Unique exhibition launches 35th year for the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum!
Heritage Habitats
 

As part of an exciting schedule of events marking 35 years since the incorporation of the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (MVTM) in Almonte, the museum is proud to host Heritage Habitats, from January 18 to March 14, 2020.  This is the first time the exhibit has been seen in Canada and brings together the work of two accomplished American artists, Ginger Owen-Murakami and Vicki VanAmeyden. This innovative exhibit invites you to think about how our past impacts our present – an echo of the museum itself.

Founded on universal human experience, Heritage Habitats invites viewers to explore a series of physical spaces and contemplate our own process of self-discovery. As the artist statement says: “Framed around nostalgia and memory, Kites, Hankies, Registered and Waterways are large scale, sculptural and experiential installations that engage in viewers’ unique memories and experiences…the work emphasizes commonalities that bind people and cultures and serve as an expression of humanism.”

As curator of the museum for over a decade, Michael Rikley-Lancaster says, “We were thrilled to be approached about hosting this intriguing exhibit.  Telling history through art ties in perfectly with what is sure to be an eventful year at the museum.”

Ginger Owen-Murakami is Professor of Photography and Intermedia at the Gwen Frostic School of Art, at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. She holds an MFA in Photography from Louisiana State University and a BFA in Photography from The University of Central Florida. Her art derives imagery from narratives and themes of family history, race, gender, and culture. Vicki VanAmeyden received a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Western Michigan University with a concentration in printmaking and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Kendall School of Design, Grand Rapids, MI. Her diverse and interdisciplinary approach to art making often includes the use of text and non-traditional materials.

The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (MVTM) is in the annex of the former Rosamond Woolen Company in Almonte, Ontario. Constructed in 1867 this National Historic Site of Canada features a blend of the old and new, all related to the history of the Mississippi Valley and the textile industry.  Enjoy the Heritage Habitats exhibit and then take time to explore the permanent exhibit on the second floor to immerse in the tools and processes of the textile industry that set the stage for the industrial growth of this area.

For more information, or to schedule an interview, contact the curator, Michael Rikley-Lancaster, curator@mvtm.ca, 613-256-3754.

Mississippi Valley Textile Museum
3 Rosamond Street East
Almonte, Ontario K0A 1A0
Phone: (613) 256-3754
Email: curator@mvtm.ca        https://mvtm.ca/

Check out upcoming Events.

https://mvtm.ca/events-3/




For upcoming workshops and events in Almonte this Spring- Fall, visit the link posted above. All held at Almonte's Mississippi Valley Textile Museum.

Here is one example of a workshop being held in March

by Ginger Owen and Vicki VanAmeyden
Sunday March 15, 2020 2 pm to 4:30 pm
Several image transfer techniques will be covered. Using simple processes, the artists will demonstrate how to transfer images onto various papers and fabric. This is a hands-on experience taught by enthusiastic instructors. Participants will create a variety of test images and gain insight into how transfers might impact their own work.
Minimum 6 participants
Maximum 12 participants
Fee: $200



Ontario Handweavers and Spinners


 https://ohs.on.ca/events

Follow the web address above to view Fibre Art event throughout Ontario.
Here is a sampling coming soon on January 18th, in Gatineau. Please refer to the site above for full details

Wheels on Fire / Les Rouets en Feu is an annual Spin-in gathering of spinners and felters. This is a day to join with like minded people to share our interest in spinning fiber and spinning wheels.
During the afternoon, we will have an informative and interactive presentation by Cathy Louise Koenjer and Sylvie Faucher all about flax. Cathy Louise is the co-ordinator for the Guild’s Flax Project (2019). She donated the land, time, food and equipment to make certain that the flax we planted came to a successful harvest. She will be discussing the process of raising flax from seed to a finished product. Sylvie is also a flax grower and will also be sharing her experiences growing flax and using linen in weaving. There will be lots of visuals and plenty of time for questions and answers.
The vendors line up for the event for this year is really enticing as well. There are loads of interesting products, fibres, tools and opportunities to experiment. There are still a few vendor spaces remaining, so if you are interested please contact Bernadette Quade (bquade@pixelgraphstudio.com) for more information.
The vendors for this year’s event are:
Kelly McGregor (kinnairdfarm.ca): roving, sheep skin rugs and raw fleece
Erin Krekoski (rocksendfarm.ca): Icelandic fleece
Celine Pacquette (https://www.facebook.com/artistedelafibre/): alpaca batts
Joanne Howard: angora rabbit
Julie Stewart: batts from rare breeds, luxury fibres, hand dyed and all natural fibres
Luc Belair: turned wood tools and accessories
Isabelle Perdigal (https://bellesbouclettes.com/): mohair locks; Kookaburra wool wash
Judy Kavanagh (https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/JudyKavanagh): spindles, heddles, shuttles and other spinning weaving tools, fleece, batts and rolags
Bernadette Quade: batts and locks
Andrea Belcham (https://www.etsy.com/shop/RenardEtFleur): plant-dyed yarns, textiles, hand-dyed sashiko threads and sashiko tools
Wendy Eaton (https://www.raisedbywools.ca/): batts, dyed locks, blending boards for sale and to try out
Celine Cleroux – https://www.etsy.com/shop/CactusYarnStudio… – fingering DK, and worsted weight yarn, plus hand painted sock blanks
Christine Gagné – www.creationschristine.com – art batts and roving.




