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Maine Fiberarts News—October/November 2006

The quilts of Susan Carlson were the most recent exhibit at Maine Fiberarts in Topsham (August 1-October 15). Susan uses hundreds of fabric pieces to create imaginative creatures: a pink rhinoceros, a polka dot dodo bird, scarabs and butterflies. Susan's yurt studio is listed on Maine Fiberarts Tour Map and her remarkable work can be seen there, along with new works in progress. Visit www.susancarlson.com to learn about her workshops and schedule.

At the request of the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Maine Fiberarts took a show of fiber art to the Maine pavilion at THE BIG E, Eastern States Expo in Springfield, MA, Sept. 15-Oct. 1. Work was hung high above the crowds in a rotunda visited by approximately one million people.  For the loan of work, we thank: Katharine Cobey for knitted garments; Susan Carlson, art quilt; Donald Talbot, denim/fleece weavings; Richard Lee, handmade paper "Wings;" and Laurie Sims, crochet/netted garden gown.

CONSTRUCTION is going on in earnest now at Maine Fiberarts in Topsham. A two-story addition is being added to our building, which will transform the space. The framework is in place, roofing and windows are about to arrive, workmen just took apart our bathroom, and new plans call for taking down an interior brick wall. Carlson's quilts came out just in time, although we were sorry to see them go. Exhibits at Maine Fiberarts are on hold until January. Christine is still working here weekdays, 10-4 and Fiber Friday still meets the first Friday of each month, 10-noon. Come see the new space! MF will expand to have a second room in a lovely warm space with large windows overlooking the garden.

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts collaborated with Maine Fiberarts to award a scholarship to MF member Jude Spacks for Elizabeth Busch's workshop this summer. Spacks wrote, "I had never been to Haystack before and it was an amazing experience. I may have had a real creative breakthrough; certainly it was an invigorating stretch. I truly appreciate the wonderful opportunity. Elizabeth is, as you say, a very generous and inspiring artist and a gifted teacher, and it was a privilege to work with her and the other talented people in the class."

Members who have asked for classes about DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, please see the listings under "Workshops" offered through Center for Maine Contemporary Art and Women, Work and Community. Help is at hand!

We had an outstanding response to our email asking for volunteers to help MF at the COMMON GROUND FAIR. Members offered to load up from our Topsham Center and our Richmond storage, set up, demonstrate, staff the tent, bring artwork, break down Sunday night, and put MF together again. Members even passed the email on to other listservs so great people came to help whom we didn't even know. No one volunteered to put up the tent, so we brought a smaller 10x10, and we had steady rain throughout two days with threats of major windstorms. We prevailed though and gave out Tour Maps while demonstrating spinning, felting, braiding, and more. I was amazed that all demonstrators showed up in the rain! A huge thank you to all who helped: Laurie Sims, Carrie Heitsch, Dominica Lord-Wood, Jill Snyder Wallace, Kent Cooper, Harriet Mosher, Heather Kerner, Meredith and Dan Tipton, Sally Brown, Maureen Newell, Edith Allard, Susan Perrine, Mike and Margie Shannon, Wayne Myers, Christy Hemenway, Sue Wright, Yvonne Taylor, Dolores Broberg, and Gael McKibben. Many hands made light work.

A CONSORTIUM of Maine Craft Organizations has been gathering to discuss collaborations towards educational efforts, creating a retail center, and promoting existing craft nonprofits.  Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Maine Crafts Association, Maine Highlands Guild, Maine Fiberarts, Waterfalls Arts, and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts are consortium members. Efforts are being led by Tracy Michaud Stutzman of the Maine Highlands Guild and Lynn Thompson of Watershed, who have obtained funding to research and to develop a plan.

Maine Fiberarts is featured in two publications. In MAINE'S CREATIVE ECONOMY: Connecting Creativity, Commerce and Community, Kathryn Hunt, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, writes: "....Other intermediaries, such as the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, founded in 1993; Maine Fiberarts, founded in 2000; and the Maine Highlands Guild, founded in 2002, provide members with education, display, and networking opportunities, offer their members access to markets through festivals and shows, and, in some cases, provide business development assistance. They also serve to inspire residents and visitors, offering education, encouragement and community. These are vital, new intermediaries that have helped to link traditionally underserved artists with one another and to the marketplace. Relative to their counterparts in other parts of the United States, such as the Southern Highland Craft Guild, founded in 1930, and Handmade in America, founded in 1993, however, these promising organizations are at a younger stage in their development. We believe that a focus on strengthening these types of organizations in Maine could pay dividends—not only in terms of increased sales and revenues for artists, but also to communities working to sustain their cultural inheritance." MF is also profiled in MAINE'S CREATIVE ECONOMY COMMUNITY HANDBOOK, published by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. Copies are on display at Maine Fiberarts.