The Urban Weaver Project @ Enterprising Women Making Art

The Urban WeaverProject @ Enterprising Women Making Art [ Download Poster ]

Free Events, Limited Spaces!- pre-register at EWMA

Tuesday July 24. 1-4pm  spinning and prepping natural materials for weaving:

Women participating will learn basics of processing blackberry fiber, English ivy and other natural materials into simple twisted and useable skeins with Sharon Kallis and have a chance to experiment with blending wool and other natural local fibers and try spinning on a spinning wheel with Tracy Williams. Materials prepped will be used in the following day’s workshops. Max 14 participants: 7- EWMA , 7- Eventbrite

Wednesday July 25. 1-4pm  Coiling and Braiding techniques:

Women participating will learn a multi-strand braid technique and simple coiling basketry to create small unique baskets or bracelets that are 100% biodegradable and made with unwanted materials from Stanley Park. Materials and techniques suitable for use in jewellery making.  Instructor: Sharon Kallis      max 10, 6 ewma, 4- Eventbrite

Friday July 27 1-4pm  Twining Basketry and Weaving

Women participating will learn the twining technique of basketry working with invasive plants like English ivy, Yellow flag iris and Himalayan Blackberry from Stanley Park, and make small twined baskets with various locally available weaving materials.  Participants are encouraged to sign up for the July 30^th harvest and gather materials for their own ongoing work.  Instructors: Sharon Kallis and Tracy Williams

Max 14, 7 EWMA, 7 Eventbrite

For Women: blackberry fibre and ivy harvest in Stanley Park

Monday July 30 6-8pm          

Women participating in the EWMA workshops and Urban Weaver regular events are invited to spend some time in Stanley Park harvesting blackberry fibre and English ivy for future personal studio use. Working alongside SPES programmer Krystal Pike and artist Sharon Kallis participants will learn about the impact of invasives in Stanley Park and proper harvesting procedure, time includes processing. Registrants will receive notice of meet up location in Stanley Park 1 week prior to event. Register through eventbrite   http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/3622942318

Artist’s bios:

Sesemiya Tracy Williamsis a young Skwxwu’7mesh/Squamish mother, weaver and high school home school counselor. She was initially inspired by her late grandmother, Eva Nahanee, who was a well-known cedar basket weaver.

Building and sharing her ongoing knowledge of the seasons and learning from the plants she harvests, Tracy pursues her education of the cedar and its roots to process them for use in weaving baskets and now regalia clothing. She continues to learn techniques to make capes and tunics, as well as hats, mats and adornments. She has incorporated fireweed, stinging nettle and rush fibers as well as animal fiber to enrich and strengthen the pieces she makes.  She has completed pieces for use in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic ceremonies, and for museum display and education. She is an invaluable role model to those she learns with as well as the students she works with.

Sharon Kallisdiscovers the inherent material potential in a landscape with a “one mile diet” approach to sourcing art materials. Involving community in connecting traditional hand techniques with invasive species and garden waste; site-specific installations are created that become ecological interventions.  Working with Stanley Park Ecology Society in 2009; Sharon with community assistance crocheted bio-netting for erosion control out of English ivy as a part of THE IVY PROJECT. Ecologists monitoring the success of the ivy bio-netting reveals how with creative thought and community energy even an invasive plant species like English ivy can potentially become a part of the solution.Stabilizing and healing both our own urban communities and invasive compromised eco-systems. A long time resident of the Downtown Eastside, Sharon is a lead artist in the Urban Weaver Project.