Felting your fancy? You may be interested in this....

Learn the art of needle-felting by creating one of these whimsical creatures. You will go home with your own unique, delightful puppet and a radiating smile on your face. Fairies in the morning, 9-12 and Gnomes in the afternoon, 1-4. Taking place on January 29th in Peterborough.


So many more opportunities if you are willing to travel in the province. All outlined in the link below

 https://ohs.on.ca/events

It is never too late to start planning!







 https://mvtm.ca/almonte-fibrefest-2020/

In preparation for the upcoming year you might want to visit the site above.
There is an application for vendors for the 2020 Fibrefest that you may be interested in and download the appropriate documents available in January should you wish to be a vendor.

This year marks Almonte's 25th anniversary in hosting their fibrefest.



While you are looking at the MVTM website check out their 2020 events so many things to see and several workshops for those interested.


 https://mvtm.ca/events-3/

Check out the upcoming Fibre Art Calendar

 From Workshops, Juried Exhibitions,Sales and Meetings in the Ottawa area as well as Ontario.
Perhaps you might find something of interest in the attached link.



https://www.out-of-the-box.org/events_calendar/eventcalendar.html

Support The Arts


Gallery 200 is a curated public gallery in an educational setting adding a contemporary, visual art component to the multi-disciplinary experience The School offers to students and public alike. It acts as a bridge between The School of Dance and Ottawa's visual art's community, focusing on innovative, contemporary work in a variety of media.
Located on the second floor of The School of Dance, Gallery 200 is open from Monday to Thursday, 10 am to 8 pm, Friday 10 am to 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday closed; open by request.
Visitors should pick up a Gallery 200 pass from the main office.
For more information contact The School of Dance.

Please consult the webpage below to gather detailed information about the exhibit

http://www.theschoolofdance.ca/gallery200/gallery.html

Best show in town!

http://almontefibrefest.ca/

Take a look at the activities! For only Five Dollars a day for admission well worth every cent. Please visit the website above for locations of the fibre fest events.

24th ANNUAL FIBREFEST

When the kids head back to school and the first hint of autumn is on the air, Almonte starts gearing up for its favourite fall festival: Fibrefest! This year’s event — the 23nd annual celebration of the fibre arts.

Local guilds will demonstrate spinning, knitting, weaving, rug hooking, lacemaking, smocking and quilting. Vendors include spinners, weavers, and fibre artists from across the province, as well as quilt shops and alpaca farms.

And at 4pm on September 9, hundreds of felted lambs will be spun in a bingo spinner at the arena, and the owners of the first three lambs to come out of the spinner will win fabulous prizes. Tickets for the spin will be on sale during Fibrefest at the arena.

During the two-day festival the North Market of Almonte will offer their artistic tea room services featuring homemade goodies, beverages and sandwiches at very reasonable prices. At the museum, explore the permanent history exhibit Fabric of a Small Town, which interprets how a piece of wool fibre becomes a piece of finished cloth and includes industrial machines used throughout the process. Also, on display this year is the featured exhibit Those of Use Still Livingworks by Jim Arendt. Jim Arendt is an artist who works in denim to create images that explore the lives of working people.

Put luck Meeting at Huntley Community Centre to close the season




On Tuesday, June 11, we held our  closing pot luck lunch at the Huntley Community Centre (formerly the mess hall) on 2240 Craig Side Road, in  Carp Ontario. A reveal reveal of our silver looms, are pictured below.















The projects above were constructed from a Sterling Silver frame designed by one of the guild member's  spouse. The finished product was left up to the talents of each member as they adorned their little frame with various types of fibres. As you can see most were wearable art in the form of a necklace.