Handweavers Guild Of America-Convergence
Wheat Carr
all our friends to come to Portland, OR in July 1996. Here's some news
to whet your appitite! We plan to keep you up to date as we go along so let
us know what information you would like online!
CONVERGENCE 96
The international biennial conference of Handweavers Guild of America,
Inc., hosted by Portland Handweavers Guild,
will take place July 14-21, 1996
at the Oregon Convention Center
in Portland, Oregon.
This is one of the most prominent international events in the textile field
with 2,000 registrants expected from throughout the US and numerous
foreign countries.
In addition, 10,000 day visitors are expected to visit the exhibits,
demonstrations, and trade show in the Convention Center.
Handweavers Guild of America, Inc., is a nonprofit educational corporation
formed in 1969 to encourage excellence in the contemporary fiber arts of
weaving, spinning, dyeing and basketry and to support the preservation of
techniques and traditions in textiles. Convergence is dedicated to bringing
together weavers, spinners, dyers, basketmakers, patrons and educators
interested in the textile arts.
CONVERGENCE 96: A TIME WARP will offer registrants workshops, seminars,
theme-related addresses by major speakers, demonstrations, special
fiber-related events and exhibits plus a trade show at the Convention
Center.
A major goal of CONVERGENCE 96 is to increase public awareness of the value
of
textile arts in the development of human society, historically and in the
contemporary world. Over 35 textile art exhibitions are scheduled at museums
and galleries throughout the Portland metropolitan area. D
Daily admission will enable the general public to visit the Convention
Center exhibits, demonstrations and large trade show, featuring weaving
and spinning equipment and supplies, as well as a premier textile artist
Market with some of the finest textile art being produced in the United
States today.
Highlights
Pre-Conference Workshops, July 14-16, 1996
Seminars, Major Speakers, Special Events, July 17-21, 1996
Over 35 textile art exhibits in the Portland Metropolitan Area including
20
at the Convention Center
Daily demonstrations and educational exhibits
Trade show with 350 commercial vendors including a special textile artist
market, THE SHOWCASE COLLECTION, with one-of-a-kind and limited production
items available for sale
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Each Convergence is distinct, reflecting the theme, emerging trends in the
fiber arts and the special resources of the region hosting the conference.
This is what makes attending a special experience! Some of the specific
treats that await the CONVERGENCE 96 registrants include:
Three inspiring speakers, Randall Darwall, Anita Luvera Mayer and Sigrid W.
Weltge, who will challenge participants at CONVERGENCE 96 to explore their
personal vision of A TIME WARP, that hypothetical suspension of time
allowing
movement back and forth between eras.
Handweaver Randall Darwall, whose dye-patterned silk scarves have gained him
international recognition, will examine the elemental connections that join
us
together in this century of enormous changes in the role of handweaving in
society.
Anita Luvera Mayer will present her six woven mantles to the registrants
highlighting six stages in the life of women. These mantles are a
reflection
and statement regarding her personal time warp.
Sigrid W. Weltge, author of Women's Work: Textile Art of the Bauhaus, will
explore the influences of the women of the Bauhaus on handweaving and
professionalism in mass production. Her own interest in textiles was
influenced by family discussions when she was a child and led to her present
position as Professor of History of Art and Design at The Philadelphia
College
of Textiles and Design.
*******
Seminars and mini-workshops are organized to provide participants with the
opportunity for an integrated, in-depth concentration in a specific area of
study. Sessions are being structured so that participants may choose
seminars
in a variety of subjects or focus on a specific area or track for the entire
conference. These tracks include: clothing, tapestry, interiors, weave
structures, spinning and fibers, and computers in weaving. A miscellaneous
track will include seminars in dyeing, basketry, beading, liturgical design,
ethnic techniques, felting, the creative process, and business.
*******
Special events for the registrants include, A TIME WARP, the multimedia
opening ceremony; DRESSED IN TIME, the fantastic fashion show; A
SPINTASTIC
TIME, a special spin-in; the Gallery Gala and a very special closing
ceremony
Sunday morning (wait till you see who we are bringing to that ceremony!).
Friday evening is set aside for you to Take Time to Smell the Roses revisit
the shows and the commercial area at the Convention Center, explore Portland
and some of the exhibits not on the Gallery Gala route or just kick off your
shoes and relax!
*******
More details and a list of dates to remember will be published in the April
1995 issue of Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot (SS&D) and in the Compuserve
Fibercrafts Forum message and library sections.
Meanwhile:
Registration booklets will be published in the Fall 1995 issue of SS&D or
may
be obtained beginning in October 1995 from
Leena Riker, Registrar
CONVERGENCE 96
PO BOX 3378
Portland, OR 97208-3378
Registration will open January 15, 1996. Residents of Hawaii and
countries outside the North American continent who plan to register may
send a request to receive the registration book by air mail.
Patt Kennedy, Public Relations Coordinator
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Wheat Carr whea...@delphi.com
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