Dr. Sandra Sider, SDA member and Vice President of Studio Art Quilt Associates, recently self-published this history of the American Studio Quilt. Read about the challenges she faced over the 9 years it took to get this documentation of the early makers of this movement–based on over 50 interviews–into print.
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Inspired by an 2009 SDA Newsletter/Shop Talk article by Jay Rich about mordants, Donna Brown and Diane de Souza collaborated with Catharine Ellis to conduct experiments using several mordanting recipes on Ellis’s woven shibori fabric. Find out how……

The 2010 Encaustic Conference (June 11-13) offered lots of reasons for artists working in fabric, thread, and paper to explore the medium of wax. A stimulating cluster of exhibitions, knowledgeable sessions on materials and processes, a brilliant keynote address, and an insightful panel on art and business sent participants home with heads full of information and inspiration….

Established collector Ginger Miller is reading “Makers: A History of American Studio Craft.” Therese Zemlin, who works in mixed-media including paper, is reading “The Woman Who Discovered Printing.” Sue Bleiweiss, also a multi-media artist and blogger, recommends “Photographing Arts, Crafts & Collectibles.” Get an insider’s take on these 3 books–then share a book that you’ve found inspiring and informative….

Nancy Koenigsberg of New York City shares some tales and images from her visit to the 13th International Triennial of Tapestry in Lodz, Poland in May. Ann Nyberg of Gnesta, Sweden, follows with some impressions from the 4th Riga International Triennial of Textile and Fiber Art that opened in July in Latvia….

Kickstarter isn’t always “in the bag”. Glenn Robinson, environmental activist and creator of Bags for the People, gives the straight dope on a failed Kickstarter campaign. Get acquainted with Kickstarter by reading the companion piece about the Textile Arts Center and their Kickstarter success. Then read Glenn’s take on how you can kickstart a fundraising project yourself. …

Kickstarter is a web-based fundraising site that is, according to their tagline, “A New Way to Fund and Follow Creativity.” Find out how Owyn Ruck of the Textile Arts Center of Brooklyn created a successful campaign to support grant writing expenses that will jumpstart this new resource for textile arts education.

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This MEMBER HOT SPOT features the work of 3 SDA members–Ann Nyberg of Sweden, Linda Colsh of Belgium and Joan Schulze of California–whose work was exhibited this summer at the 4th Riga Triennial in Latvia. Also included is some catch up buzz about Kiyomi Iwata and Yoshiko Wada. Shown at left is Ann Nyberg’s “State of Universal Chaos” from Riga….

If you’ve ever dreamed of traveling to Turkey, check out a trip taken there by design students from Woodbury University–a member/supporter of SDA. Woodbury Professors Strauss and Kessler generously offered to share this account of their recent cultural tour that focuses on activities related to the study of Turkish textiles and their history.
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Textiles serve as a lens through which to sample Africa’s diversity in this latest issue of the Surface Design Journal.
Articles focus on artists engaged in printing, dyeing, batik, weaving, stitching, quiltmaking, graphic arts and applique….