This month’s header is a collage of details from photos of the ribbon-winning pieces at this years Exhibition of Weaving in the Norwegian Tradition. It’s an annual joy to see the talented work of weavers exhibited at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. This year, since we are not limited by a certain number of pages in print, I’ve included a gallery of all the pieces that were entered, in addition to the article featuring the ribbon winners.
I admire the collaboration of Heidi Goldberg and Sharon Marquardt in teaching the Nordic Arts class at Concordia College in Moorhead. In this issue Sharon shares her instructions for the inexpensive student loom she developed for the class. The students may not go on to be weavers, but they will definitely appreciate traditional and modern weavings they see in the future, armed with their hands-on knowledge of weaving structure, and the books and pieces that Sharon shared with them. Thank you, Sharon, for all the work you did for the students and in documenting the process that others can use in the future.
Lisa Bauch documented the two rya classes held this summer as a collaboration between the Weavers Guild of Minnesota and the American Swedish Institute (ASI). The classes, together with the Finnish ryijy exhibit at the ASI and the exhibit of ryas by local weavers at the ASI, built a momentum to keep weaving rya. A Weavers Guild “Rya Exploration Group” is being formed. The group, composed of people who will each weave a rya for an exhibit at the Weavers Guild beginning October 15, 2015, will meet at least five times in the coming year for support, study, and show and tell. The first organizational meeting will take place at the American Swedish Institute on Saturday, September 20, at 2 pm. The group will tour the exhibits and then hash out details of future meetings over coffee at the Fika. (Questions? Contact me.)
And by the way, did you hear that Norges Husflidslag has been designated a UNESCO Organization of Intangible Cultural Heritage?
Robbie LaFleur