Previously Offered
Previously Offered :: Speaker Series :: Salley Mavor
Zoom WebinarSalley Mavor will talk about her journey as an artist who tells stories with three-dimensional embroidery. The presentation will cover a wide range of creative endeavours, from illustration to doll-making to stop-motion animation, demonstrating that there are no limits to what can be expressed with a needle and thread! This is an opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes peek at Ms. Mavorâs innovative creative process, which is unmatched within the fibre art world. Members, sign in to My EAC/Mon ACB to register for Salley's informative presentation on Saturday, October 14. 4:30 pm Newfoundland Standard Time 4 pm Atlantic Standard Time 3 pm Eastern Standard Time 2 pm Central Standard Time 1 pm Mountain Standard Time noon Pacific Standard Time Salley Mavor grew up in the village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts in a family who connected with their community through art, music and dance. At home, there were always art supplies close at hand and a sense that time was available for creative pursuit. Drawing with crayons was never enough for Salley. She remembers feeling that her pictures were not finished until something real was glued, stapled or sewn to it. At a young age, she held an open-minded view of what constitutes art, writing in a 1964 school essay at age nine, âArt is everything⊠records, clocks, blackboards, people, snowflakes and everything. That is why I like art.â As an illustration major at the Rhode Island School of Design in the 1970s, she left traditional mediums behind, preferring to communicate her ideas with sculptural needlework. For most of her 45-year career, she has followed this path, creating narrative scenes in bas-relief, much like miniature, shallow stage sets, with figures and props attached to embellished fabric backgrounds. She has spent decades developing her signature style and working methods, carving out her own niche within the childrenâs book world and the fibre art community. Ms. Mavor has illustrated 11 picture books using her distinctive blend of materials and hand-stitching techniques, including Pocketful of Posies, which won the 2011 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the 2011 Golden Kite Award. Her popular how-to book, Felt Wee Folk is in its second edition, inspiring creativity in all ages. Her most recent picture book is My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World. She lives and works in her home studio in Falmouth, Massachusetts. You can see more about Salley and her creations on her website at weefolkstudio.com.
Previously Offered :: Speaker Series :: Marie-Renée Otis
Zoom WebinarMarie-RenĂ©e Otis is a textile artist â her chosen medium of expression is art embroidery and the overarching goal of her artistic work is to add beauty to the world. In her presentation, Marie-RenĂ©e will share the beginnings of her creative adventure with art embroidery and the various stages of her technical evolution; she will also discuss the recurring images and archetypes in her works: Woman, Mother Earth and the river and mountains of her hometown of Baie-Saint-Paul. Members, sign in to My EAC/Mon ACB to register for Marie-RenĂ©âs engaging presentation on Saturday, November 18. 4:30 Newfoundland Time 4 pm Atlantic Time 3 pm Eastern Time 2 pm Central Time 1 pm Mountain Time noon Pacific Time In an increasingly mechanized, technological world, Marie-RenĂ©e remains dedicated to hand embroidery, creating unique, contemporary works that combine the past and the present as she uses traditional and historic embroidery techniques and materials sourced from around the world. Her embroideries are brimming with gold threads, jewelry, stones, beads, and metal pieces, blended and stitched next to each other. Marie-RenĂ©e was born in 1955 and raised in Baie-Saint-Paul, a city known for its vibrant artistic community. Her interest in drawing and working with her hands began at an early age. Her fascination with textiles came about later, during her CEGEP studies in QuĂ©bec City. The pleasure and satisfaction she experienced while working with cotton, silks, and wool was why she chose to go to the UniversitĂ© du QuĂ©bec Ă Trois-RiviĂšres. At the time, the weaving studios with vertical looms were dynamic and stimulating venues for local art students. Marie-RenĂ©e completed her BFA in 1978. After finishing her studies, she stayed on in Trois-RiviĂšres, married and had two children. Her interests progressed from weaving to embroidery. Working with a needle on canvas allowed her to be even more creative with colours, materials and designs. After ten years of city living, Marie-RenĂ©e fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams: to return to her hometown of Baie-Saint-Paul to live closer to nature and her roots. In 1986, her work as an artist was put on hold when she became a TV host/reporter at the local station. The job allowed her to develop new personal and professional skills and abilities, but she found herself constantly struggling to balance her public life and her artistic ambitions. In 1995, she left her media position to embrace the world of education, becoming a teacher at the CEGEP in Charlevoix. She took on this new challenge with enthusiasm and confidence. Another major shift in her professional career happened in 2001. She finally achieved what she had been hoping to do for many years: become a full-time artist, devote herself to creating art embroidery, open her studio to the public and build a portfolio of works that has gained her local, national and international recognition. Although her studio is now closed, she continues to be an active member of the artistic community in Baie-Saint-Paul and is recognized as a master of art embroidery. She presents conferences, works with artisans in Africa, participates in many exhibitions, studies techniques from other cultures and other times, teaches occasionally, and networks with artists from around the world.
