Reporting by Wendy Bertrand In the San Francisco Bay Area, Pacifica California

Woven Together: Experience & Expression A Loom & Shuttle Guild Exhibition at the Sanchez Art Center (East Gallery) January 13, 2017 opened with a lively reception Continues until February 12, 2017 with demonstrations for four Friday/Saturday/ Sundays 1-5pm

Creating is so satisfying, and we gain experience as we do more weaving, and with experience we start to express our individual concerns. CNCH* members may take this for granted, but as the crowd of non-weavers viewed the fiber art pieces on opening night, there was a sizzling atmosphere of delight and amazement as eyes landed on our handmade fiber creations. The Sanchez Art Center features three shows at the same time, Woven Together: Experience and Expression stood distinctively - in the East Gallery. Along with It Can Happen Here, the bold award winning sculpture of James Shefik - in the Main Gallery - and Bewilder, Be Wilder by the Art Guild of Pacifica in the West Gallery, it was an art filled night. One aspect that made this guild show different from juried shows was that every one of our 70+ members was invited to enter a piece.There was no theme and no date of completion cut off. Twenty-six members displayed at least one piece,(although there were more possibilities) but space was limited by the gallery size. Guild exhibit coordinator Deborah Corsini had to limit the number of pieces by each person. Deborah’s previous professional experience as a curator of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles as well as an exhibiting weaver, made her the ideal person to present the idea of a fiber exhibit to the Sanchez Art Center, and to curate an interesting selection of work for the exhibit. The 40 pieces from long time weavers, professional weavers, and new weavers demonstrated that hand weaving is alive and well in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sam Yearout of the Sanchez Art Center designed the exhibition layout leaving ample room between pieces so that each work would stand out.

Being able to exhibit was a rewarding guild experience, taking the “show-andtell” guild activity one step further. Weavers mounted their work carefully for display, gave their work titles, and wrote artist statements. As one member wrote after the opening “I was initially reluctant to participate but I am so glad I did. There was something very nice about seeing everyone's work hung and displayed. I really enjoyed seeing what other guild members have been creating. I'm inspired to get busy on my loom.” And from another, “What a diverse collection of weavers we have and what beautiful things we weave. I feel really fortunate to be part of it all. The jackets, scarves, hangings, rugs, tapestries, bags – were each a star under the bright lights. Thanks to Deborah (and the Sanchez Art Center) for giving us the opportunity to see our pieces hung in a gallery and to be "exhibiting artists" for a few weeks! “ The gallery lights highlighted the colors, patterns, and details, such as Kumihimo trim in a woven jacket by Eve Conner. “The variety and the quality” was the most heard comment by viewers during the first two days. I would say that variety is not just the kinds of items displayed but the individuality of each artist united to reflect the personality of our urban guild. And we weavers also appreciate that range of unique expression by our own members that is possible with fiber. Kevin Jannsen, who threw his first shuttle two years ago exhibited two shawls he made for his wife. He is enamored with very fine yarns and wove his shawls at 60 ends per inch while the set for my carpets is 5 ends to the inch. There is such a range of techniques and styles on display from the humor of the leno pile weave boas by Susie Hodges, to the finely crafted fashion, the elegant scarves, the sculptural baskets, and even a touching memorial hanging of a fiery phoenix, each hand crafted with pride. A table loom is set up for visitors to try, and eight demonstrations of tapestry, spinning, kumihimo, knitting, and rigid heddle weaving, by guild members are scheduled throughout the four weekends, during regular gallery hours. I have lifted a couple of key sentences from some of the artist statements, collected in the note book of artist’s statements for the exhibit, to accompany photos submitted by the artists or taken during the gallery exhibit, hoping to enhance the work and give you the flavor of our Woven Together: Experience & Expression Exhibit by your sister guild, Loom and Shuttle of San Francisco. * Composed for February 2017 Conference of Northern California HandWeavers (CNCHnet)

“Weaving is an endless wellspring for the curious mind.” Arts Program Coordinator San Francisco Waldorf High School Patty Townsend Golden Eucalyptus/ Table Runner/ silk

“What’s not to love about weaving? It’s visual, auditory, cerebral, athletic, meditative, creative, and yes, humbling.I am constantly amazed and challenged by the concept that a piece of fabric, woven flat, can come off the loom in multiple dimensions.”

