When her computer crashed, digital artist and coder Juliet Martin was driven to get her hands on something real. She discovered Saori weaving and its mind-altering philosophy of no-mistakes and no-holds-barred self-expression. Find out more about Saori, its founders and Martin’s work using the approach, here….
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Whether you rocked the “art wear” movement of the 1970-90s yourself or are curious about its enduring impact, this new archive gives you access to the visionaries and creators who made the scene – and the look. Let artist-designer Ana Lisa Hedstrom introduce you to the inspiring resource she co-created with sister art wear doyenne Jean Cacicedo for the Textile Arts Council website….
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Love textile travel? Connect to your inner adventurer via this story about the applique-driven journeys of artist Nell Sonnemann. Patricia Malarcher, esteemed former Surface Design Journal editor, has spent the last several years editing Sonnemann’s far-flung inquiry into varieties of applique. Check out the set of 12 travel journals she created to document a process – and a quirky and exceptional spirit….
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Let master weaver Catharine Ellis tell you the many reasons why she now uses only natural colorants in her work. Though not necessarily easier, faster, less expensive or lightfast, the study and use of natural dyes has taken her on a mind-expanding journey to heightened sensory awareness, ecologically sound practices – and spectacular color….
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Check out The Patternbase, a multi-faceted collaboration of artists Kristi O’Meara & Audrey Victoria Keiffer. It’s a surface and textile design studio, digital pattern archive and pop-up gallery as well as a generator of hand-painted and sewn housewares, apparel items and innovative digital patterns. Meet 2 high energy design entrepreneurs who also offer a range of services plus collect and sell vintage apparel and textiles. It’s all here!…
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If you are – or aspire to be – among the fashion cognoscenti, you’ll want this annual fashion conference on your radar. Held every November in New York City, Initiatives in Art & Culture presents the who’s-who and what’s-what of the latest fashion culture trends & ideas. Hear and meet iconic designers, authors, curators, retailers, filmmakers & thinkers. This event is not to be missed!…
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With so much of our time spent looking at screens, who doesn’t relish the hands-on experience of a good book full of inspiring images and words – bound in paper fiber? Find 20 such books on textiles and art here, all published in 2015, to give or get for that delightful analog joy. Purchase them through Amazon.com’s philanthropic programs to generate a donation to support SDA – at no cost to you….
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Ever tried itajime? Let shibori artist Ana Lisa Hedstrom show you the history, process – plus contemporary adaptations – of this time-honored resist technique that uses folding, clamping and dyeing to create stunning pattern on cloth and other substrates. The only limits are your imagination! Learn this compelling process from a master via this 2nd in her series of shibori DVDs….
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Whether or not you were able to attend, get an overview of some hot spots & highlights of “Made/Aware: Socially Engaged Art” – Surface Design Associaton’s 1st Craft + Concept Intensive held at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in October 2015. Emerging artist, educator (and 2nd generation SDA member!) Tamryn McDermott shares her play-by-play experience here.
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Brooks Harris Stevens uses the universally acknowledged value of gold – in the form of thread – to stitch healing energy into buildings and cultures. Marvel at these 2 recent installations where she mended the built environment to build awareness about the value of progress in post-communist Albania & recession-ravaged Romania, while simultaneously stretching the boundaries of the fiber medium….
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