Tapestry Weavers South, a regional organization that I've been involved with since it began in 1996, is holding a 20th anniversary exhibit at Yadkin Arts Center, Yadkinville, NC. The opening was on May 3. It was a lovely event with several members present as well as others from the community and also from a weaving class that was being held nearby. The exhibit will be up until July 8.
Here are a few photos I took at the opening:
The demo loom is one I'd sent for the exhibit opening. |
I didn't get photos of individual pieces but Laurie O'Neil, one of our members, did. She's uploaded a Flikr album from the exhibit that I'll link below. |
That's Laurie at the center of the photo, talking to Linda Weghorst and to Betty Hilton-Nash. I'm not sure who the other viewers are--sorry! |
Another view... unfortunately, I didn't get good photos of the rest of the exhibit. But... here's a link to Laurie's photo album. Thanks, Laurie, permission to post it here! |
A few of us involved with tapestry weaving in the early 1990s, and who'd gotten to know each other through American Tapestry Alliance or from workshops, thought the time was right to see if we could get something off the ground that would provide mutual support for our
1. To continue the small format, non-juried tapestry exhibit concept that had been held in Portland, Oregon in 1996 during Convergence.
In early 1996 we started contacting anyone we could find in the Southeast who was involved with tapestry in some way. We assembled a list of names and addresses and sent out a flyer with the following heading:2. To assist in the ATA Biennial II that was to be held at Fernbank during Convergence. The next one was to be held in Atlanta in 1998!
Here were our tentative agenda items:
- form an organization for southern or southeastern tapestry
- slide presentation of the 1996 American Tapestry Alliance Biennial I
- discussion of the ATA Biennial II scheduled in 1998 in conjunction with Convergence in Atlanta, GA
- discussion of ways a southeastern tapestry group may assist with the educational aspects of the '98 exhibit at Fernbank Natural History Museum
- discussion of breed-specific yarns and how this factor influences characteristics of tapestry yarns
- a show and tell of tapestries from those present (bring one or more with you!)
- visit Denise Kraft Roberson's tapestry studio adjacent to Forrest Hills
- meet new and old friends in tapestry in an informal, casual, beautiful mountain setting "far from the madding crowd!"
Our first meeting was held near Dahlonega, Georgia at Forrest Hills Mountain Resort, on November 15 and 16, 1996. Eighteen people showed up for that meeting--seven from Georgia, five from North Carolina, three from Tennessee, and three from Virginia.
Photo collage that I copied and sent with our first newsletter--old school cut and paste method! |
I wrote this in the first TWS newsletter, dated July 10, 1998:
"... dreams were abounding, we thought we could do it with the help of each other (work with the Atlanta Convergence tapestry events), and now those dreams have become reality."
Several on the initial list of those attending that first meeting no longer are weaving and a couple have, sadly, passed on. But the seed was planted and now, two decades later, we can look back and see how Tapestry Weavers South is flourishing. Here's for many more decades to come!
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