Speaker Series :: What Antique Samplers Have to Teach Us :: Lianne van Leyen
Zoom WebinarNeedle: first instrument of learning in the hand. Female education: a privilege, not a right and unequal. Lianne explores the significance of antique samplers in understanding the historical role of women and girls in education. She will share how knowledge and skills were transmitted through needlework in traditional and nontraditional subjects during a time when education was not a right and not universally accessible. Antique sampler and needlework tools presentation via Zoom discussing the sampler-making tradition demonstrated in the 1897 Schoolhouse Samplersâ 350+ piece collection of antique schoolgirl samplers from 1726 to 1978. Members, sign in to My EAC/Mon ACB to register for Lianne van Leyenâs engaging presentation on Saturday, January 27, 2024. 4:30 Newfoundland Time 4 pm Atlantic Time 3 pm Eastern Time 2 pm Central Time 1 pm Mountain Time noon Pacific Time Lianne van Leyen is a domestic interpreter and historic cook at Upper Canada Village. She prepares and serves meals and desserts using period-correct recipes and methods made in an open hearth or a step wood cook stove. She teaches children and young adults historic cooking and interprets and demonstrates Canadaâs history on the eve of Confederation for visitors from around the world. Lianneâs career has spanned fine arts, child protection, banking, and higher education management. She lives with her husband Grant in a one-room Ontario schoolhouse built in 1897 and owns a church built next door in the 1920s. The couple are also caretakers of three antique British vehicles. She spent years learning to paint, draw and teach herself many crafts, including cross stitch. Lianne van Leyen is an artist and a storyteller. Lianne holds incomplete, timeworn, damaged and unusual samplers as precious and deserving of love and attention. She is the caretaker of a growing collection of antique schoolgirl samplers and the designer behind 1897 Schoolhouse Samplers. Her diverse collection of samplers, currently numbering more than 350 pieces, includes dated examples from 1726 to 1978, made in the UK, U.S.A., Europe and Canada. Lianne van Leyen shares her sampler collection and the history of needlework with local, national and international needlework and sampler guilds and public museums through in-person and virtual presentations via her website and social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. She leads retreats and workshops, has had her work published in PieceWork magazine and has contributed to podcasts. Lianne works to increase exposure and interest in historical textiles and needle art within and outside the stitching community. In 2018, Lianne sought to give a new purpose to her sampler collection and began creating original and reproduction cross-stitch patterns. Through her company, 1897 Schoolhouse Samplers, she shares the stories of overlooked antiques. She makes her cross-stitch patterns available to modern stitchers for retail purchase from local and virtual needlework shops worldwide and to wholesale customers via Hoffman Distributing Company. Ragamuffin Schoolgirl Sampler Patterns 1897schoolhousesamplers.ca facebook.com/SchoolhouseSamplers instagram.com/1897SchoolhouseSamplers
Speaker Series :: Susan Purney Mark :: Â Iceland – a Textile Narrative
Zoom WebinarIsnât it amazing how one experience can lead to new ideas and opportunities that unfold into creative and unexpected explorations? A month-long art residency allowed Susan to dive deeply into textile books and scroll-making with paints, dyes, stitches and more. She will take us to Iceland, introduce us to the residency concept and share her journey in the Land of Fire and Ice. Members, sign in to My EAC/Mon ACB to register for Susan Purney Markâs engaging presentation on Saturday, February 17, 2024. 