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the MAIWA JOURNAL

2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Ann Johnston

This is a great opportunity to study with Ann Johnston, renowned author and textile artist. Ann travels from Oregon to teach this workshop.

Dyed to Clamp will expand the possibilities of low-water immersion dyeing as described in Ann’s book Color By Accident. Basic information and exercises will be given, then students will be introduced to designing by mechanically resisting the penetration of the dye into parts of the fabric. Endless variables of repeat patterns are possible using folds, stitching, and clamps. The process will give students the opportunity to observe the individual characteristics of the various single-chemical colours available in Procion MX colours, and they will learn how those characteristics impact the final results. As we fold, wrinkle and clamp, dye and over dye, we will be producing wonderful one-of-a-kind fabrics and learning how to make many more.

Ann Johnston

First, Ann learned to sew, then she learned to dye fabric. In between, she earned a degree in Literature from Stanford University and a Masters in Geography at the University of Oregon. She taught new math in Lima, Peru, raised two sons in Oregon with her husband Jim, and started quilting. Ann’s years of experimentation with dye and fabric have led to piles of quilts, worldwide travel, numerous shows and exhibitions, five books, and not a few aches and pains. Her collectors respect her viewpoint and her students admire her generosity and skill in teaching what she knows.
Thursday, April 30, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Ann Johnston

This is a great opportunity to study with Ann Johnston, renowned author and textile artist. Ann travels from Oregon to teach this workshop.

Colour by Accident will provide the opportunity to create one-of-a-kind textures and variegated colour mixtures on fabric with simple, flexible recipes. These low-water immersion-dye recipes have been adapted by Ann to use the same dye concentrates used for dye painting and printing. The process allows for dyeing fabric in large quantities with less dye, less water, less weight, and fewer buckets than the standard immersion-dye recipes. The class will review the standard recipe for immersion dyeing, learn the purposes of each ingredient in the process, and try several variations of low-water immersion dyeing, including some that are not in the book. Students will begin to explore the unlimited possibilities of creating Colour by Accident.

Ann Johnston

First, Ann learned to sew, then she learned to dye fabric. In between, she earned a degree in Literature from Stanford University and a Masters in Geography at the University of Oregon. She taught new math in Lima, Peru, raised two sons in Oregon with her husband Jim, and started quilting. Ann’s years of experimentation with dye and fabric have led to piles of quilts, worldwide travel, numerous shows and exhibitions, five books, and not a few aches and pains. Her collectors respect her viewpoint and her students admire her generosity and skill in teaching what she knows.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Shannon Wardroper

Shannon’s class will provide students with the opportunity to learn and practise the textile collage techniques she uses to create her own work. Centuries-old Japanese kimono wax-resist dyeing (Rozome) using acid dyes will be combined with contemporary printing and embellishing techniques. The results can yield a stunning mixture of image and tone. These multiple techniques are layered to achieve a lush depth of colour. The semi-abstract imagery produced has a unique air of mystery and intrigue.

Using combinations of technique and imagery, participants will create a range of fabric reference pieces as a future resource to transform into finished projects. This class is a rare opportunity to work beside Shannon Wardroper, who travels from Salt Spring Island. Shannon is a master craftsperson who is also the force behind a successful artisan business.

Shannon Wardroper

For an artisan, the blending of both motif and material gathered is a natural way to record a journey through multiple cultures. Shannon Wardroper of Geernaerts Textile Arts, originally from the west coast of Canada, has a background in textile design and art history from Alberta College of Art, Calgary, and Emily Carr College of Art, Vancouver. She has both studied and taught the last 10 years in Japan and Thailand with sojourns throughout Southeast Asia for study and research.

Living and working for seven years in Kyoto, Japan, where she studied traditional kimono surface design techniques and kimono dressing, she was immersed in a completely different aesthetic. She continued her study in Asia, moving to Thailand and focusing on ikat, supplementary weaving, and natural dyeing with Patricia Cheesman Naenna at Studio Naenna and Chiang Mai University.

