It’s been a long time since I attended one. They do present certain challenges. Most of my adult life I was either a single parent of a child and/or a dog, neither of whom could attend residencies with me. Residencies are available all over the world. They range from yurts and tree houses to resort …

A series of exhibitions were held in Dunedin, NZ, in which artists are invited to collaborate with scientists of a specific speciality, in this case geologists. Directors of these exhibitions are Pam McKinlay and Dr Jenny Rock. Below we take a look at the collaboration between textile artist Christine Keller and geologist Dr. Adam Martin. …

The continuing struggle with the pandemic has our fiber community re-examining priorities, relationships, and connections. Wasteful use of materials and resources are under the looking glass, while programs and budgets are on the chopping block. Collectively, we are still reeling from massive change in almost every corner of our lives, and are processing new parameters …

Artists make art out-of-hours in unusual spaces, and this was no more true than during the Covid-19 lockdown when I spent a couple hundred hours day and night in my shed, on a weaving response as part of a SciArt Project (1). My scientist collaborator was PhD candidate Mathew Vanner and the subject was his …

Slow Fiber Studios is establishing our pedagogy with new Hybrid Workshops for artists and artisans of all stages in their practice. The challenges of the pandemic brought us a silver lining, prompting us to make a technological paradigm shift. Our masters in France (Michel Garcia) and in Japan (Hiroshi Murase) are working with SFS founder, …

Surface Design Association is excited to announce From Confrontation to Catharsis: SDA International Exhibition in Print, our Summer 2021 edition of Surface Design Journal. Our sixth annual EIP has both a subtlety and a boldness in its award winners and featured artists, who address the theme of “Confrontation through Catharsis.” This year we had the …

Every time I tell someone I do paper marbling they’re like “But how do you DO it???” Honestly it’s so simple—you float paint on water thickened with seaweed extract and comb it into patterns. Not to say it’s easy. It’s actually incredibly annoying and the materials are all really expensive, perishable, and poisonous, and I’ve …

This month’s SDA Book Club welcomes back contributing author Vivien Zepf, who reviews the beautiful book, Modern Fabric. Modern Fabric: Twenty-Five Designers on Their Inspiration and Craft by Abby Gilchrist and Amelia Poole Modern Fabric: Twenty-Five Designers on Their Inspiration and Craft is a double-dose of eye candy. With 400 luscious illustrations, this book is …

This month’s SDA Book Club review comes to us from our recurring reviewer, Faith Hagenhofer. For September, Faith reviews “The New Politics of the Handmade” edited by Anthea Black and Nicole Burisch.  “The New Politics of the Handmade: Craft, Art and Design” edited by Anthea Black and Nicole Burisch, reviewed by Faith Hagenhofer True confession: …

The winners of Surface Design Association’s Outstanding Student Awards were recently announced for the students who have demonstrated excellence in fiber arts. The work of these artists embodied inventive and innovative use of technique, materials, and concepts in fiber arts. All winners receive a free digital membership for the year. Congratulations to all 32 awardees.  …