HGB December 2021 Program – P. Turchette

Peggy Turchette – The Pavlova Project

Handweavers Guild of Boulder
December 2021 Day & Evening Program

The Pavlova Project – A Collection Exploring the Life and Art of Anna Pavlova

The Pavlova Project, in simplest terms, is a “Visual Biography.” It tells the life story of a real historical person, Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), who was not only the most famous ballerina of her day, but also a bold and pioneering woman with her own ballet company who travelled across the entire world. I tell this story through the costumes and fashions that she wore.

Included with Pavlova in my collection are her friends, teachers, dance partners, and other important people in her life. Through archival photographs and the written word, I have meticulously researched almost 100 costumes and fashions and have recreated them in one-quarter scale. They are presented on 16” vinyl manufactured dolls which serve as mannequins.

Every outfit I have recreated has a story of its own, and if the dressed mannequins are viewed in chronological order, they tell the story of Anna Pavlova from her childhood in Russia in the 1880’s, all the way to her final performance in London in 1930. I drew inspiration for my project from a famous collection of miniature fashions called Le Theatre de la Mode, which was created after World War II by the couture houses in Paris. This collection, displayed on wire mannequins, celebrated the survival of the fashion industry in Paris following four years of Nazi occupation. It toured the world in 1947, the year I was born.

Peggy Turchette:  Artist’s Bio

I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and attended the New England School of Art & Design, concentrating in Commercial Illustration. While still in school I began working as freelance illustrator, always supplementing my art income with dog walking. In 2003 I moved to Boulder, Colorado, where I continued freelancing and dog walking while attending the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at The Denver Botanic Gardens. In 2010 I reluctantly closed my illustration studio and turned to dog walking as my full-time job, while caring for elderly parents.

Meanwhile, I had become enchanted with the extraordinary story of ballerina Anna Pavlova, a story that right away I knew was one worthy of being shared with others. There was no one collection anywhere in the world dedicated to this ground-breaking woman. I realized that as a visual artist I had a unique opportunity to introduce Pavlova to contemporary audiences in a completely original way. This collection is what I came up with. It is my way of sharing Anna Pavlova’s story with you.

Anna Pavlova (1881-1931):  Historical Notes

Anna Pavlova lived in a time of shifting societal values, of war and revolution, a global pandemic, economic inequalities, and political uncertainties: vast numbers of struggling or displaced persons were on the move. In short, it was a time with many similarities to our own. But in an era when most women were entirely dependent on men and rarely left their domestic environs, Pavlova made it her mission in life to introduce her art form to others. For the first half of her life she trained and then performed at the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Then, for the following two decades, she and her troupe continuously crisscrossed the globe by steamer ship and locomotive, performing thousands of times in large cities and small villages.

She believed deeply in the power of dance to promote a less divisive, more harmonious world. Wholeheartedly embracing peoples of other cultures, her performances bridged ethnic, religious, and political divides. She connected to a wide variety of audiences in a way both universal and intensely personal. Anna Pavlova’s exceptional life, her unflinching dedication to her art, and, most of all, her generous spirit of inclusivity. still resonate with and delight us today.

More details on the HGB website
Visit the Pavlova Project on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pavlovaproject/

• December 13, 2021 – Day Guild Meeting 10:00 am
  Email president@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information
• December 14, 2021 – Evening Guild Meeting 7:00 pm
  Email eveningchair@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information
  
• Handweavers Guild of Boulder monthly meetings are open to the public – non-members please email the appropriate contact link for Zoom access information.

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HGB October 2021 Programs – D Robson

Deb Robson – Author of The Fleece & Fiber Source Book

Handweavers Guild of Boulder
October 2021 Day & Evening Program

You will be mesmerized listening to Deb Robson share with you her journey as she spent four years spinning every fiber-grown-by-an-animal that she could get her hands on, and working with livestock expert Carol Ekarius to write The Fleece & Fiber Source Book, and later The Field Guide to Fleece.  These  books complete the circle of breeds and their wool for fiber lovers.

Understanding the origins and characteristics of the animals that produce your favorite fibers enhances your experience as you spin, knit, weave, and dye, adding depth and meaning to the crafts you love.  Deb began spinning in the 1970s and began noticing that hand spinners valued breeds that were often listed as “at risk of extinction” by the livestock conservation groups.

Robson has been a free-lance editor working both fiction and nonfiction, including a dozen years as editor of Spin-Off magazine, was born and raised in the Midwest, has lived across the US from New England to the Pacific Northwest, and currently lives in Fort Collins.  She is featured in a set of instructional DVDs called Handspinning Rare Wools, and presents hands-on workshops.  You can sign up for Deb’s on line newsletter to hear more about her adventures with wool.