Shannon’s work is shown internationally, with an annual highlight being botanically themed work for the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in London.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Gaye Hansen

This workshop is a shorter version of our very popular three-day class. This two-day class introduces the participants to basic bookbinding terms and techniques. The class includes corner treatments, the use of book cloth, and treatment of end papers. Participants will also learn how to create and sew signatures in different ways.

A wide variety of materials will be incorporated into the book projects: decorative papers, mounting film, book cloth, fabrics, book boards, text pages, linen threads, etc.

An accordion book, a simple journal approximately 5 1/2” x 7 1/4”, and an open spine book approximately 5 3/4” x 7 1/4” will be the main focus of the course. Many examples and visual aids will be on hand to help participants appreciate the materials, techniques, and resources available for bookbinding and journaling.

Gaye Hansen

The maker of books of exceptional beauty that contain intriging wonders, Gaye Hansen has an extensive background in bookbinding and the textile arts. She has taught our popular bookbinding courses for the last five years. She is a master weaver who has taught weaving workshops for over 30 years. In 2002 she was chair of the Convergence Conference of the Hand Weavers Guilds of America. She has also been active with the Vancouver Weavers and Spinners Guild and is author of five Canadian best-selling cookbooks.
Monday, April 27, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Gaye Hansen

One of our most popular classes – the demand for professional bookbinding instruction has been overwhelming. As more people have seen the exquisite books created in these classes, interest has grown considerably.

On the first day students will practice fundamental binding techniques including Japanese stab binding, corner treatments, the pamphlet stitch, the use of book cloth, and single signature procedures.

As the workshop progresses, students will be taken through the steps of making a 6” x 7” hardcover book using more advanced techniques: cloth covers, sewing signatures, interleaf pages, hinges, linen tapes, and headbands. The books become personalized through add-in techniques such as sewn-in envelopes, specialty papers, block printing, insertions, and pockets. A wide variety of handmade and commercial papers will be used for the final project.

Gaye Hansen

The maker of books of exceptional beauty that contain intriging wonders, Gaye Hansen has an extensive background in bookbinding and the textile arts. She has taught our popular bookbinding courses for the last five years. She is a master weaver who has taught weaving workshops for over 30 years. In 2002 she was chair of the Convergence Conference of the Hand Weavers Guilds of America. She has also been active with the Vancouver Weavers and Spinners Guild and is author of five Canadian best-selling cookbooks.


Sunday, April 26, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Charllotte Kwon

What magic does the dyer use to coax colour from nature? Throughout the world this knowledge was guarded carefully, and learning the art often involved elaborate ceremonies and traditions. To this day, natural dyeing retains the same air of mystery and exotic intrigue that has compelled artists and craftspeople for centuries.

Charllotte Kwon’s passionate study of natural dyeing techniques has led her to visit and work with cultures around the world. In this workshop she shares her vast knowledge of natural dye history and use. In addition Charllotte offers insight into her own in-studio processes and demonstrates how to get the most from a range of dyes and fabrics. The student will obtain a good technical understanding of the mordanting processes and the varied uses of natural dyes (indigo, cochineal, madder, fustic, and many others). Gorgeous Turkey reds, indigo blues, and Indian yellows are just a few of the colours achieved as students work on cotton, silks, wools, and linen.

The full spectrum of more than 80 rich earth colours dyed in class will form a source book for each student. These source books are a great inspiration and reference for years to come. Students will also complete several natural dye projects using the direct application of natural dyes and a variety of shibori techniques done with natural indigo.

This popular class has now been expanded to four full days.

Charllotte will also deliver a lecture on Thursday October 15.

CHARLLOTTE KWON

Charllotte Kwon is the owner of Maiwa Handprints Ltd. and the director of the Maiwa Foundation. Through Maiwa, Charllotte also runs a textile archive and research library located on Granville Island.

The Maiwa Textile Symposium is the direct result of her enthusiasm for textiles and artisans. She personally pulls together the formidable list of international speakers listed here.

Under her direction Maiwa has produced four documentary films and a number of print publications. She also guides Maiwa’s substantial web presence.

Charllotte travels extensively each year to research handcraft and to supplement her extensive natural dye knowledge. She teaches natural dyeing classes to artisans around the world.

