Category: experimentation

May 5, 2022

IN THE STUDIO – Valerie Carew on May 13

IN THE STUDIO TALKS ON HIATUS AFTER THIS EVENT! DON’T MISS VALERIE CAREW AND KAREN MILLER CHATTING!

PPoster for Valerie Carew on In the Studio

Join Toronto artist Valerie Carew as she discusses how she animates household objects such as rugs using photography and performance and how she uses the craft of hand-hooking to express relationships with the natural world.

Engagement with land is a big motivation in Valerie’s artwork. She makes textile wearables and engages with natural environments using immersive role-play. Valerie is interested in exploring the “what ifs” in art making; she tries to use the language of rug fabrication and textile craft to communicate memories and human experience. Her family history and relationships with land are rooted in the settler cultures of Newfoundland and New Brunswick, Canada. Hand hooking rugs is part of the fabric of these cultures. Traditional aspects of rug making, such as material reuse, storytelling, and folklore are referenced and re-configured in her contemporary practice.

You can find tickets for this talk HERE.

About Valerie Carew:
Valerie Carew, she/her (Toronto, Ontario) is an interdisciplinary artist who explores human/land relationships through performance, body based sculpture, installation, painting, and fibre craft practice. Immersive role-play and biomimicry are combined with sculptural rug making to express experiences with land and identity. Valerie’s sculptural works are designed for interplay and physical contact with the human body. She incorporates nostalgia, myth-making, and material transformation to imagine new futures defined by a greater connection to the wild.

You can learn more about Valerie and see her work at www.valeriecarew.com or on Instagram @valerie_carew.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:

The Zoom link for this presentation will be emailed to you the day before the talk (or after you purchase your ticket, if you purchase on the day of the event). If you don’t receive it, you can contact the organizer at info@karendmillerstudio.com.

Tickets will be on sale until 10 am the day of the event. After that time you will no longer be able to purchase tickets.

Please note that the time of the talk is 1:00 pm EASTERN.

FAQ’s

* Will this talk be recorded for viewing later?

Unfortunately, no. Due to the logistics involved, we decided some time ago to keep these events live. Hopefully if you can’t make it to this talk, you’ll be able to make it to a future talk.

* It’s the day of the talk and I’m having trouble finding or using the link for the talk. How can I find help?

It is very advisable to LOG INTO THE EVENT A FEW MINUTES EARLY to be sure that you have no trouble with the link, and if you are having trouble the organizer can help you out. You can email or message the event organizer up until one hour before the talk on the day of the talk for help. ONCE THE EVENT STARTS, however, messages and emails are not able to be monitored.

* I’m finding it distracting during the talk seeing all of the other participants on my screen. What can I do?

During the event the organizer will put the screen setting on “spotlight view” so that the presenter is the focus on your screen. Depending on your device, you may still see audience members on your screen and changing your setting from “gallery view” to “speaker view” should help with that.

* What Time Zone is the time of the talk in?

The time indicated on all ‘In the Studio’ talks is the EASTERN (EST) time zone. If you live in a different time zone, be sure to check what time you should tune in to ensure you don’t miss the talk.

*I can no longer make it to the talk. Or, I missed the talk. Can I get a refund?

Unfortunately no- the price of the ticket is so low that it is not cost-effective to refund those amounts. If you are unable to make it to the talk and you already have a ticket, or you forget to attend, please do contact me at info@karendmillerstudio.com. I always offer a ticket to the next talk to make up for it. All of the artist speakers receive a portion of the ticket proceeds so we very much appreciate your contribution to supporting artists!

April 5, 2022

Instructor Call for Entry

If you’re a fiber arts teacher of any kind, you’re in luck. In the Studio (Online) has just put out an Instructor Call for Entry for our next two online Workshop Weeks (WW). The dates are:

Workshop Week 5 October 23-30, 2022

Workshop Week 6 February 18-23, 2023

The original teachers of In the Studio (Online) include: Susan Feller, Karen Miller, Meryl Cook, Beth Miller, and myself. In order to keep our class offerings fresh, before WW2 we began looking for others to join us. We’ve had workshops in: rug hooking with alternative fibers; braiding; finishing your art; combining paints and hooking; design; felting wool sachets; weaving; Chakra color play; pet portraits; needle punch rug hooking; abstract work; landscapes; watercolors;and so on. We are NOT looking for all hooking classes; rather we’d like to see most any type of fiber art and creativity workshops (that work well online) in addition to subject matter and skills that can inform our hooking and other art practices.

