I’m excited to be part of the inaugural Working Weavers Studio Trail here in western Massachusetts. On October 14 & 15, I’ll be one of seven weavers in six studios who open their studios. I’d love to have you bring a friend or two or three anytime between 10am and 5pm that weekend.
The other weavers are Lisa Hill – also here in Conway; Emily Gwynn and Lisa Bertoldi in Shelburne Falls; and Scott Norris, Chris Hammel and Paula Veleta in Florence.
We weave in a wide variety of styles, with different looms and fibers. For example, Scott weaves with hand-dyed linen, Emily uses Swedish-style looms and Paula’s color palette is a mixture of fall New England and Southwestern desert. We share a love of the meticulous, thread-by-thread process of creating cloth and a desire to make the process visible again.
The Working Weavers Studio Trail is a self-guided tour so you can visit as many or as few of the studios as you want in whatever order works best for you. You can download a map and driving directions at workingweavers.com. The drive we’ve mapped out for you will take you along beautiful back roads and hopefully the foliage will be in its fiery glory that weekend.
As I look forward to welcoming you into my studio, my heart goes out to all who have be affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. I will donate 20% of my sales this month to CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund) and earmark it for their disaster relief program. This non-profit, started by artists for artists, provides grants and interest-free loans to artists working in craft disciplines who are facing a career threatening emergency or disaster.
I hope to see you on October 14th or 15th,
Marilyn
P.S. Thank you to Steve Pfarrer for the wonderful article about the studio trail in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, to Carol Lollis and Jerrey Roberts for photographing studios and to Ken Maiuri for emailing his editor about the trail.
What a wonderful idea and a perfect time of the year for it! I would love to come and see your studio…
I have seen some weaving around here but mostly it’s dreadful! Sticks with “tapestry” weaving hanging on it that is shaped like a ladies’ corset.
The exception – I was recently volunteering at a local art center and a woman came to collect her work. She has a jaquard loom – I thought they were huge things and that normal people didn’t have them. Her work was exquisite but I don’t imagine poeple had any idea what it was.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I have always found that people are drawn to and fascinated by looms.
Thanks for the good wishes, Deb. It would be lovely to have you here. Maybe next year?
Marilyn