Bibliography

The Quiet Manifesto

Through the Eye of a Needle:
Stories from an Indian Desert

Koekboya (Co-author with Harald Böhmer)

Filmography

Through the Eye of a Needle:
Stories from an Indian Desert

Indigo: A World of Blue

Tana Bana: Wisdom of the Loom

In Search of Lost Colour:
The Story of Natural Dyes

Saturday, April 25, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Natalie Grambow

“If I knew the place where good songs come from, I’d go there more often.” – Leonard Cohen

What is creativity? How can it be tapped, mined, or made to flow when we need it most? In this new and original workshop, students will travel on an exploratory adventure, discovering techniques of creativity and letting go of assumptions that stop their work or hold it back.

The class will provide a wealth of images, sounds, and sensory inspirations. These will be combined with a variety of studies exploring the elements and principles of creative design. Such ideas as balance, symmetry, harmony, contrast, unity will provide a toolbox that may be opened to understand both what we like about an artwork and what we want to work toward in our own work.

Using collage, image deconstruction, mono-printing, writing, and drawing, students will learn to narrate their stories incorporating personal references and applying design principles. Students will leave the workshop with a creative journal, the beginning of their ongoing artistic journey, as well as a series of small textile art pieces.

“When the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

Natalie Grambow

Natalie Grambow has an extensive background in design, teaching, and textile arts. An accredited Interior Designer, she spent many years in Ottawa working within the architectural design field and teaching Design Theory. Natalie’s first deep exploration of textiles began during her Visual Arts/Photography studies at the University of Ottawa when she experimented with non-silver techniques of transferring photographic imagery onto cloth. She subsequently studied at the École d’Impression Textile à Montréal and later travelled to Asia and Latin America where she spent six months learning to weave with local Mayan weavers in Guatemala. Shortly after completing the Textile Arts program at Capilano College in 2001, she was awarded the BC Craft Association’s Award of Excellence. Natalie has developed a line of naturally dyed and printed fabrics and has been commissioned by such clients as the city of North Vancouver (to present an artist’s vision of North Vancouver on fabric).


Friday, April 24, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Hilary Young

This invaluable two-day workshop is essential for those starting a silk-screen business and for those using the technique as a design element in textile projects. Participants will learn to print anything from t-shirts to yardage using a variety of single-pull printing methods (repeating patterns, rainbow prints, registration, etc.). All projects are done on 100% natural fibres using high quality, water-soluble fabric paint.

The photographic process of putting an image on a screen is covered in depth with each student adhering an image to a high quality, wood-frame, 18” x 20” silkscreen. The screen and the many samples created will be theirs to keep.

Feel free to bring projects from home to print on.

Hilary Young

Hilary Young has followed her early childhood delights with colour and illustration into a successful career. A student of the Edinburgh Art School, she received commendations from the Royal Society of Arts in her third year. Her work has been exhibited in the prestigious New Designers show in London where she won an award from Osborne and Little. After graduation she exhibited and sold work at Premier Vision in Paris. Ever adventurous, she later joined the Scottish Lace Company, the last remaining manufacturer of cotton Nottingham Lace (still using 100-year-old looms). Hilary was senior in-house designer where she took the role of creating new collections. Recent interests have brought her to Canada and she arrived in Vancouver in 2004. Currently, in addition to her textile arts, she is on staff at Maiwa Handprints.

Thursday, April 23, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Jean Hicks

What is millinery? What is a hatter? This class will focus on hats, headwear, and trim through several different approaches. Using the ancient art of felt making, the class will learn to use and work with raw material such as fine wools, silks, and cellulose fibres. Students will explore personal ideas and be guided by the tenets of traditional millinery. The history of both feltmaking and hatmaking will be incorporated into the workshop.

Jean Hicks, who joins us from Seattle, Washington, will teach students how to make a felt hat from start to finish. Topics such as what types of wool and millinery materials are best suited for which types of hats will be discussed.
Beginning with raw wool, students will create a hat hood, learn which blocks to use, and finish and trim a hat. They will apply techniques of hand blocking and formal trim and use specific millinery tools.

Students should be able to start and finish two or three hats in the five-day class time. They will leave the course with new skills and enough information to complete hats on their own.

