October, 2007 - Glebe Report

ART Glebe Report October 12, 2007 27
Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild
celebrates 27 years at the GCC
Ann Middleton
BY SHIRLEY BROWSKY
Beech trees? Bamboo? Stainless
steel? Soy protein? Plastic? Paper?
Milk weed silk? Chitin (made from
shrimp and crab shells!) Tofu? Corn
fibre? Not what you would think of
when you are getting dressed in the
morning? Ramie, linen, cotton,
hemp, wool, mohair, silk – now
that’s more like it.
Technology has come a long way
in the fibre pool in the past ten years
and members of the Ottawa Valley
Weavers and Spinners Guild have
been experimenting with the results.
We will be sharing these exciting
items at our upcoming exhibition
and sale – No Animal Fibres Please
– to be held Nov. 2-4 at the Glebe
Community Centre (GCC). Once
PHOTOS: JUDY KAVANAGH
again, we will wow you with our creativity
in using traditional and nontraditional
methods for non-traditional
fibres. There will be demonstrations
using some of the wackiest
fibres, an exhibition of some of these
creations as well. If we can spin it,
we can weave it.
Members of the Ottawa Valley
Weavers and Spinners Guild have a
deep commitment to their community.
Last year, we held a spinning/weaving
marathon to weave
silk scarves to raffle for the Canadian
Cancer Society for Breast Cancer.
In 2007, we will be creating and
donating fibre articles to be sold to
raise funds for our own resource
centre and for the silk weavers in
Kabul, Afghanistan through the
ArteZan Designs Project (www.artez
andesigns.com). Feel free to visit us
and “throw” a shuttle or two to aid
this worthy cause.
Chances are you have seen members
of the Ottawa Valley Weavers
and Spinners Guild with our spinning
wheels and looms, sheep and
knitting needles demonstrating our
craft at various venues such as City
Hall, the Civic Centre, Nepean
Sportsplex, Ottawa Public Library,
National Arts Centre, The Bytown
Museum, Billings Estate, the Agricultural
Museum and many country
fairs. We love to share our craft and
show the public that this is not a
dying art but one that is alive and
thriving.
Cindy O’Gorman
We have been holding this exhibition
and sale at the GCC since 1980.
This year, our 27th, finds us with a
permanent home in Heartwood
House on Chapel Street thanks to the
City of Ottawa. This new studio
space houses our Guild library, our
spinning and weaving equipment
and our meeting and workshop
rooms. We meet the first Monday of
the month between Sept. and June at
7:30 p.m. in the Gallery of Heartwood
House and visitors are always
welcome. We offer many courses
throughout the year to our members.
Our Guild library has a collection
of more than 1,400 books, magazines
and periodicals collected over
a 50 year period which is a great aid
in research and inspiration to our
members.
As in previous years, we are
showcasing a local area fibre artist.
This year, we are pleased to have
Patricia Dolan, a weaver and fibre
artist living in Pakenham, join us.
Patricia has returned to Canada after
living for seven years in the Middle
East. Utilizing paper, fibre and cloth,
the works employ many textile techniques
using varied materials: handspun
silk woven into panels; woven
paper and raffia constructed into garments;
silk, wool, cashmere, mohair,
angora felted and sewn into huge
coats; hand-beaten paper collages,
all influenced by the Middle Eastern
experience, with additions of clay
shards from the desert and silk remnants
from Afghanistan, tapestries
woven with torn silks in fabulous
colours, boxes big and small in
string, twine, spun silk, and so much
more. Patricia is a member of The
Mill Street Gallery Co-op in
Almonte.
We invite you to join us on Nov.,
2-4: Fri., 4-8 p.m; Sat. and Sun., 10
a.m. - 4 p.m. at the GCC, 175 Third
Avenue, Ottawa and see what we are
up to. Admission is free.
Whether you are looking for wall
hangings, clothing, shawls, placemats,
or afghans, you will find a
wealth of talent at this exhibition –
worth spending the time. Come and
meet the people that create the fibres
around you!
smile
service with a
Our friendly,
supportive services are
tailored to your needs.
We do the work and
provide personalized
care so you can enjoy
everything Colonel By
has to offer.
This month —
Summer Hats 15% off
Rowland
Leather
Your
neighbourhood
leather shop
1095 Bank St.
near Sunnyside
613-526-1954
rowlandleather.com
We are an
original
Canadian leather
shop featuring
handmade bags
& backpacks
designed by
Michael Rowland
and made in
our own
studio.
43 Aylmer Ave. 613-730-2002
www.retirementresidences.com
Canadian made
Sheepskin Slippers