Award: Yoshiko, a "2010 Distinguished Educator Honoree", James Renwick Alliance

Wanted to share some news:

Yoshiko was recently named a "2010 Distinguished Educator Honoree" by the James Renwick Alliance (www.jra.org), an organization that assists the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and is dedicated to advancing scholarship on contemporary American craft. She is very honored to be recognized by such an esteemable organization. (Full announcement and feature forthcoming in American Craft magazine)

Congrats, Yoshiko!

Our dear readers, if you have any news & announcements you want to share, by all means send it in: info [at] shibori.org

Art: "Chord" (Oct-Nov09, London)

Wonder if any of you in London saw "Chord," an installation created by British artist, Conrad Shawcross, for London's Kingsway Tram Subway (Oct8-Nov8)? Sounded very cool. You can read about it in better detail here at londonist, where it is described as "a series of Heath Robinson-inspired pulleys and ropes stretched along a section of track [which], according to the exhibition blurb, "[is] concerned with the human perception of time, as both a linear and cyclical notion", and the constant motion of the piece means it expands through space at a rate of five metres per day."

The images are certainly intriguing! (all images courtesy of londonist)

Indigo lecture by Barbara Shapiro (11/21/09, SF)

I guess October was a slow month! Here's an upcoming workshop and lecture presentation about indigo given by Barbara Shapiro of San Francisco.

"The Magic of Indigo" with Barbara Shapiro
November 21, 2009
SATURDAY @ 10 am
De Young Museum in San Francisco
- presented by the Textile Arts Council -

Discover the magic and delve into the mystery of indigo with Barbara Shapiro, a textile artist whose work has been widely exhibited and published both locally and internationally. Indigo, one of the oldest and most influential of dyes, has a long and fascinating history. Derived from different plants found all around the world, indigo has long been prized for its rare color as well as its medicinal powers. This ancient dye stuff has had a huge impact on fortune and trade
throughout the world as its availability rose and fell with empires. It has come to be strongly associated with certain cultures, not least our own blue denim phenomenon. Well suited to resist dyeing techniques, indigo has given color to a wide variety of distinctive patterning. The mystique and chemistry of traditional formulas and contemporary practices will be discussed in this lecture. Special attention will be given to a particular formula, used extensively in the 18th century, which is making a comeback as a safe and ecological way for contemporary artists to use both natural and synthetic indigo. Barbara Shapiro’s love of indigo has influenced her own woven artwork for many years and has recently given new life to her exploration of traditional basketry forms. Ms. Shapiro is an advisory board member of the Textile Arts Council as well as a board member of the Textile Society of America. She lectures and teaches weaving, dyeing, surface design, and basketry techniques and has volunteered as a teaching assistant at San Francisco State University, where she has maintained the indigo dye pots for many years. Please join us to learn more about the magic and mystery of indigo.

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Also, a workshop (for TAC members only):

A Greener Indigo – a workshop with Barbara Shapiro
November 14, 2009, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
San Francisco State University

Explore the magic mystery of indigo using a non-toxic “green” formula suitable for the home studio. Alternate recipes will be discussed. The “new” green formula is based on research by French natural dye expert Michel Garcia, presented during the World Shibori (and Natural Dye) Symposium in October 2008.

Cost: $100, including materials
To register: please contact the TAC office at 415 750-3627 or tac@famsf.org

"Threads + Wares" sustainable fashion & more (Sept 20, SF)

The Musuem of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco (MOCFA)
presents a 1-day event
"THREADS + WARES"
- Sustainable fashions and housewares -
Sunday, Sept 20
Fort Mason Center, San Francisco Fleet Room, Bldg D

Members only shop: 9a-10a
Public event: 10a-4p
*12-2p: demo-talk by author Katye Terry
$10 public, Free for MOCFA members

click image for a list of featured "style-setters"

"Blue Divide" by Frank Connet (Sep-Oct, Chicago)

Chicago textile friends,

Check out Frank Connet's show this month, his third solo exhibition at the Douglas Dawson Gallery. On now til October 10.

Frank Connet
"Blue Divide: New Work In Indigo"
September 11-October 10, 2009

Douglas Dawson Gallery
400 North Morgan
Chicago, IL 60642
312-226-7975

See more work at www.frankconnet.com

Workshop: "A Greener Indigo" w/ B. Shapiro (14 Nov, San Francisco)

"A Greener Indigo" workshop
led by Barbara Shapiro
November 14, 2009
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
San Francisco State University

Barbara's recent explorations into a "greener indigo" was inspired by information she learned from natural dye expert, Michel Garcia, during his workshop at the WSN's recent shibori symposium (7th ISS08) in France last year.

Capacity: 12 students
Open to: Textile Arts Council members only. Join today.
Cost: $100, including materials
To register: TAC office 415 750-3627 or tac@famsf.org

Also in November, Barbara will be presenting a related talk for TAC at the De Young Museum, San Francisco, entitled "The Magic of Indigo." Details to be posted on our blog closer to date of event.

