS is also an inspired story put together by a group of dedicated people who succeed through hard work and a little serendipity. This documentary film, by Canadian filmmaker Cathy Stevulak, has an intriguing behind-the-scenes production story.

Finding the story

Good stories do not just fall in one’s lap. Cathy first heard about “ a woman with gray hair who does remarkable embroidery work” from a museum volunteer in a gift shop. She eventually found Surayia during her stay in Bangladesh, but it was years later, after a suggestion by a professor that Cathy began to think about creating a documentary film to help raise awareness of the importance and impact of global artisanship.

Filming in Bangladesh

Challenges were daunting despite having collected a talented and experienced film crew from Bangladesh. One of the biggest was the fact that Surayia was quite elderly and not in the best of health. She rarely left her house or her favorite chair, so action shots were not in the cards. Gathering the artisans she worked with meant juggling schedules and navigating politically motivated strikes. Surayia’s modest home was surrounded by constant city activity and the noise in Dhaka was ever present. Some sound recording had to be done at night after much of the day’s activity was over.

Searching the world for art

Most of the art Surayia and the artisans had made over the decades had been sold to foreign visitors or gifted by the Government of Bangladesh to dignitaries of other countries. Tracking the art down took four years of detective work. But enough artwork was eventually found on five continents to provide the high quality art images needed for the film. As with so many projects, serendipity came into play time and again. Letters arrived in the mail at just the right time and patrons were found who filled out the storyline.

Why does it matter?

Screenings across the world have inspired others through the story of Surayia and her dedicated group of women artisans. At a screening in Dhaka, a young girl from a poor area wondered if she could learn how to do this “famous kantha”, envisioning a future where she might control her own fate.

Thanks to Cathy and her talented team for this inspiring story.
Read the ClothRoads November 2016 blog to learn more about kantha cloth. And many thanks to ClothRoads for letting me share this wonderful story with WARP members.