Spun Gold Award goes to SDA Member Becka Rahn!

SDA member, Becka Rahn is the 2013 recipient of the Textile Center's Spun Gold Award. You are welcome to attend the event honoring Becka.

Thursday, August 22, 6 pm

Textile Center

3000 University Ave SE

Minneapolis, MN

An artist and ardent supporter of the fiber arts, Becka’s many contributions to the field include educational initiatives and mentorship of emerging artists and educators in all capacities.  With an eye toward innovation and new technologies, yet incorporating tradition in all of her endeavors, Becka adeptly bridges a balance between the art and craft of textiles – bringing the community along in the process.

Textile Center is proud to honor her lifetime commitment and immeasurable impact with this award of distinction.

See the Textile Center website for information, including directions and parking.

SDA Member Exhibit: Kristin Hoelscher-Schacker

Kristin Hoelscher-Schacker, SDA member, recently participated in the Women’s Art Institute. There is a pop-up exhibit this Saturday of some of the work from this program. Be sure to drop by!

What: Fearless Creative Energy / ’13 Women’s Art Institute Pop-Up Exhibition

When: Saturday, July 27, 2013, 5pm – 8:30pm
Where:
MCAD MFA Whittier Gallery
2880 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408
(additional parking 2845 Harriet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408)
The Women’s Art Institute began in 1999, cosponsored by St. Catherine University and Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Currently housed at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN, the WAI is an innovative and rigorous course that focuses on issues and art that arise through the combination of open studio work, intense individual tutoring, inspiring conversation and critiques, and presentations from guest artists, critics and art historians.

For more information check out the Women’s Art Institute.

Tour: Goldstein Museum of Design

The Goldstein Museum of Design is conducting a SDA members-only tour of their summer exhibition, "Printed Textiles: Pattern Stories," on Saturday, July 13, at 10 AM. FREE for SDA members.

One of the two exhibition curators, Kathleen Campbell, will walk us through this lively, colorful exhibition, telling us the stories behind the textiles, including things not in the text panels. Themes of the exhibition include "Artists Designing Textiles," Textile Prints as Reflections of the Times," "Appreciation for Handicraft: Legacy of Arts & Crafts," and "The Enduring Appeal of Botanicals." The 50 textiles, all from GMD's collection, are primarily block prints and screen-prints.

Date: 07/13/2013
Time: 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Location: Goldstein Museum of Design, Room 241 McNeal Hall, St. Paul Campus of Univ. of Minnesota, 1985 Buford Ave, St. Paul MN 55108
Parking: Pay lot at north end of McNeal Hall (access via Upper Buford Circle) or street parking on Larpenteur or side streets

Information about GMD: goldstein.design.umn.edu
For other questions email: sdarep.karie@karieamstutz.com

Brave the heat this July and join in with other artists in an Art Swap at Walker Art Center’s Open Field Days. The event is scheduled for Saturday, July 28, from 2 – 5pm. Let’s gather at 3pm to participate in a swap and then move to the Dunn Bros on 329 West 15th Street, Minneapolis, MN (walking distance down the street) for some cool beverages and an art discussion.

Open Field’s calendar description:

Art Swap invites you to swap a work of your creation for a work from their collection of original creations. Your piece then becomes part of their collection, available to others through swapping.

How to swap:
 (1) Bring a work of art to leave; 
(2) select a new work to take home; 
(3) pose for your “I brought/I got” photo with those pieces. If you call it art, we call it art!

Check out the website for this and other activities happening this summer. There are lots of events planned – shall we sponsor one for next summer? Have a great idea for one?

http://www.walkerart.org/openfield

Walkabout á la India Flint

Many of us were intrigued by India Flint at the 2011 SDA conference and the way she wanders about picking up natural materials for dyeing. As a result, we have scheduled an India Flint Walkabout for Saturday, June 23, 2012. It will be led by Cyndi Kaye Meier and you are cordially invited to participate. Singing and recitation of poetry as one walks about, while recommended, are optional.

June 23, 2012 from 10:30 am -1:00 pm

Walk About & Eco Dyeing Print Demonstration

Location:

Como Park Pavilion, St. Paul, MN

Black Bear Crossings Café’s Community Meeting Space*: Larry Kitto Room

1360 N Lexington Pkwy, St. Paul, MN 55103

651-488-4920

www.blackbearcrossings.com

10:30 am - Meet in the Larry Kitto room in the Pavilion.

