Programs for 2011-2012

Every year the Guild features a lecture and workshop series featuring regional and national artists, curators and educators, presented from September through May. Member critiques are scheduled usually before every guild meeting; and Fiber Conversations are back by popular demand. All GUILD lectures are open to the public for a $5 fee. Events are free for members with the exception of workshops, which carry varying fees with an additional materials fee paid to the instructor during the workshop. Space permitting, the public is invited for an additional $15.00.

Meeting Locations

Sixth Presbyterian Church
1638 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (At corner of Forbes and Murray Avenues in Squirrel Hill.)

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
6300 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232 (At corner of Fifth and Shady Avenues in Shadyside.)

For more information about programs contact fiberartspgh@yahoo.com

Calendar

Programs 2011 – 2012

Please note that dates with ** indicate that there will be a critique that afternoon usually 3-5pm at the same location with dinner in the neighborhood (optional). Check your monthly emailed Update each month for the latest information.

OCTOBER 13 THURSDAY 3pm
CRITIQUE
LOCATION: Jan Bass' house. 6729 Forest Glen Road, Squirrel Hill.

OCTOBER 13 THURSDAY 7 - 9pm
STUDIO TOUR AND FIBER CONVERSATION WITH JANE OGREN:
LOCATION: 132 Audrey Drive • Pleasant Hills15236 •

OCTOBER 15 SATURDAY 9am - 4:30pm
WORKSHOP: BEING CREATIVE ABOUT CREATIVITY
Dick Block, Teaching Professor, CMU School of Drama & Tina Shackleford, Assistant Teaching Professor, CMU School of Drama
LOCATION: Pittsburgh Filmmakers • 477 Melwood Ave • 15213 (North Oakland)
Join us for a hands-on day of exploring new methods of invention and thinking. We’ll do exercises looking at the ordinary in non-habitual ways and use intensive brainstorming and problem-solving. Collaboration and teamwork skills are an integral part of the session, as is an exploration of the art and craft of story-building. The emphasis is on breaking existing molds and getting away from the issues of “right” and “wrong” and the results will be equal parts revealing and fun. Please bring a notebook and pencil and wear comfortable clothing.
FEE: $55 / members • $65 / non-members • Materials will be provided

OCTOBER 20 THURSDAY 7 - 9pm
ARTIST’S TALK: “ATTICUS ADAMS: AN APPALACHIAN IN PARIS”
LOCATION: BE Galleries, 3583 Butler Street, 15201 (Lawrenceville)
Artist statement: “I am a sculptor of metal mesh. It is a two-dimensional raw material, shapeless but ready to be formed. One’s life can seem the same and I have been reshaping myself, aspiring to live as an artist and critical thinker.” Visit Atticus' webstie: www.atticusadams.com

OCTOBER 22 SATURDAY 9am - 12:30pm =NOTE CHANGE OF DATE=
WORKSHOP: AMBER COPPINGS: “STARTING AN ETSY WEBSITE”
LOCATION: Sixth Presbyterian Church, Squirrel Hill
This workshop will be perfect for Guild members who want to get an Etsy Shop up and running for the Christmas selling season. It will get you started and take the intimidation out of the process. Bring your friends!
FEE: $35 / Members • $45 / non-member

NOVEMBER 9 WEDNESDAY 3pm
CRITIQUE
LOCATION: Jan Bass' house. 6729 Forest Glen Road, Squirrel Hill.

NOVEMBER 9 WEDNESDAY 7 - 9pm
PRESENTATION: “EXPERIENCING THE PRAGUE QUADRENNIAL”
SUSAN TSU, Professor of Costume Design, CMU.
LOCATION: 3d floor lecture room, Purnell Hall, CMU Campus
Every 4 years, theatre designers from more than 60 countries gather in Prague to exhibit the most forward-thinking and compelling design work. Susan Tsu was artistic Director for the U.S. exhibition of the 2011 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space. Thirty-two students and 6 faculty from CMU were in attendance. Susan will show the work of national pavilions that utilize unique, engaging display materials, some of which include fibres, clothing pieces and other materials.
Ms. Tsu is an award-winning costume designer who has designed for many of this country’s major regional theaters—Broadway, off-Broadway and internationally. She has designed for theatre, opera and television. She has clothed many luminaries and her designs are represented in numerous books and publications. Awards include the NY Drama Desk, NY Drama Critics, NY Young Film Critics, LA Distinguished Designer Awards and a Kennedy Center Medal of Achievement. She headed the costume programs at Boston University and the University of Texas at Austin before coming to CMU, her alma mater.

