My second day at #Confluence was full of conversation about the future of the fiber art field and the Surface Design Association. Board members, experts in the field and student members were all posing the same questions to one another throughout the day. Where do we want to see our fiber field in 10 years? …

In conjunction with #Confluence 2011 International Surface Design Association Conference Minneapolis/St. Paul hosted a DIY Festival for crafters, artists and hand-makers of all kinds. As with all DIY events some of the participants were selling kitsch products and others had wonderful fine art! As a new bobbin lace maker I was happy to meet the …

Pat Hickman’s Keynote Address opened the #Confluence Conference with clarity of artistic vision. Her thoughtful commentary and powerful work history inspired me to more clearly define my own artistic direction….

As a first time conference attendee, I didn’t know what to expect from my first day at #Confluence. Even if you can’t be here with us in Minneapolis you can be part of the experience. Read about my adventures and impressions throughout the 2011 International Surface Design Association Conference. …

Get an overview of a small symposium that took on the big issues. See who showed up for this North Carolina State University/Raleigh meeting of makers at the Gregg Museum in March 2011. View some long shots of the exhibitions and sample Keynote Speaker Glen Adamson’s take on the art vs. craft debate. …

There will be a Confluence of styles the moment the textile tribe begins to assemble in Minneapolis for the 2011 International conference June 4th. Sample these visual appetizers as you get ready to roll into Minnesota. If you’re not going, get a taste of what you’ll miss – and of SDA’s commitment to advocating for excellence in the textile arts….

In this new “Shop Talk” series, SDA member and printmaker Cherie Blackwell (CA) will explore how she adapts traditional techniques to print on textiles. Check out this informative overview as well as the great visual energy in her printed textile work….

Check out NewsBlog New Releases Manager Teddy Milder’s take on some recently published books of interest to textile-focused creatives. Get inspired by blackwork tattoo designs on the living surface of skin, nomadic felt-making, imperial Chinese robes, Art Deco textiles, a retrospective of the work of Yohji Yamamoto, and more……

Check out some good reads by other SDA members here. Bhakti Ziek recommends “Just Kids” by Patti Smith; Laura Sapelly recommends “Twelve by Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge”; Marjorie Fedyszyn recommends “1000 Artisan Textiles” and Donna Joslyn recommends “Digital Essentials”. Share what you’re reading!…

Read how textile entrepreneur Laura Foster Nicholson uses Spoonflower.com, a print-on-demand fabric service, to satisfy her pattern compulsion! Then come to SDA Confluence conference (June/Minneapolis) and let both Nicholson & Stephen Fraser, co-founder of Spoonflower, inspire you to express your vision in prints. …