This course ends with a special afternoon, a festival of hats exclusively for participants.

JEAN HICKS

Jean Hicks studied classical millinery under Wayne Wichern. Her sculptural perspective on felt has been influenced by work in ceramics, especially her studies at the Escuela de Artes y Applicadas de Deseños in Vittoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Developing her own distinctive style of hand-blocked felt has lead Jean Hicks to found Erratica Handmade Felt. She has also produced work for solo shows, theatrical collaborations, and interior design. Her work is held in numerous private and museum collections and she is a 2005–2006 Artist Trust and Washington State Arts Commission Fellow.

Her artistic practice is influenced by over two decades of working and travel. Jean also holds degrees in history, Spanish, and education.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Christa Giles





About the Knitwork Workshops
The knitwork workshops are organized so that any number or combination may be taken. Those with no knitting experience should take Knitwork I. All classes use 100% wool yarn. If you have a strong aversion to working with wool, please bring at least 100m of worsted weight yarn in a light or bright colour in a fibre that you can manipulate comfortably. Lab fees include enough yarn to finish the class project.


This class is geared toward first-time knitters, or people who want a refresher. The class is kept small for individual attention. Participants will learn to recognize stitches, correct basic mistakes, and knit with confidence.

Students will learn how to cast on and bind off. The knit stitch and purl stitch will be explained, as will the use of knits and purls together to create garter, stockinette, and ribbed fabric. There is no wrong way to knit. Knitting has developed in many cultures with interesting variations – if one method doesn’t feel “right” to you, you can try another until you find a movement that does!

Intermediate or advanced knitters can take this course to develop the basics needed for two-handed knitting. Two primary styles – English, with the yarn held in the right hand, and Continental, with the yarn held in the left – will be covered.

Christa Giles

Christa Giles’ focus on knitting began in college: though she was studying American Sign Language at the time, needles and yarn were in her hands for most of the lecture sessions, and knitted hats festooned with cables and colourwork would appear on a weekly basis. Spinning came into Christa’s life while she was visiting the vendors’ market at the Convergence Conference 2002. Christa’s collection of drop spindles includes a prized top whorl with changeable shafts turned on her father’s lathe, and she has recently acquired her first spinning wheel (!). In addition, Christa’s self-guided explorations in craft have included pottery, quilting, and dyeing. Her beads and jewelry have been on display in several national exhibitions as part of the Canadian Glass Beadmakers Association.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 No comments





2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Christa Giles

About the Knitwork Workshops
The knitwork workshops are organized so that any number or combination may be taken. Those with no knitting experience should take Knitwork I. All classes use 100% wool yarn. If you have a strong aversion to working with wool, please bring at least 100m of worsted weight yarn in a light or bright colour in a fibre that you can manipulate comfortably. Lab fees include enough yarn to finish the class project.


This very popular course has been expanded to two full days. Create swatches – small pieces of knitted fabric featuring a variety of textures and techniques – and begin to develop a stitch library workbook containing:

• knit and purl patterns
• basic and travelling cables
• eyelets and basic knitted lace
• directional increases and decreases
• bobbles
• elongated or dropped stitches
• slip stitch and yarn-over patterns

Suitable for adventurous beginners who can already knit and purl and identify their stitches, and for intermediate and advanced knitters interested in expanding their skill in creating stitch patterns by following written and charted pattern instructions.

Lab fees include enough yarn to finish the class project.

Christa Giles

Christa Giles’ focus on knitting began in college: though she was studying American Sign Language at the time, needles and yarn were in her hands for most of the lecture sessions, and knitted hats festooned with cables and colourwork would appear on a weekly basis. Spinning came into Christa’s life while she was visiting the vendors’ market at the Convergence Conference 2002. Christa’s collection of drop spindles includes a prized top whorl with changeable shafts turned on her father’s lathe, and she has recently acquired her first spinning wheel (!). In addition, Christa’s self-guided explorations in craft have included pottery, quilting, and dyeing. Her beads and jewelry have been on display in several national exhibitions as part of the Canadian Glass Beadmakers Association.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Christa Giles



About the Knitwork Workshops
The knitwork workshops are organized so that any number or combination may be taken. Those with no knitting experience should take Knitwork I. All classes use 100% wool yarn. If you have a strong aversion to working with wool, please bring at least 100m of worsted weight yarn in a light or bright colour in a fibre that you can manipulate comfortably. Lab fees include enough yarn to finish the class project.