Carolyn Burwell

Wavy Gravy/wall hanging

“I create all my own designs motivated both by a desire to solve the technical aspects of engineering the cloth and to give expression to my aesthetic sense of color and pattern.” Pat Stewart.

Scarves/double-weave

“As a tribute to my mother, Celia Chen, who passed in 2015, I wove a fiery phoenix rising from her ashes as she was sparky not pale.” Tien Chui

GOODBY MA! Jacquard /cotton,glass bead, metal gold

“ My art is woven. The wedge weave tapestries are symbolic representations of a frame of mind, an environment or an abstracted architectural form. The lines and shapes are a part of a personal calligraphy, a window to the inner soul. The stories allude to intimate thoughts or global issues. The graphic abstraction lets viewers find their own connections to my work. “ Deborah Corsini Wedge weave tapestry /wool

“Weaving has helped me understand and appreciate textile structures and allows me to create truly custom garments. I enjoy combining classic styles, in this case, the Eisenhower or letter jacket, with unexpected cloth and unusual embellishments.” Eve Conner

Eisenhower Jacket

“Exploring weaving structures has been an ongoing interest. Who knew that there were so many ways to cross the warp and weft to produce viable and sometimes, even beautiful, cloth? And the addition of color to emphasis or deemphasis adds to the wonderful complexity.” Penny Peters

Whats for Dinner?

“Global Warming expresses a concern and is part of a series I call Paying Attention, inspired by the Belgian Philosopher Isabelle Stengers’ call for us NOT to rely on the experts, but to pay more attention to the consequences of our actions. “ Wendy Bertrand Carpet, wool 62”X41”

“I love color, I make natural dyes from plants, lichens, and mushrooms dye some of my yarns. Most of my inspiration comes from nature.” Teresa McFarland

Bright and Iridescent Butterfly scarves/ 4 color Echo & Iris

“Weaving yardage and then making it into clothing was natural for me as I had sewn clothing since my teen years.” Marlene Golden

Zig Zag Jacket

“The architecture of cloth is mesmerizing for me as the interlacement of individual yarns that collectively create pattern and texture provide a universe of endless exploration.” Kevin Janssen And They Call the Wind Mariah

Shawl/echo twill of cashmere/cotton/bamboo

“I find it inspiring to create baskets outdoor in the summer and then use those structural insights indoors on my loom in the winter.” Laura Schickli Baskets

“My Ceremonial Boas are meant to represent some my important rituals of modern American culture. They can be hung on a wall or around a neck. Their colors, textures and totems are meant to evoke direct viewer involvement in defining each piece in a personal way.” Susie Hodges Boas

“I use textile crafts to explore masculinity’s conflicting messages, and I typically use the cross stitch ABC sampler form to document how I’ve been educated to be a man in US society.” Bren Ahearn

Sampler #14/wall hanging (detail shown here)

“When I design a new piece, I start with a beautiful or interesting yarn, often from the bargain bin at a knitting shop. This causes many challenges as it may not be really appropriate for weaving or I may not have enough of it , or it may be hard to find coordinating yarns. But I relish the challenges.” Donna LaVallee

Peach Patch Jacket/cotton

“I have become more interested in Jacquard weaving and this past summer took a class on a Jacquard loom. After the class we were given time to weave our own designs and I generated this moth picture from a picture I took with my iPhone, using Photoshop it became a weavable format and I spent a few happy hours weaving the picture on display.” Margarite Kaufman

Moth/Jacquard (after a class)

“Pine baskets from 9000 years and in the United States are attributed to the Seminole Indians of Southern Florida. It is said they considered the pine needles a gift of nature's bounty and were woven with loving care into small vessels wherein their soul rested secure from evil spirits.I cannot think of a better reason for weaving a pine needle basket.” Jill Harmon

Pine baskets

“Not to seem too Proustian, but weaving became a voyage of discovery and it gave me a new pair of eyes: it opened up vista possibilities and focused me in a new direction.” Mai Shields

Necklace/ kumihimo with beads