Joe's June Agenda aka "A Textile Museum is a Textile Museum is a Textile Museum"

 Social Fabric is the latest on line project to come out out the Textile Museum of Canada "Become part of the social fabric! Choose a textile, choose a question, join the conversation."

With the Textile Museum of Canada's recent announcement of the hiring of Dr. Shauna McCabe from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick as their new executive director it occurs to me that we in Canada have more then one "Textile" museum. Over the next month I will be visiting two others for the first time and hopefully begin the process of getting to know as well as the TMC in Toronto which sometimes feels like a second home.

The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte Ontario is located in the annex of the former Rosamond Woolen Company in Almonte, Ontario. Constructed in 1867 it is now a National Historic Site of Canada. The establishment of the museum which features a blend of the old and new all related to the history of the Mississippi Valley and the textile industry. To get a head start on me you can read about the industrial history of the Mill in an article  called " The Rosamond Woolen Company of Almonte" by Richard Reid, which was published in Ontario History, Vol. LXXV, No. 3.

Currently they have two temporary exhibitions  up Weaving a Different Veiw by Weavers Unlimited,  May 5th - August 8th, 2010 This exhibition presents non-traditional approaches to handweaving as in garments and wearable art. The participants were encouraged to stretch the boundaries of handweaving by interpreting the theme ‘Weaving a Different View”. Through exploration of structure, colour, non-traditional materials and complex designs, weavers were challenged to be innovative and unconventional in their textile interpretation of everyday life. This exhibition will also display the process and design involved in weaving a different view.   

SAY IT IN RED   

 Say It in Red, May 5th - July 4th, 2010 SAY IT IN RED is an exhibition of redwork quilts and other household items from the collections of Marilyn Crawford and Mary Young. Other redwork items from Lanark County Museums will be on display.

In their Education Centre they illustrates the process of manufacturing wool from sheep to sweater including wool production, dyeing techniques and alternate fibre production through mini exhibitions.

They hold weaving and spinning demonstrations in our Education Centre Wednesdays from 1PM - 4PM March 1 to October 31.

After my stop in Almonte I am making a short stop in Ottawa and make a side trip into the  Gatineau Hills to visit the Moon Rain Tapestry Centre which was featured in fQ Volume 5 Issue 1 . While they are busy organizing their own "When Thirteen Moons Entwine" series of summer events works and exhibitions.
 

I am off to Montreal to hang out at the Montreal Centre of Contemporary Textiles, do a workshop and make some new work, visit with artists and see what is going on around town. One thing I am looking forward to seeing is "WITH OR WITHOUT WATER?" The "9th Triennale Internationale de Mini-textiles" from the Jean-Lurçat/Contemporary Tapestry Museum in Angers, FRANCE st at the Musee du costume et textile du Quebec. This will be my first trip to the museum.

This exibihiton will move to  Galerie Montcalm in Gatineau (across from the Museum of Civilization) from August 26th to October 10th 2010. So if you don't get to see it in Montreal get yourselves to Ottawa. Have this show in the country for over 6 months in two different locations does provide ample time to see it.

There many tings happening across the country throught the rest of the Spring an on into the summer. these are some from the geography I will be inhabiting for the next 4 weeks.

how about you, What is on your Textile Agenda?

would you like to star posting it here? get in touch. fibre_quarterly@ yahoo.com.
cheers