The vision of the Maiwa School of Textiles is to break new ground in the textile arts. To bring this vision to life we are proud to offer our first seminar workshop.

Textile History will be an in-depth exploration of what textiles are socially, aesthetically, politcally, and historically. This workshop is delivered by Tisha Singer, a specialist in the History of the Textile Arts who has taught at both Simon Fraser University and Capilano University.

In these groundbreaking workshops the big questions about our relationship to textiles will be put on the table. The answers will prove fertile territory for artisans, writers, and those with a passionate interest in the fibre arts. 

The four seminars will follow the themes below:

The study of textiles and cloth as cultural experience - Case Study: Prehistoric Textiles.

Cloth as the Disseminator of Ideas - Case Study: The Silk Road and Sassanian Textiles.

The economics of Cotton and Political Upheaval - Case Study: Gandhi and Indian Independence.

Cloth as Ethnic Identity - Case Study: Sub-Saharan African Textiles.

Born and educated in Montreal, Tisha first taught Art History at Concordia University. Moving to Vancouver in 1989, she began teaching at Simon Fraser University and at Capilano College/University where she designed two Art History courses ion the History of Textile Arts, her area of specialization. While conducting research in textile history she has been fortunate to travel the world and is often a guest lecturer on the subject.