This popular workshop has been expaned to two full days. This workshop introduces the techniques behind creating multi-coloured knits. We will make swatches for your workbook using beautiful gradient yarns that take care of changing the colours so we can focus on the various colour-construction techniques:

• stranded (Fair Isle) knitting – two-handed – will be demonstrated for those who can both throw and pick the yarn
• intarsia
• slip stitch
• stripes
• duplicate stitch
• basic embroidery
• needle felting embellishments
• double-sided knitting
• working with multiple strands held together

Lab fees include enough yarn to finish the class project.

Christa Giles

Christa Giles’ focus on knitting began in college: though she was studying American Sign Language at the time, needles and yarn were in her hands for most of the lecture sessions, and knitted hats festooned with cables and colourwork would appear on a weekly basis. Spinning came into Christa’s life while she was visiting the vendors’ market at the Convergence Conference 2002. Christa’s collection of drop spindles includes a prized top whorl with changeable shafts turned on her father’s lathe, and she has recently acquired her first spinning wheel (!). In addition, Christa’s self-guided explorations in craft have included pottery, quilting, and dyeing. Her beads and jewelry have been on display in several national exhibitions as part of the Canadian Glass Beadmakers Association.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Workshop
Instructor Natalie Grambow

This intensive three-day workshop is the perfect entry into the fascinating art of achieving colour on fabric. It is designed to be a clear and thorough introduction to the (sometimes intimidating) world of dye types and procedures.

Through a series of complete hands-on projects, students will be guided through the dye process and will gain an understanding of scouring, assists, and resists. They will also learn the advantages and strengths of the different dye types such as fibre-reactive, acid, and natural dyes. A key component of this workshop will survey the different types of fabrics, and special consideration will be given to the understanding of natural fibres.

On completion of the course, students will have created a reference binder containing samples dyed by their own hand. In addition, they will have an invaluable collection of recipes, design techniques, and tips. Most importantly they will have the understanding and confidence necessary to approach almost any dye project.

NATALIE GRAMBOW

Natalie Grambow has an extensive background in design, teaching, and textile arts. An accredited Interior Designer, she spent many years in Ottawa working within the architectural design field and teaching Design Theory. Natalie’s first deep exploration of textiles began during her Visual Arts/Photography studies at the University of Ottawa when she experimented with non-silver techniques of transferring photographic imagery onto cloth. She subsequently studied at the École d’Impression Textile à Montréal and later travelled to Asia and Latin America where she spent six months learning to weave with local Mayan weavers in Guatemala. Shortly after completing the Textile Arts program at Capilano College in 2001, she was awarded the BC Craft Association’s Award of Excellence. Natalie has developed a line of naturally dyed and printed fabrics and has been commissioned by such clients as the city of North Vancouver (to present an artist’s vision of North Vancouver on fabric).
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Lecture
by CHARLLOTTE KWON
Thursday October 15, 2009 at 7pm
Vancouver Museum (MacMillan Space Centre Auditorium)



What if there were a fibre that resembled spun gold? Something that could be reeled or spun and was so perfect for weaving that you could easily warp up a loom? What if it could be dyed, and could be harvested by a husband and wife living on a small half-acre farm with no chemicals or pollution? Then you would have the golden muga silk found only in Assam, India.

More fibres like this one exist: cottons that have natural tints of green, mauve, and brown; plant fibres like agave that can be woven into bags of enduring strength; and silks that behave like cotton and are naturally warm.

These are the true miracle fibres. They represent an invaluable biodiversity but require traditional skills and talents to manipulate. These skills and the cultures that support them have been under threat from the introduction of cheap synthetic fibres for many decades now. The price difference between natural and synthetic fibres is often so vast that many artisans producing for local markets can only afford to use synthetics. The result is a loss of skill among spinners, weavers, embroiderers, dyers, and artisans of all types.

