FORT WAYNE WEAVERS’ GUILD MEMBERS EXHIBIT – Around The Frame

The Fort Wayne Weavers’ Guild exhibit at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Fort Wayne is well attended on the opening night reception. The walls are awash in the colors of the woven masterpieces. A dozen Guild members are on hand to discuss their work with patrons while church volunteers serve a variety of tasty nibble foods to their guests.

The Guild was founded in 1947 and the members today are just as passionate about hand weaving and learning new techniques. They welcome new members to their meetings, held the first Wednesday of the months September thru June (excluding January!). The meetings feature news, social aspects, and a show & tell segment – where you may bring your accomplishments to brag about, pick apart, or receive assistance in figuring out weaving-gone-wrong. There is also a demonstration or lesson taught at each meeting. For more information go to: facebook.com/FortWayneWeaversGuild.

I met the Weaver’s Guild President Sara Nordling who has a life-long interest in art and textiles. She also paints, draws, knits, spins, felts, and stitches. She has an MFA in Studio Art from IU, Bloomington and a BFA in Studio Art from Baylor University and a BA (deaconess) in Theology and Psychology from Concordia University. Currently she is a limited term lecturer in Fine Arts at IPFW.

Sara’s artist statement:

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“Before I understood how a loom worked, it seemed like magic; how one row of threads could interlace with another row of threads without having to be placed over and under, over and under, seemed like some magician’s trick.  Even after I have come to an understanding of how these processes work, I am still amazed, not only that it happens, but also that it can happen in such varied ways. How multitudes of disparate threads can get organized into a unified cloth, that even when simple is complex, is what I’m interested in and what I want to celebrate in what I create. Working with this amazing weaving process I produce textiles that stand on their own as weavings and play with both simplicity and complexity. Unified work that is an integrated whole is essential to my weaving. I let the visual language of weaving speak for itself; it has a rich language all its own.”

Sara enjoys creating ecclesiastical works for various churches and private clients. Sara’s training in both art and theology serves her well as she includes both aspects in the design process.

The exhibit closes October 16 so don’t miss your opportunity to view these artful woven wonders.

Lois Levihn is the owner of Born Again Quilts where vintage quilts, fabrics, patterns and other textiles are sold all over the world. She can be reached at 260-515-9446 or bornagainquilts@frontier.com.