10:40 am - Begin the walk around Como Park gathering plants and found objects.

(Alternative option - enjoy a cup of coffee at coffee shop.)

11:10 am - Return to the Larry Kitto community room to create bundles

11:30 am - Short demo of alternative methods shown in India Flint’s book: Eco Colour,Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles

Noon – Show and tell of SDA members’ work

1:00 pm - Clean up and adjourn

To create a bundle bring the following:

• One-half yard of white cotton or one old white shirt.
• Optional mordant: soak in 1:4 milk/water mixture then hang to dry in sun. (Eco Colour, p.104)
• 1 silk scarf (available at Textile Center or Dharma Trading) or 1/4 yard of silk
• (available at Treadle Yard Goods)
• Cotton string or pearle cotton (3 yards)

Cyndi Kaye Meier took India Flint’s workshop at the SDA Conference last summer. Since then she has been experimenting with plants commonly found in Minnesota. She recently exhibited Serenity, Spring 2012 at Altered Esthetics Formed by Nature exhibit. Visit Cyndi's website for more details about her and her art.

Check out India Flint's website to see photos of her art, books she has written, and workshop opportunities.

Direct questions to Karie Amstutz, SDA Minnesota Area Representative at sdarep.karie@karieamstutz.com or Cyndi Kaye Meier at cyndikayemeier@me.com

A big thank you to Black Bear Crossings Cafe for offering us a free meeting space. Please thank them by supporting their coffee shop and café. No outsidefood or drink is allowed in the Café or community rooms.

Making Connections

What do you do when you know what you want but don’t have it yet? It may be an object (to own a fabulous piece of art), an experience (a travel dream), a concept (to be an artist), or just knowing there is something out there that is different from what you have now and that is what you want. When is it that you know what you want, and how do you get from not having it (Point A) to having it (Point B)?

Some people are able to do this instinctively, knowingly. Talk about knowingly, they’ve known this desire since childhood and have consistently worked to achieve it. Or, they’ve had an epiphany as an adult that tied into childhood experiences and skyrocketed toward that newly defined goal.

Others determine their hearts desire and can discern the path to its attainment without need for external assistance.

The remainder of us has floated through life somewhat vaguely, hopefully blissfully. Objects, people, relationships, ideas…come in and go out of our realm. All is fine until – what? A shift in the hemisphere? A full moon? A birthday or a new year? Something sets off a deep, internal yearning. It germinates for a period of time then begins to grow and blossom.

Connections with others of similar goals and dreams can nurture, inspire, and stretch us to reach out for that wish; shared experiences are encouraging and helpful. Let’s do that this year as members of SDA Minnesota. Let’s put a hand out to one another, let’s share and make connections. Let’s step forth together on a path that leads to achievement of a desired dream. Volunteer with me to host a gathering of Minnesota members or to help with Confluence, the SDA conference here in June. Opportunities are plentiful! Contact me at sdarep.karie@karieamstutz.com

Call for entry deadlines extended: SDA, TCM

I've been busy, busy working on pieces to enter into the SDA Confluence and Textile Center exhibitions and have finally come up for air. I always seem to need to let my pieces rest before any final touches, so am glad for a delayed entry date. I trust you are all working on entries, too. It would be great to see a large number of entries from Minnesota members! I am looking forward to many of wonderful gallery visits.

The three  SDA exhibitions have full guidelines and entry information through Juried Art Services, http://www.juriedartservices.com/. Guidelines are also available at http://dev.surfacedesign.org/2011-SDAConference.php or through info@surfacedesign.org.

Currents, SDA Students’ Show

Event dates: April 21–August 12, 2011

Entry deadline: February 18, 2011

Merge and Flow, SDA Members’ Show

Event dates: June 9–30, 2011

Entry deadline: March 1, 2011

Bodies of Water, SDA Fashion Show

Event date: June 11, 2011

Entry deadline: March 1, 2011

The Textile Center has also extended its deadline for a special Community Gallery exhibition. Entries should represent a "watershed moment" - and can be historical, personal, political, environmental, or otherwise. For full guidelines and entry information go to http://www.textilecentermn.org/pdf/WatershedCFE.pdf

Watershed, Textile Center Member's Show

Event dates: June 6 - July 16, 2011

Entry deadline: March 1, 2011