Join Charllotte Kwon as she presents a tour of some wonderful fibres, remarkable artisans, and cultures that are fighting to keep a vital way of life.

CHARLLOTTE KWON

Charllotte Kwon is the owner of Maiwa Handprints Ltd. and the director of the Maiwa Foundation. Through Maiwa, Charllotte also runs a textile archive and research library located on Granville Island.

The Maiwa Textile Symposium is the direct result of her enthusiasm for textiles and artisans. She personally pulls together the formidable list of international speakers listed here.

Under her direction Maiwa has produced four documentary films and a number of print publications. She also guides Maiwa’s substantial web presence.

Charllotte travels extensively each year to research handcraft and to supplement her extensive natural dye knowledge. She teaches natural dyeing classes to artisans around the world.

Bibliography

The Quiet Manifesto

Through the Eye of a Needle:
Stories from an Indian Desert

Koekboya (Co-author with Harald Böhmer)

Filmography

Through the Eye of a Needle:
Stories from an Indian Desert

Indigo: A World of Blue

Tana Bana: Wisdom of the Loom

In Search of Lost Colour:
The Story of Natural Dyes


Monday, April 20, 2009 No comments

We ran this promotion last year and were very happy with the public's response. Often when people pass through the doors of our showroom/warehouse known as Maiwa East they say. "Ohhh my goodness! I never knew this was here." Hmmm, thought we. How could we change that?

Our solution was the Three Store Special. A little motivation, a little savings, a lot of amazement as more people cross the threshold. Here's the obligatory fine print.

A discount coupon is given out for each $100 spent before taxes at the Maiwa Handprints or Maiwa Supply stores. Coupons are given out at time of purchase only and are not given for amounts less than $100. Coupons are not given for sales made through the Maiwa website.

Coupons may be redeemed for $20 off a furniture purchase greater than $200 made at Maiwa East - 1310 Odlum Dr. Vancouver. Coupons may be collected and used in combination. Coupons will be deducted from price of goods before taxes. Coupons are not valid on discounted or sale items. Coupons are valid for furniture only. No cash value.
Coupons expires December 20, 2009.

Monday, April 20, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Lecture
by MIMI ROBINSON
Thursday October 29, 2009 at 7pm
Vancouver Museum (MacMillan Space Centre Auditorium)


Mimi Robinson is the founder of Bridging Cultures Through Design, a design-led process of working with artisan groups. It represents over 15 years of working in the field for various organizations and institutions.

In 2006 it led to a direct collaboration between design students and artisans when the Rhode Island School of Design partnered with the Guatamalan communities of San Antonio Palopo and Santiago Atitlan. The project had as its goals to foster a genuine respect for and connection to the community artisans, and to raise individual awareness of the values and design sensibilities inherent in the development of their products.

In this lecture Mimi Robinson will speak about the importance of place and how it informs her work. “Working from place is the very foundation of our approach. The idea of place is a rich one and it informs all the the work we do, whether it be with artisan or student groups.” She will touch on specific projects (including the Rhode Island School of Design collaboration), explain the methodologies and lessons learned along the way, and highlight how these feed into her current work.

MIMI ROBINSON

Mimi is a skilled designer and educator with extensive international experience in product design and development, export marketing, and artisan training. She has worked in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa assisting artisan groups with the design and production of innovative ceramic, textile, and natural fibre products for the export market. Known for mixing the cultural past and present surroundings, Robinson has been creating her own designs reflecting her modern perspective and use of centuries-old materials for high-end American and European retailers and manufacturers.

In addition, she has worked for the non-profit organization Aid to Artisans for the past 10 years, collaborating with craftspeople around the world to create products using traditional skills and local materials that help build markets for their work. Most recently, she initiated Bridging Cultures Through Design, an initiative which promotes and engages creative exchanges between students and artisan communities around the world.

Mimi is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and has her own design firm based in San Francisco.
Sunday, April 19, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Lecture
by ELIZABETH BARBER
Sunday Wednesday October 28, 2009 at 7pm
Vancouver Museum (MacMillan Space Centre Auditorium)


Elizabeth Barber’s lecture at the last symposium was a sensation. This year she returns to deliver a talk based on her groundbreaking book Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years.