• The Magic of Wool: You Can’t Make Anything Like It in a Lab Learn why wool’s properties are almost unbelievable – and not quite predictable.  And why it is one of the foundations of civilization and why Deb believes it can be one of its salvations.  Deb suggests that when we push the boundaries of what we know about wool, we also push the boundaries of what we think our crafts are, or can be.

• Rare Sheep and Their Wool: Treasures We Can’t Afford to Lose Deb will talk about who decides that a breed is rare (and how), and what breeds (and categories) of breeds are rare (and why). And then she will discuss why we need to keep these breeds around – both as fiber artisans and as members of human civilization. If time permits, she’ll also cover the different channels for processing wool and what to expect from each (large-scale industry, small-scale mechanical, and hand processing).

More of Deb’s work can be viewed at independentstitch.com

More details on the HGB website

• October 11, 2021 – Day Guild Meeting 10:00 am
  The Magic of Wool: You Can’t Make Anything Like It in a Lab
  Email president@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information
• October 12, 2021 – Night Guild Meeting 7:00 pm
  Rare Sheep and Their Wool: Treasures We Can’t Afford to Lose
  Email eveningchair@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information
• Handweavers Guild of Boulder monthly meetings are open to the public – non-members please email the appropriate contact link for Zoom access information.
  

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Anne-Marie Chmielewski – Fibershed

Handweavers Guild of Boulder
September 2021 Day & Evening Program

Anne-Marie Chmielewski is a founding member of the local Mountain and Plains Fibershed. Her current focus is promoting local fiber and natural dyes.

The regional Mountains and Plains Fibershed encompasses a 300-mile radius around Golden, Colorado fostering collaboration among textile artists, designers, fiber farmers, processing mills, suppliers and retail businesses in and around Colorado.

More details on the HGB website

• September 13, 2021 – Day Guild Meeting 10:00 am
  Email president@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information
• September 14, 2021 – Night Guild Meeting 7:00 pm
  Email eveningchair@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information
• Handweavers Guild of Boulder monthly meetings are open to the public – non-members please email the appropriate contact link for Zoom access information.

Liz Spear – Handwoven Art to Wear

Handweavers Guild of Boulder
April 2021 Day & Evening Program

Liz Spear is a maker of handwoven fabrics, and more recently has been incorporating nuno felt into her designer creations as well as surface design fabrics from fellow fiber artists. These collaborations, known as Liz Spear & Friends invigorate her creativity and emphasize the one-of-a-kind nature of her clothing. She exhibits these garments mostly in North Carolina as well as the HGA Convergence conference.

She grew up in Minnesota, in the Mississippi River Valley attending Winona State and St. Cloud State University. She became a full- time craftswoman in 1978, working with clay. While in Iowa she made “pots” in the Earthworks studio of Alexander.  During that time her weaving interests prompted her to collect yarn, threads, fabrics, looms and begin weaving a few rag rugs.  In 1992, Liz attended Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program in Western North Carolina, where she developed her studio practice of weaving yardage and cutting and sewing that yardage into comfortable, classic garments for women.

Liz spends part of each year teaching and mentoring students through workshops and demonstrations. She is a member of Southern Highlands Craft Guild. She has taught at John C. Campbell Folk School, Penland School of Craft, and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

• Inspiration and Practical Suggestions for Sewing Your Handmade Fabrics
Creating your dream garment, from your created fabric will be possible, after watching this presentation. She will share pictures and stories, some about garment development within a professional weavers business, some about working with custom orders or special fabrics. This virtual presentation will provide inspiration mixed with practical suggestions.

• Sewing Your Handmade Felt Fabric or Other Special Fabrics
This virtual presentation will follow the learning journey of making fine nuno felt which can be added to a weaver/garment-maker’s tool box.  And the ability to incorporate additional special fabrics to the mix.  Inspiration mixed with practical suggestions amidst visuals and stories!

More of Liz’s work can be viewed at lizspearhandwoven.com

Photo & Credits: Liz Spear

• April 12, 2021 – Day Guild Meeting 10:00 am
  Inspiration and Practical Suggestions for Sewing Your Handmade Fabrics
• April 13, 2021 – Night Guild Meeting 7:00 pm
  Sewing Your Handmade Felt Fabric or Other Special Fabrics
• Handweavers Guild of Boulder monthly meetings are open to the public – please email programs@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information.