All are welcome to join the opening of the new exhibition at the Textile Museum of Canada – Jane Kidd: Curious. The exhibition features four recent series of works Kidd has completed, including a new series that will make its debut at this exhibition.
Jane Kidd is one of the most highly recognised tapestry weavers in Canada, and has been producing intricate hand-woven tapestry pieces for over 30 years. Her tapestries buzz with curiosity and urgency as she creates images that reference environmental manipulations: genetic modification of seeds, deforestation, hybridization. This exhibition invites reflection on real and imagined human engineering of the natural order, alongside examples of tapestry weaving techniques through the centuries from the Textile Museum’s extensive collection.
Be one of the first to see the exhibition at this opening event, where Jane Kidd herself will be in attendance!
This month we’ll be hearing from Guild member Ruth Hepburn, who recently spent 6 weeks in Ethiopia working with traditional weavers. After winning a design competition, she was given the opportunity to design a capsule collection of fashion accessories for a German fashion brand in partnership with Sabahar, a successful producer of traditional handwoven textiles in Addis Ababa. She will give us an insight into the design process, the delights and challenges of cross-cultural design, and share some of the stunning traditional weaving techniques that are intrinsic to Ethiopian culture.
Join Jane Kidd herself as she leads a guided tour of her new exhibition, ‘Curious’, at the Textile Museum of Canada, where she will highlight her inspirations that range from global tapestry traditions to political activism. The exhibition features four recent series of works Kidd has completed, including a new series that will make its debut at this exhibition.
Jane Kidd is one of the most highly recognised tapestry weavers in Canada, and has been producing intricate hand-woven tapestry pieces for over 30 years. Her tapestries buzz with curiosity and urgency as she creates images that reference environmental manipulations: genetic modification of seeds, deforestation, hybridization. This exhibition invites reflection on real and imagined human engineering of the natural order, alongside examples of tapestry weaving techniques through the centuries from the Textile Museum’s extensive collection.
Cost: $15, Members $12, Students $10. Pre-registration is required.
For more information and to register your place in the tour go to the website.
This a new, monthly social event is for fibre-loving folk to enjoy an afternoon of mingling, crafting, and discovering local wools and yarns. Each month local farms will be showcasing their fleeces, rovings, and yarns, and coffee/tea/wine/dessert will be available for purchase. We believe that when creative people are brought together great ideas are born, collaborations started, and inspirations turn into reality.
DON’T FORGET: Your project, spinning wheel, spindle, knitting, crocheting, etc
Venue capacity is limited – please RSVP and find out more at woolguild.com
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April
REGULAR MEETINGS
MONTHLY GUILD MEETINGS Beginning April 2023 we will resume holding in-person meetings at Riverdale Farm. We will continue to hold some meetings virtually. Our Member’s Meetings are held from September-June, with a break for the summer. Check out the Calendar for up-to-date information. If you are interested in spinning or weaving, you are welcome to join us as a guest at one of our monthly meetings. When: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7:30 – 9:00 pm for in-person meetings; 7:00 – 8:30 pm for virtual meetings Where: In-person meetings are held in the Meeting House at Riverdale Farm- come in the gate and keep going past the sheep.
TEXTILE/SPINNING DROP-IN Guild members join Riverdale Farm staff to host textile drop-ins at the Farm once a week in the afternoons. All are welcome to watch, chat, learn, or bring a project to work on– it’s totally free! Occasionally we have themes, such as a regular Spinning Clinic. At some of the drop-ins, the Farm provides some equipment, including Lendrum spinning wheels, for visitors to use. If you want to take your yarn home, bring a Lendrum bobbin. Equipment is not available to borrow at all drop-ins. When: Summer 2023: Tuesday afternoons, 1 – 3 pm (through September 2023) at the Simpson House Porch. Where:Riverdale Farm, 201 Winchester St., Toronto, M4X 1B8
IN THE COMMUNITY
The Guild generally participates in the following Riverdale Farm events , demonstrating fibre processing, spinning, weaving, and other textile skills to the public. After a hiatus during the pandemic, we look forward to resuming these events this Spring.
FAMILY DAY Riverdale Farm is a great place to spend Family Day, with lots of fun activities taking place, including weaving and spinning demonstrations and activities that the whole family can enjoy.
SHEEP CELEBRATION Riverdale Farm opens its doors with the farm’s popular Spring Festival at which Guild members use the fleece shorn from the farm sheep to demonstrate the skills needed to wash the wool, prepare it for spinning, make yarn, dye it, and weave it into cloth. Come and watch the process, from sheep shearing on!
FALL FESTIVALS See the Guild in action on the second weekend in September at the Riverdale Farm Fall Festival, and at the Cabbagetown Festival too!