Twenty thousand years ago, women were making and weaving the first clothing created from spun fibres. In fact, right up to the Industrial Revolution the fibre arts were an enormous economic force, belonging primarily to women.

Despite the great toil required in making cloth and clothing, most books on ancient history and economics have no information on them. The extreme perishability of what women produced is largely responsible for this omission – a gap that leaves out virtually half the picture of prehistoric history.

Join Elizabeth Barber as she puts the picture back together and shows how the economic engine of the ancient and early modern worlds was the fabric industry, an industry that was the almost exclusive province of women.

ELIZABETH BARBER

Dr. Elizabeth Wayland Barber is Professor of Archaeology and Linguistics and co-chair of the Classics Program at Occidental College in Los Angeles. She holds degrees in archaeology, Greek, and linguistics from Bryn Mawr College and Yale University.

Nearly 30 years of research on the origin and development of textiles and clothing in Europe and western Eurasia have resulted in three books. All have been awarded book prizes by the Costume Society of America, and one by the American Historical Association. Two were selected by Book of the Month Club. She has also written a book on archaeological decipherment (1974) as well as numerous articles. Most recently, she and her husband, Paul Barber, co-authored a book on mythology, titled When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth (Princeton, 2005).

Elizabeth Barber joins us from the United States.

Bibliography

Prehistoric Textiles:
The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, with Special Reference to the Aegean

Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years:
Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times

The Mummies of Ürümchi

When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth (with Paul Barber)

Saturday, April 18, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Lecture
by ARTISANS ALLIANCE OF JAWAJA
Tuesday October 27, 2009 at 7pm
Vancouver Museum (MacMillan Space Centre Auditorium)


For well over 300 years, leatherwork has been the primary occupation of the Regar Samaj community of Rajasthan, India. This group is adept in the preparation and tanning of hides, and few could match their skill in the making of saddles, harness, or tackle. In the past they were sought after to furnish the leather armour for the cavalry. Historically, they have also produced containers for gathering and storing water and Juti, the ornamented neck belts and face decoration of herd animals.

Modern India has little need for these items, however, and the traditional skills of these artisans are vanishing. In 1976, as an initiative of the esteemed Shri Ravi J. Mathai and the National Institute of Design, a leatherwork and weaving co-operative was formed. Jawaja had two goals: eliminate toxic or ineffective stages in production and design a new line for the contemporary market based on traditional strengths and skills.

This is a story of a slow gradual success, a success with momentum that has built over the years. The stories will be presented by representatives from the Jawaja group and Ashoke Chatterjee who was instrumental in the initial formation of the leatherworking cooperative.
Friday, April 17, 2009 No comments
Maiwa raises 20,000 dollars at the April 16 auction.

We'll never let you know, but we were a little worried. Economic downturns, etc. etc. As it turns out the Maiwa audience and the greater community of textile enthusiasts pulled through with flying colours.

We received excellent bids on all items and the auction moved quickly. Twenty-nine double-sided ajrakhs, a silver necklace, three pieces of furniture, two mannequins completely outfitted in Maiwa clothes (with accessories) were sold. In addition the Maiwa store did a brisk business and all sales went directly to Project Dhamadka. We are also happy to note that individuals and groups made donations to the Maiwa Foundation in aid of this project.

We'd like to give a big thank-you to all who came and bid on pieces. We'd also like to thank the volunteers who made this event happen in such a glorious way. We couldn't have done it without you. 

If you missed this auction, not to worry, the excitement will happen again on May 9th at the Cates Hill Chapel on Bowen Island. The action starts mid-afternoon at 3:30 pm.


Friday, April 17, 2009 No comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Lecture by DENISE & HENRI LAMBERT
Monday October 26, 2009 at 7pm
Vancouver Museum (MacMillan Space Centre Auditorium)


Henri and Denise Lambert were intrigued by the blue of the shutters on the 18th-century tannery they bought in Lectoure, France. In fact, so curious was Henri that he set out to rediscover the process by which the blue pigment was extracted from the woad plant.