Workshop description:
Explore the magic mystery of indigo, one of the oldest and most influential dyes, in a hands-on\ workshop. Barbara will set up an indigo dye bath using a simple ecological formula suitable for studio use. She will introduce basic indigo dyeing procedures and resist techniques for your samples. You will prepare cloth for dyeing and experiment with resist dyeing and printing or painting with thickened indigo. By the end of the day you will have a set of dyed and printed indigo samples and the knowledge to go on using this magic dye with a non-toxic “green” formula suitable for the home studio. Alternate recipes will be discussed. The “new” green formula is based on research by French natural dye expert Michel Garcia, presented during the World Shibori (and Natural Dye) Symposium in October 2008. Barbara has been experimenting with this rediscovered formula since then and feels it is important to share this safer, non-toxic, fume-free, inexpensive, and easily disposed of formula widely used during the 18th century. The formula can also be thickened and used to paint or print with indigo.

More about Barbara Shapiro

Grants: Watson Fellowship, College Srs

For those college students out there starting their senior year...

Thomas J Watson Fellowship
A one year grant for independent study and travel outside the United States awarded to graduating college seniors nominated by participating institutions. The stipend for the fellowship year is $25,000 ($35,000 for fellows accompanied by a spouse or dependent child).

The mission of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program is to offer college graduates of unusual promise a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel outside of the United States in order to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community.

Awards will be announced by March 15.

Click for more info about TJW Fellowship and to find out if you are eligible:
www.watsonfellowship.org

Safekeeper Vest Trunk Show at Yoshiko's (09/11+12, Berkeley CA)

Safekeeper Vest Trunk Show
at the home of Yoshiko Wada
Sept 11 Fri & Sat 12
noon-5p trunk
5-6p YIW talk on Slow Fiber

696 Hilldale Ave
Berkeley CA 94708
*directions below

Beautiful one-of-a kind vests designed by Marion Gartler. Unique ethnic textiles with hidden, zippered pockets inside. Great for traveling and everyday purse-free living. *From 5-6p, Yoshiko will talk about upcoming Slow Fiber Studio tour programs to Japan and India.
www.sakefeepervest.com
www.shibori.org/slowfiber

*Directions to Yoshiko's: from I-80 Buchanan/Albany exit (Buchanan becomes Marin); East (towards hills) on Marin past fountain roundabout; continue past Euclid Ave; L on Hilldale. House on left behind number 698. Street parking only.

Slow Fiber Studio Tours

Wanted to bring special attention to a new program we are offering, something really exceptional in terms of personal + cultural + artistic learning experience. Borne of the same values as WSN, we think of it as an extension of the world shibori network though it is a movement in its own right. Read on about Slow Fiber...

Slow Fiber Studio Tours are collaborative workshop programs created with traditional artisan communities and small studios to explore local practices, knowledge, techniques, production, and commerce in specific regions of the world.

Get up close & personal with local artisans. SFS tours offer an inside view of textile traditions on a local level. Learn new skills & build a greater understanding of the world of fiber arts. Programs are led by experienced traditional artisans and art professionals, such as Michel Garcia for Provençal natural dye printing, Tsuyoshi Kuno & Hiroshi Murase for Arimatsu shibori, and Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada. Capacity very limited to provide an intimate cultural experience and learning atmosphere. ** Current WSN members enjoy priority registration and $50.00 discount. **

Upcoming tours:
South India (Jan 2010), Nagoya, Japan (May 2010), Pugalia, Italy (June 2010) and China (2011)

Sign Up Today!

Slow Fiber, a term we adapted from the popularized Slow Food movement, is a platform where we articulate similar concerns and philosophies as they apply specifically to cloth, fiber, and the craft of making — from awareness and knowledge to production, tradition, practice, commerce. Slow Fiber Studio (SFS) is an extension of the principles and practices we celebrate through WSN. SFS promotes sustainable practices that are culturally and socially responsible. Find out more about Slow Fiber

Book: "Tintes Naturales Mexicanos"

"TINTES NATURALES MEXICANOS: su aplicación en algodón, henequén y lana" has just been published by Leticia Arroyo and is now available in bookstores ($30 a copy plus S/H).

Translated as "Natural Colors of Mexico: applications in cotton, agave and wool," the book is the result of numerous years of investigation and experimentation of natural colors with plant and animal-based fibers. Published jointly CONABIO and the UNAM.

From Leticia Arroyo
arroyole [AT] hotmail.com

Me complace informarles que ya está a la venta mi libro "TINTES NATURALES MEXICANOS: su aplicación en algodón, henequén y lana" coeditado por CONABIO y la UNAM. Este libro es el resultado de varios años de investigación y experimentación sobre los tintes naturales con plantas y animales. El libro ya está disponible en librerías EDUCAL, Ghandi y librerías de la UNAM en México. Costo estimado en dólares $30 más envío.