Continuing Textile Traditions: Weaving and Social Changes in Québec, Past and Present
July 24, 2025
In 1929, accrued interest in the arts and craft led Québec’s provincial government to found a school in textile arts. The aim was to form teachers who would then pass on their knowledge to members of women’s clubs and associations such as the Cercle de Fermières du Québec an equivalent to Homemaker’s Guilds. Various techniques such as spinning, weaving, dyeing, etc . were part of the curriculum. Oscar Bériau, was named director of the institution and on July 10th 1930, the school opened with 59 students. Among the first teachers and consultants to Bériau was Émélie Chamard, already well known for her numerous skills in domestic textile arts.
Join us as Anne-Marie Poulin share more about Émélie and her contributions to the development of a particular weaving technique, to the first modern Leclerc loom and to the movement, Cercle de Fermières, an association celebrating its 110 years in 2025. Mary Underwood will discuss Bériau’s influence and the weaving program he directed, in addition to a bit of history of the Leclerc Loom Company.
Please note that if you would like to attend but are unavailable at the time listed, register anyway and you will receive a link to the recording as soon as it is available.
Panelists:
Mary Underwood (Ann Arbor, Michigan) followed a familiar trajectory into weaving: sewing, dog owner to dog hair spinner, to seriously spinning, to weaving both for fun and for production. She is an accidental researcher who became interested equally in Mongolian culture and textiles and in Québécois weaving traditions; and has been following both paths for nearly 25 years. An encounter with the series of weaving books by Oscar Bériau sparked the interest in Québécois weaving in the 1930’s and 1940’s and is the subject of a book she is writing about the influence of Bériau and the weaving program he directed. In 2015, through Complex Weavers, she started a Bériau study group. More than 230 samples have been woven so far.
Anne-Marie Poulin holds a Master’s Degree in Ethnology from Laval University in Québec City. While in Northern Ontario she was director general of a Franco-Ontarian Folklore Centre and taught ethnology part time at the University of Sudbury. Along with being a writer and speaker she has been a weaver for 50 years. She also teaches weaving, animates a study group on the subject and is an active member of the Cercle de Fermières du Québec, an association founded in 1915, similar to Homemakers’ Guilds.