Woad is often considered the shadow shade to its more famous blue sibling, indigo. Yet in medieval Europe woad was a preeminent dye known as the blue of kings – and it was the only available source for blue. It was extremely popular in southern France where the climate favoured its production. Long used to dye textiles and as a pigment for everything from pastel crayons to exterior paints, its revival has been engineered by the dynamic partnership of Henri and Denise Lambert.

In this lecture Denise Lambert will guide the audience through the history of this colourant and relate how a simple curiosity led to the rediscovery of ancient extraction techniques. The popularity of the colour motivated the Lamberts to found their company Bleu de Lectoure. Through collaboration and enterprise the Lamberts have been able to incorporate natural woad into everything from traditional art supplies and textiles to industrial colourants for plastics, cosmetics, and car paints.

A selection of woad products will be on sale after the lecture.

DENISE & HENRI LAMBERT

Inspired by both the colour and the plant, the Lamberts created Bleu de Lectoure in 1994. Soon their lives were given up to woad. It took more than two years working with chemists from the University of Toulouse to uncover the original fermentation, extraction, and dyeing processes. In an antiques store one day, fate helped them out. They stumbled upon a notebook that belonged to Napoleon’s chemist.

The couple, driven equally by curiosity and a desire to collaborate, has big plans for woad. Today they partner for research and for farming of the woad and have an industrial unit able to process up to 20 tons of leaves per day.

The farmhouse contains a gallery and store. In the historic hill town of Lectoure and in the larger centre of Toulouse, exclusive shops sell Bleu de Lectoure fashion designs, scarves, hats, decorative items, creams, and soaps. Together with their partners they have developed quality essential oils for use in cosmetics and skin care products, plastics, and a wide range of paints.



Thursday, April 16, 2009 2 comments
2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium
Lecture
by BAPPADITYA BISWAS
Sunday October 25, 2009 at 7pm
Vancouver Museum (MacMillan Space Centre Auditorium)


This evening has three themes.

The first is a personal theme. Bappaditya Biswas (Bappa) was destined to manage tea plantations in East India. Because he is the only son in an established family, it was inconceivable that he should become what he is today: an artist, a designer of innovative textiles, an accomplished weaver, and the founder of Bai Lou studio.

The second is a vast theme of displacement and migration. The lands around the Bay of Bengal were once united by geography and traditions. But the land was severed, first by the British, then again by partition, and yet again by Bangledesh’s independence. Yet weaving traditions flow through the region, and styles trace paths of cultural origins.

The third theme is a combination of the first two. Bappa works closely with the weavers and knows their history and stories. He is equally comfortable sitting beside a weaver at the loom picking at threads as he is showing new designs to Bollywood stars and the elite of Kolkata.

Join us as Bappa tells his story, the story of weaving in Bengal, and of how he works with handloom artisans to create both traditional and cutting edge pieces.

BAPPADITYA BISWAS

Bappaditya Biswas (Bappa) studied batik, wood block printing, and textile design to complement his love of weaving. While he was still a student, his natural facility at the loom caught the attention of many and he was sponsored to attend the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia.

Wandering the streets of the USA, looking into shops, attending museums exhibits, and interacting with other artists, he became convinced that Indian craft had a great and unexplored potential.

At the same time the weavers outside Kolkata were pushing Bappa to find markets for the projects they had tried. With encouragement from the weavers, his own vision, and the support of his future wife, Rumi, Bappa left his job and started Bai Lou Studio.

“I started going to the village and staying there to work on ideas and designs. Sometimes I had to sit on the loom and show them what I wanted. Sometimes while watching them weave, a lot of ideas would creep into my head. It became a very interactive platform. Rumi would come in every evening after her work and inevitably get pulled into Bai Lou’s work. Bai Lou has benefited from her clarity of thought – especially in financial matters.”

Bai Lou specializes in hand weaves and techniques like jamdani (extra weft), double and triple cloths (extra warps), fine and coarse cotton muslins, and plain tabby weave. The ability to weave different textures and fabrics has been combined with the much bigger responsibility of keeping alive the tradition of weaving. Bai Lou has been awarded the UNESCO Seal of Excellence for Handcrafts.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 No comments
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