4:30 Newfoundland Time 4 pm Atlantic Time 3 pm Eastern Time 2 pm Central Time 1 pm Mountain Time noon Pacific Time Award-winning textile artist Susan Purney Mark lives on Pender Island, BC, the traditional lands of the W̱SĂNEÄ and Tsawout peoples. She has been creating both contemporary wall and dimensional work since the early 1990s. She is known for her extensive experience in a wide range of surface design, dyeing, screen printing and wax-resist techniques. She has trained with the London City and Guilds programme, the Ontario School of Art and Design, and the Vancouver Island School of Art. Tide Charts by Susan Purney Mark Susanâs recent focus has involved an exploration of the industrial shoreline, drawing her ideas from her coastal travels. This work has involved mark making, text and narrative, and she is working with a controlled colour palette, a movement towards abstraction with layers of cloth and paper, including recycled and âfoundâ surfaces. She will often add layers of paint and dyes into her pieces and dense stitching both by hand and machine. Susan is also exploring dimensional body/vessel forms. She is an active member of the fibre arts community in British Columbia and is a member of national/international fibre and surface design associations. You can learn more on Susan's website. Little House Under the Rocks
Speaker Series :: Japanese Embroidery :: Margaret Kinsey
Zoom WebinarThere are forms of embroidery that are special in Japan. They are highly respected art forms. Japanese traditional surface embroidery is adapted from Chinese embroidery, which has been practiced in Japan for more than 1600 years. It is an art form found in kimono and other textile arts. Rozashi is embroidery that is unique to Japan. It came to favour in the court in circa 700 CE. It is worked on a unique silk fabric called Ro. All stitches are upright, and the entire design is covered in stitches. This embroidery is still taught from woman to woman. It came to the US and North America in the 1980s. Japanese Embroidery by Margaret Kinsey Rozashi by Margaret Kinsey Members, sign in to My EAC/Mon ACB to register for Margaret Kinseyâs presentation on Saturday, March 16, 2024. 4:30 Newfoundland Time 4 pm Atlantic Time 3 pm Eastern Time 2 pm Central Time 1 pm Mountain Time noon Pacific Time If you aren't an EAC/ACB member, yet, you can purchase a seat for our Zoom webinar with Margaret Kinsey. Once your payment is completed, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to register directly on Zoom. Japanese Embroidery by Margaret Kinsey Rozashi by Margaret Kinsey Margaret Kinsey is an EGA Certified Teacher in silk and metal thread techniques. She is certified to teach Japanese Embroidery. She studies Rozashi with Fumiko Ozaki and is the designated Kunimitsu Studio teacher for the US. She continues her studies with the Japanese Embroidery Center in Atlanta and Midori Matsushima at the Blue Bonnet Studio. Margaret has lectured and taught for the Denver Botanic Gardens for the 40th Anniversary of the Bonsai Gardens. She taught for the Jane Austen Fest in Mt. Dora, Florida in February 2020. She teaches at the national and chapter level for ANG. She has taught at seminars for the Embroiderersâ Association of Canada/Association canadienne de broderie. She has taught at all levels of the Embroiderersâ Guild of America. She has taught for The New Zealand Embroidery Conference in Christchurch, was a keynote speaker, and lectured and taught Rozashi to their guilds throughout New Zealand. The National Assembly of Needle Arts has also invited her to teach at their seminars. She is a charter member of the Lightning Needles Chapter of ANG. She is a life member of EGA. She is the 2008 recipient of EGAâs Gold Thread Award. She serves the Central Florida chapter as President. She has chaired three EGA International Embroidery Conferences, 2019, 2015 and 2011. She chaired the 2000 EGA National Seminar in Orlando, Florida. She serves as the EGA Mastercraftsman Silk and Metal Thread Chairman. She is the 2021 National Academy of Needle Arts prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. She has lectured for chapters of EGA and ANG and the EGA Winning Ways Program. She has guest lectured for several museums. Learn more about Margaret and her designs at her website, MAK Inc Designs.
