Two dye pots of dull dud dead dye.
- disappointing, dreadful.
A dire day.
Canadian Tapestry Network Newsletter – Autumn, 2013 Page 17
Community Threads tapestries wove the Community together.
By Line Dufour
Weaving is an appropriate metaphor for community engagement and activity. Both weaving and community can be described as a means of producing a coherent united whole or collaboration through the combining and interlacement of various elements. Words and text can inspire and elevate our noblest and philanthropic feelings about community and what it is, but real engagement comes in the physicality of doing, in materiality, in actions, interactions, processes and events shared by an assortment of individuals and groups.
In January of 2011, The Nottawasaga Handweavers and Spinners, in Alliston, Ontario Canada, asked me to help them design 12 handwoven tapestries, 15" x 60", composed of four images - each, depicting the history and culture of New Tecumseth and the surrounding areas and a grant from the Ontario Arts Council made it possible for me to work with the guild to this end. The initiative entitled Community Threads, depicted the many faces of South Simcoe: historical sites such as the Museum on the Boyne, leisure activities such as music, golf and hockey, and the beautiful natural and pastoral scenery of woodland and field of the area. One tapestry panel features only the Banting Homestead, another, the Gibson Centre. A third is woven entirely from handspun fibres by spinners in the Guild. Once the designs were created, there were many hours of preparation before we could even start weaving. Guild members solicited the general public to weave on the tapestries, including the staff of both the South Simcoe Arts Council and the Gibson Centre for Community Arts and Culture, where the project took place. All during the project I’ve been blogging about what has been happening, noting the people involved, my own observations, insights and surprises as well as posting lots of pictures of the projects denouement: http://www.tapestryline.blogspot.ca/.
On October 27 2013, the exhibit opened at the Gibson Centre. Nine of the 12 panels were completed and three were nearing completion, which were/are also on exhibit. The purpose of this – the Community Threads project was not just about designing and weaving the tapestries. This alone does not make one an artist or craftsperson. Another aspect that participants learned about was what an artist/craftsperson needs to do to promote and market their work and as guild members discovered, it takes a lot of effort and time. The participants in this project were very successful in engaging the community and the media and the opening reception evidenced their labours in that regard. Four different media sources came out to put the opening, the tapestries and their creators in the spotlight. One of them was the local CTV news which aired that same evening. The Mayor, Mike MacEachern, also showed up for the reception and tweeted about the tapestries and opening. Through funding received by the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners, Sandi Nemenyi designed an accompanying brochure featuring the tapestries and explaining each one, as well as listing the projects participants. Many people need to be thanked for their contributions to making the Community Threads tapestries a source of civic pride, which has increased the esteem and profile of the guild members. CTN Newsletter – Autumn, 2013 Page 18
The outcomes, apart from the physical aspect of creating tapestries, has been much greater than I thought possible: i) it re-invigorated the guild and its activities; ii) it generated an influx of about two dozen new members for the guild; iii) it aroused a lot of interest, appreciation and respect for tapestry in the community; iv) it created a lot of local media attention; v) it brought other organizations to liaise with the guild such as the local historical society and the arts council, and vi) I’ve discovered that I love working with weavers and guilds on a project like this, one in which each person brings their talents and gifts to the table, and plays a part in creating an amazing project, and work of art.
Weavers of the community tapestry project displaying their work
Many people need to be thanked for their contributions to making the Community Threads tapestries a source of civic pride, which has increased the esteem and profile of the guild members. Betty Cerar, the president of the Nottawasaga Weavers and Spinners said:
"The tapestry project represents the meaning of "community" not only in the pictorial sense, but in the deeper sense. A community is created by people whose lives and stories are woven together on the warp of their shared experiences, with their individual contributions acting as the weft of our social fabric..... We are grateful to all of the people named in this story, and many who are not specifically named, for their time, skill, encouragement and support. Of course, all of the members of the Nottawasaga Handweavers and Spinners Guild helped to create this project in countless ways, from translating their artistic concept of the Nottawasaga area into pictures and then into tapestries, finishing and mounting them, donating yarn, lending looms, writing descriptions, advertising the exhibit, setting up the display, and even providing the refreshments that are available today."
This article is important to repost as it articulates the building of community that is a significant result of an active guild. Those of us who have been members of a guild for many years (decades) have realized that we are not just a group of people learning the craft. We have become friends and almost family. We support each other in difficult times. We talk about our problems, help each other with problems, craft related or not, laugh a lot, prepare and eat wonderful food together, celebrate our shared cultural holidays, family celebrations and the seasons together and create our own traditions. We have also learned a lot about spinning, weaving, dyeing, felting, rug hooking etc. We reach out to the community, adding colour and texture to the community with public demonstrations and workshops.
And our regional group, the Peace Country Spinners & Weavers has added the richness to our lives of more workshops with instructors from further afield, and lets us build relationships with those in other communities in Northwestern Alberta and Northeastern British Columbia. This creates further bonds of community in the entire Peace Country. Being a member of the local guild and a member of the Peace Country Spinners & Weavers has been a rich social and cultural experience.
You are welcome to join us and experience for yourself this building of community.
Please remember:
the
Sprang Challenge. Two pieces completed for Show & Tell at the Theo Moorman workshop April 12, 13 in Fort St. John with Cheryl Peebles instructing.
to sign up for the
Theo Moorman Workshop. Send cheque to treasurer. Members: $100. Warp: $10. Book: $25. Non members: $120. Please check with
1358@telus.net for more info.
Happy Spinning and Weaving. Happy Winter!
