October 1st through 10th this year is “American Craft Week.” If you are going to be in Washington, D.C. this coming weekend, you can participate in the “Crafting A Nation” Conference at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Here is a quote from the American Craft Week website: (http://www.americancraftweek.com)
“CRAFTING A NATION” will explore how craft practitioners, both professional and self-taught, are a valuable national resource and an integral part of the American economy, running businesses and producing products unique to our nation and important to our economic growth in the twenty-first century. Handcrafted works are core to a healthy society and contribute to a sustainable environment that can be both joyful and profitable. Two words “conversation” and “economy” define this event. Craft has, historically and in contemporary life, been defined by these words. CRAFTING A NATION starts with the individual maker and progresses to the national craft community.”
What an apt description of craft in the U.S.! It’s an important part of our culture and our economy. Just for a moment, take your own work out of the picture and try to imagine a culture devoid of art and craft ... Where would we find the beauty that stirs us, other than in nature? How would we teach our children to appreciate the work of human hands? How gray and dismal would our world look? That’s a vision appropriate only for Halloween. Beautiful objects that speak to the soul are a necessity. Some of them are made of fiber.
The article above also reminds us that like politics, all art and craft is local. It can branch out from right here. SEFAA is a vital tool to make a local fiber community a regional one. And for SEFAA to be advised by the successful entity that is the “Textile Center” in Minneapolis (http://www.textilecentermn.org) is a credible link to a wider world of fiber art.
Next weekend, a national quilt and fiber show comes right here to our local community when the Georgia Quilt Show opens its doors at the Gwinnett Center October 14 – 16 (www.georgiaquiltshow.com). SEFAA will have a booth there to sell fabric and fiber and offer membership. (Be sure to send in your donations to sell!) Even if you’re not a big fan of quilts, you will appreciate the fiber art and surface design. And the booths will sell the latest “cool tools” to make you heart flutter. It’s worth a trip there.
Claudia