Speaker Series :: Bojagi :: Youngmin Lee
Bojagi (Korean Wrapping Cloths) are pieced together from small scraps of cloth. It is the most unique form of Korean textile art. Bojagi occupied a prominent place in the daily lives of Koreans of all classes. They were used to wrap or carry everything from precious ritual objects to everyday clothes and common household goods and also to cover food. It is also strikingly contemporary: the designs and colours of bojagi remind one of the works of modern abstract artists. Bojagi can be described as a true form of abstract expressionism. Youngmin Lee will talk about bojagi during this lecture and show her bojagi works. Join us to learn about this versatile, integral part of everyday Korean life. Registration is free for EAC/ACB members! Mosi jogakbo by Youngmin Lee Members, sign in to My EAC/Mon ACB to register for Youngmin's presentation on Saturday, April 20, 2024. 4:30 Newfoundland Time 4 pm Atlantic Time 3 pm Eastern Time 2 pm Central Time 1 pm Mountain Time noon Pacific Time  If you arenât an EAC/ACB member, yet, you can purchase a seat for our Zoom webinar with Youngmin Lee. Once your payment is completed, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to register directly on Zoom. New Beginning by Youngmin Lee Youngmin Lee is a Korean textile artist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a BA in Clothing and Textile and an MFA in Fashion Design, Youngmin has presented numerous workshops, classes and demonstrations on Korean Textile Arts, including workshops at numerous places such as the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, Oakland Museum, Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF) in Santa Clara, Sonoma County Museum, Richmond Art Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Los Angeles, Richmond Art Center, Mendocino Art Center, Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK, and Textile Art Council of De Young Museum in San Francisco. Youngminâs bojagi work was shown at the Asian Art Museumâs Asia Alive program in San Francisco and other museums and galleries in the U.S. and internationally. Find out more about Youngmin's work online: www.youngminlee.com IG-@youngminlee_bojagi YouTube
Speaker Series :: Wild Silk: Tasar (Tussah), Muga and Eri :: Karen Selk
Zoom WebinarKaren Selk will be presenting her story of learning about wild silk and the people who rear and care for the silkworms and make the silk. This event is free for EAC/ACB members. Members, log in to My EAC/Mon ACB, after April 1, to register for this Karen's presentation on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Karen was born in Wisconsin in a farming community and studied Chinese language and literature at university. She immigrated to western Canada in the early 1970s and has made her home on Salt Spring Island since 2000. She and her husband, Terry Nelson, founded Treenway Silks, a silk fibre and yarn import/export company, in 1978. As managing director of Treenway Silks for over 30 years, she wrote an educational newsletter, produced an award-winning video, published an educational poster explaining the lifecycle of the silkworm, and designed and developed new yarns, fibre kits, and colour palettes. She used all their products to create projects to inspire their customers. Karen's quest to understand all aspects of silk, her desire to better serve Treenway's customers, and her curiosity took her on the first of many journeys to Asia starting in 1986. With a camera and journal, each expedition was focused on researching the rich history and heritage of silk production and traditions. A deep respect for the land and people who make the textiles and prodding from her friend in India inspired Karen to lead many textile tours through India and Laos. She began teaching weaving classes in yarn shops in Victoria, BC. She developed several workshops which led her further afield throughout Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and India, sharing her knowledge of weaving and silk. With this focused yet varied background, Karen has written over 40 articles about weaving, silk fusion, the production of traditional textiles in Asian villages, the raising of silkworms and embellishing styles. The business has been passed on, so semi-retirement sees Karen dividing her time between the studio and their partially self-sufficient garden. Her deep connection to the natural world, her organic garden and her vast knowledge of world textiles inform her work. Karen is currently represented by Gallery 8 on Salt Spring Island and continues to participate in group shows through the Surface Design Association, Textile Society of America, Island Textile Artists, the Studio Art Quilts Association and Salt Spring Island Weavers and Spinners. You can find Karen at her website, www.karenselk.com.