I am a member of my local guild, Potomac Fiber Arts, and want to learn more about weaving organizations. What weaving organization(s) do you belong to? Are there other groups similar to HGA? What group(s) do you feel represent contemporary weaving well?
Claudia
Well, I belong to a local guild, Humboldt Handweavers and Spinners Guild. When we pay our dues, we pay also to join Conference of Northern California Handweavers. I am liason for CNCH and our guild, and a board member of CNCH. I would like to belong to an international guild. I should also join HGA. Don't know why I haven't yet. I also should join Complex Handweavers. I'd like to join one of their study groups. It will be interesting to hear what other groups we represent.
Aunt Janet
I am a member of three local guilds, Weavers of Western Mass, Pioneer Valley Weavers <http://pioneervalleyweavers.org/>, and Weavers Guild of Springfield <http://www.weaversspring.com/>. Then, I am a member (and past Dean, current Bulletin editor) of one of the large area guilds, Weavers Guild of Boston <http://www.weaversguildofboston.org/> . I've also been very active in Complex Weavers (study group member and leader, coordinator of study groups, president) <http://complex-weavers.org/index.htm> . Another informal group I belong to consists of advanced weavers from my advanced class (proposed name, "Wandering Weavers"). All of these have different group personalities and provide different takes on weaving. Fun!
Laurie Autio
There aren't a lot of international weaving groups. Here are some:
HGA - more fiber arts than weaving. Contemporary focus on cross-over between different fiber techniques. Biggest benefit is going to Convergence.
Complex Weavers - strong weaving focus, historical and contemporary, some ethnic, with emphasis on structure and design at a higher level. For any level of weaver who wants to challenge her/himself and share the journey, but most to offer to the intermediate to advanced weaver. Excellent journal, lots of study groups, great conference.
European Textile Network - traditional and contemporary.
American Tapestry Alliance - contemporary <http://www.americantapestryalliance.org/index.html>
TWIST - for Tablet (card) weavers <http://www.tabletweavers.org/index.htm>
Laurie Autio
Hi Claudia,
ANWG includes the northwest states and the western provinces of Canada. Their conferences are very large and have wonderful instructors. There is an emphasis on weaving, so it is a great conference for weavers, although spinning and other fiber arts are represented. There is a newsletter. Contact for information: tomlin@bendcable.com
Joanne
There are regional weaving groups, I belong to Mid-west, there is one,MAFA, for the Mid-Atlantic region.
Surface Design Association is a wider looking organization that has something for the professional as well as the novice.
I'm a member of our local weaving group. We come together once a month and chat or listen to a speaker. Once a year we have an active morning, like working on a weave structure or something like that. And ofcourse our Christmas gathering. We don't have study groups anymore.
I'm not a member of our national weaving organisation. But I do attend the weaving event they have once a year. Then there are vendors, a speaker, a gallery and specific groups of weavers have a information boot. Like weaving with a handicap or tablet weavers and things like that.
Our local guild has no website but our national guild (is that the right word?) has; www.weefnetwerk.nl
Bye.
This is all very interesting. I enjoy looking at the various links you have all shared. Marion, your national group in the Netherlands has a nice website. Thanks for sharing that.
I hope more people will comment here. I'm very curious about the different international and national options for hand weavers.
Claudia
FYI
A link to various tapestry organizations is found at the American Tapestry Alliance website at:
http://americantapestryalliance.org/NandR/Links.html
Tommye
When I first started weaving, less than a decade ago, my weaving teacher mentioned HGA as the organization that represented hand weavers from the US. That made sense to me, Hand weavers Guild of America, right? The HGA seems to have changed, many local guilds have, too. Is weaving too specialized for one guild? one organization? Who has branched out, the organization or the organization in response to its members? What do you want or expect from an organization that represents our craft on a national level? I am just curious, no agenda here, just trying to figure it out.
I belong to HGA. I also belong to the local/state guild Weavers Guild of Minnesota. We have monthly meetings, classes,workshop, and study groups. Its a very active guild and we add new members most months.
I am a fairly new weaver and belong to the Salem Fiberarts Guild, in Salem, Oregon. I haven't looked into state and national groups yet, but will be doing that soon. The ANWG meeting will be here next year. I am very excited about that and looking forward to it.
The Salem Fiberarts Guild has been a huge help to get me started on the right track learning to weave. Lots of great people there. I am very glad I joined.
Claudia, I found your comment about the evolution of weaving groups to be interesting. I joined Potomac Craftsmen many years ago, but had no time (with small kids, job, graduate school, etc.) to attend meetings. Now, after about 20 years, I've joined again, but have been surprised that this big guild (now renamed slightly) has broadened and diversified its focus to such an extent. I ended up forming a small study group with a couple of weaver-friends, and find it helpful to be able to customize our learning experience to a narrow focus that meets our individual needs. It's nice to have such a range of choices and learning opportunities.
Different formats will suit different people. Do you like to know a
little about everything? Would you rather focus? Over time your needs
may change - you now need to focus or want to branch out.
I've chosen to focus on weaving alone as a way of developing as much mastery and depth in this pursuit as possible. I vastly prefer to belong to single focus groups (that is, weaving rather than fiber arts). With a focused group you can explore weaving in depth, with one or more meetings/classes per month every month rather than one or two per year. If a group I am in starts discussing going to a fiber arts focus, I fight it tooth and nail, and am prepared to leave if it goes to the "a little of everything" format of fiber arts. Most of the guilds and NEWS (regional conference - New England Weavers Seminar) in the northeast US are weaving rather than fiber arts. It makes for a strong technical background in the area, though you sacrifice a bit in cross pollination-type creativity. Our guilds are strong and a focus on weaving is not over specialized.
Older HGA SSD issues are much meatier in terms of weaving, as were earlier Convergences. Along with some guilds, HGA has made a conscious effort to broaden their base to many fiber arts, at the expense of weaving. Perhaps this is a response to lower membership or conference attendance, or just a choice of management. I don't know if it helps or hurts them in the long run. It has left room to start an international group focused on general weaving at all levels if anyone wanted to do it. [Complex Weavers focuses on weaving, but specializes in more advanced topics. ATA, TWINE, and TWIST are also focused but specialized.]
Laurie Autio
I belong to the first guild I ever joined and where I learned to weave, Weavers of Orlando. They are a very active guild in that they do demonstrations, study groups, teach beginning weaving, have a monthly meeting, in addition to other activities. I also belong to HGA. I'm always keeping an eye out for any European groups I may join (in English).
Since there aren't any guilds or groups in Jordan, I may have to start one for this area myself.:)
Hi Tomrsey,
We will be at ANWG in Salem, so wear your name tag and introduce yourself at our booth. This is always a great conference.
Joanne
Belonging to several local groups & guilds has prevented me from joining this one, but it has been tempting: Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers http://www.onlineguildwsd.org.uk/index.html
My locals in NJ are: Jockey Hollow Weavers; Francis Irwin Handweavers; North Country Spinners and Essex Spinners. I confess, I don't always get to all of them every meeting, especially when they all fall on the same week! I am on the program committee for Francis Irwin, and our theme this year is "stretch your weaving muscles."
I'm an intermediate level weaver, and have lately been most interested in focusing on weaving. Although I have enjoyed learning the basics of felting, surface design and basket weaving, I want to improve my weaving skills and build my weaving muscles. And bust my yarn stash! Nothing new until I make a big dent in it!
