100th Anniversary Celebration
In 2022 WGB will celebrate their centennial anniversary by having two exhibits at local museums.
The show at Fuller Craft Museum will be a juried exhibit featuring the work of many of our talented weavers. The exhibit will run from May 2022 through September 2022. The Call for Artists (link below) presents the theme for weaving and the process for submitting work. There will be an opening reception at Fuller, date to be determined.
The second venue will be at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation (CRM) in Waltham where weaving in mills began. The Lowell Mills were modeled after the processes set up in the Waltham mills. Our exhibit will feature the Weavers' Guild of Boston's rich history, including our educational programs, our rating program, and the individual members of our guild who have had an influence on the weaving world. Members will have another place to exhibit work, including a beautiful display of cascading scarves from our annual challenges. This exhibit will run from July 2022 through 2023. There will be opportunities for weaving demonstrations and a speaker series open to the public.
Two other planned events are a gala luncheon at CRM on Sunday, October 16, 2022, and a fun party at the May 10, 2023 Guild meeting to celebrate the 100th.
Details will be posted here and in the bulletin as they become available.
Please check this space frequently for ways to volunteer and participate.
The Covid 19 Closet Cleanup Collaboration Project
Call for sample swatches from Members’ stash, please donate your scraps!
The Covid 19 Lockdown has everyone cleaning closets, reaching into their personal ‘weaver’s archives’, finding pieces of woven samples or scraps that stir memories of the time it was made. The 100th Celebration Committee thought that it would be fun to create a large piece by collecting and arranging these bits into a stitched image.
This is a beginning of a group project that we would like to develop and submit to the Fuller Craft Museum exhibition or show at the Charles River Industrial Museum. It is a way to bring our members together to create a piece for the 100th Celebration exhibition that gives each member an opportunity to contribute. There is no fee for members to join this project, all are welcome to weave, stitch and share in this block party.
The committee agreed on a theme for the project that represents how we feel about home and security in this pandemic. The presentation format will be as an ‘ART Quilt’ to meet the maximum dimension of 60” X 60”. The quilt or quilts made will be assembled in Attic Windows pattern as our collective, but featuring individual views of the world, based on personal expressions about “home and security”. (Depending on YOU, we can submit up to 3 pieces to the Fuller Craft Museum)
Members may participate in two ways:
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Swatches or fabrics that have been woven by the WGB member may be submitted in any size or technique. These may be scraps like header waste, or sampling pieces, or other pieces that may be cut and sewn into a quilt block. Send pieces of woven fabrics to Laurie.
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You may make your own square to measure 9” X 9” (including seam allowance). Members can do different things to represent home and security. You may use a traditional quilt block pattern such as Log Cabin or a House Block or other personal expression. You may embellish with decorative stitches or other surface techniques
Please clean your closet and find swatches! Mail them during Sept to Nov 2020 to :
Laurie Steger
2 Cranberry Lane
South Dartmouth, MA 02748
Cell 508-272-9004
Email:
Preliminary Timeline (flexible - Depending on safety forecast, we hope to gather for finishing.)
September 2020 through November 2020 : collect swatches
December 2020- March 2021 : Image and Design development
February to June 2021 : Assembly and Finishing (possible group sessions in person)
August 2021: Piece ready for submission to Fuller Craft Museum deliver to WGB
Samples we have received! Click on an image to see greater detail.
UPDATE:
Our members are beginning to clean up their closets and create squares or send swatches to be used in the Covid Closet Cleanup Collaboration. Thank you to Beth Guertin for swatches from the archives of our Heritage weavers, Eleanor Elkin for swatches, Lois Hardy and Karin Borden for quilt squares with the home and security theme. I look forward to future submissions!
Thinking of Weaving for the Fuller Exhibit?
Julia Flanders and Laurie Steger are offering Zoom coaching to assist with your creative process and to provide a community of support for your project. Each meeting will be approximately 30-45 minutes - we are flexible on time.
Tentative Schedule : (dates to be decided)
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In September - Concept development / expression of theme/ thumbnail sketching/ collaging the possibilities/ initial finishing and hanging ideas
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In October - Implementation / designing parameters/ choice for materials and techniques/ other technical challenges/ sampling
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In November - Production / set up and the maker stage/
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In December - Finishing / hanging devices/ pedestal stability/ evaluating for added details
Do you have questions? Is there a topic you would like to discuss? What kind of assistance can we give to help you be successful in this work?
Want to join us? Email Julia (julia.s.flanders@gmail.com) or Laurie (lauriesteger11@gmail.com) to be invited to the next Zoom meeting. Or