DECEMBER 6 TUESDAY 6:30pm
CRITIQUE
LOCATION: Annie Laurence's house. 6667 Landview Road, Squirrel Hill.

JANUARY 26, 2012 THURSDAY 10am - 2:30pm
POTLUCK FUNDRAISER/AUCTION/FASHION SHOW
LOCATION: PCA, Simmons Hall / 6300 Fifth Ave. Shadyside
Invite a friend to get out and chase the winter doldrums away. Clean out your studio and donate your unused items along with a favorite dish to share. Enjoy the food—always delicious—and the great company, laugh a lot and restock your studios.
This year we will bring back the very popular member’s “Art to Wear” fashion show-so get started on your projects! You can use Susan Tsu’s talk in November for cool ideas!

MARCH 24 & 31 TWO SATURDAYS 9am - 4:30pm
WORKSHOP: AMBER COPPINGS: EVERYDAY SHIBORI FABRIC DYEING
LOCATION: Sixth Presbyterian Church, Squirrel Hill
This beginner to intermediate fabric dyeing class will teach you how to use everyday skills and materials to make contemporary and traditional shibori surface designs on natural fabrics. Popsicle sticks, screws and washers, easy stitches with dental floss, plus other non-intimidating objects and techniques will be explored. Intermediate students can bring previously dyed fabric to overdye with new techniques. A list of household items to bring will be sent upon registration.
FEE: $65 / members • $75 / non members
FABRIC MATERIALS KIT: (payable to instructor at the workshop) $35

MAY 4 FRIDAY 7 - 9pm
LECTURE: ADRIENNE SLOANE “Artful Knitting”
LOCATION: Sixth Presbyterian Church, Squirrel Hill
Knitting and crochet are enjoying a renaissance as artists reinterpret and liberate them from their traditional forms to create new bodies of work now being shown in galleries and museums internationally. This slide talk will cover some of the amazing work by established and emerging artists who are helping to change the landscape of fiber art. www.adriennesloane.com

MAY 5 & 6 SAT & SUN 9am - 4pm
WORKSHOP: “KNIT ANYTHING, NOT CLOTHING”
LOCATION: Society of Contemporary Crafts, Strip District
Develop a personal language of forms by experimenting with knitting fundamentals to uncover the enormous possibilities of a three dimensional knit. By manipulating stitches and solving knitting geometry, participants will learn to “think knit”. The class will explore the use of non-traditional materials and cover a range of techniques to help create shape and stability when working in three dimensions. Your new knitting vocabulary can be applied to sculptural or wearable creations. This is a process-oriented workshop, with time devoted to making samples and experiments as you learn each technique or concept. Participants must be proficient in basic knitting techniques; knowledge of crochet is also helpful.
STUDENT SUPPLY LIST: Bring knitting needles in different sizes, including double pointed needles, crochet hooks, scissors, tapestry needle and a notebook. Students should bring unusual “linear elements” for experimental knitting, which could include (but is in no way limited to) raffia, twine, fabric strips, plastic or wire. Students should also bring a reasonable amount of light colored, plain (not slubby) yarns in 2 colors for an ongoing sampler. If you have other materials that you would really like to explore, make sure to bring them with you.
FEE: $120 / members • $150 non-members (for BOTH days)
NOTE: Register early!!! After January 1st we will broaden the marketing to the Society for Contemporary Crafts mailing list.

For questions contact
Susan Coen, Chair scoen@zoominternet.net 724-789-1184
Sue Schneider Sues151@hotmail.com 412-242-6751