While we began WW to fill a need during Covid lock-downs, we’ve found that they remain popular and that our students want us to continue. Workshops Weeks have allowed students to take classes without the expenses of travel. As well, students get the chance to work with teachers and artists who might otherwise be unavailable to them. Workshop Week 4 happened in mid-winter. There were nine classes. Eighty students participated with many taking more than one workshop.

(If you search using the words “Workshop Week” here on site, you can see what classes we’ve provided in the past.)

Advertising photo for Workshop Week — Our first In the Studio Workshop Week poster.

If you think you might be interested in joining our group of teachers for WW 5 and/or 6, we invite you to submit a proposal. If you have any questions about the coming or past events, please email me at Laura@highonhooking.com. We’ll be accepting proposals until May 15. You can find the prospectus below. We look forward to hearing from you.

Laura, Susan, Karen, Meryl, and Beth

Click to see In the Studio’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

INSTRUCTOR CALL FOR ENTRY

Teacher Proposals for In the Studio
Workshop Weeks 5 and 6

Deadline: May 15, 2022

In the Studio (Online) announces that its next two workshop weeks will be held:

Workshop Week 5 October 23-30, 2022
Workshop Week 6 February 18-23, 2023

As the last two years have shown, affordable, online instruction is here to stay. In the Studio’s online Workshop Weeks (WWs) have allowed students the chance to take classes without the expense of travel. The students are also able to work with teachers and artists who might otherwise be unavailable to them.

Starting with 2021’s WW2, we began to bring in additional instructors who could offer something – not necessarily rug hooking or even a textile art – beyond the expertise of the original In the Studio artists. We look for complimentary/ancillary/supporting arts and skills.

We are now planning WW5 and 6 and again looking to diversify our workshop offerings. We are specifically looking for teachers who conform to our overarching tenet:

Art by artists responding to contemporary events in the world. We invite you to reflect on these responses and consider creating your own art that reacts to our current times.

FYI
WW1 attracted 36 students in five classes. Eighty participated in WW4’s nine workshops. Many took advantage of our non-overlapping schedule to take multiple classes. They “come from” the US, Canada, and even Europe.

PLEASE READ BEFORE APPLYING

Workshop sessions typically last 2-4 hours but are set by individual instructors.
Workshops are standardized to begin at 1:00 PM or 6:00 PM Eastern.
Fees for all classes are: $50 US for one-session classes and $75 US for two-session classes. Teachers may set additional costs for kits, other materials, etc.
Teachers are responsible for collecting payment from their students and keeping in contact with them regarding classes and other WW information.
Teachers are required to submit their class lists to the WW administrator.
All teachers are required to promote all WW classes in their social media, newsletters, etc. Promotion by every teacher is what makes the week successful. Each teacher will also be required to take over In the Studio’s Instagram account for a day in the weeks leading up to WW5 and/or 6.
There are two additional bonus events (a social gathering midweek evening and a panel discussion) that teachers are expected to attend (dates to be determined).
Teachers must have their own Zoom account to use to hold their class.
New for WW5 and 6! An administrative fee of $50 US will be collected once a teacher agrees to teach with In the Studio (Online). We’ve realized that there’s a need for one person to coordinate social media announcements and calendars, send out group emails, maintain the mailing list, etc.
Participation in one WW does not guarantee that one will teach in subsequent WWs.

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE

The benefit of promotion amongst a collection of well-known teachers. Instructors will receive a “brochure” detailing the WW and all classes that should be shared to their networks.
Support from the other teachers in how to run an online class particularly if this is your first time.
The Workshop Week administrator will send out links to all students for bonus events.

TO APPLY

Applicants should indicate if they prefer to teach during WW5 or WW6. If you don’t, we will assume that you are available for either. (We will plan classes for each WW depending on both subject matter and teacher availability.) Because we schedule WW classes so that they don’t overlap, also indicate if you are unavailable on certain days of the week or dates. Let us know too if you have a preference regarding a 1:00 or 6:00 start time. We strive to schedule everyone to their liking.
Provide a detailed class description of the online class you propose to teach. Please include the following: title; length of class; minimum and maximum numbers of students; materials that students will need (will they have to purchase from you?); what will be covered in the class, experience level of students required; and anything else pertinent to the class. Will it require more than one session?
Include a short bio that includes your experience teaching (if any) and any references.
Please send the above information to Laura@highonhooking.com by May 15, 2022.

PLEASE NOTE

If selected, you will be expected to attend at least one online meeting of all teachers (date to be determined).

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Salamy at Laura@highonhooking.com.

February 24, 2022

IN THE STUDIO – Carmen Bohn on March 23

Join Canadian textile artist Carmen Bohn as she shares how her fibre journey opened her eyes and heart to “doing it scared.”

Poster for talk by Carmen Bohn

Be there Wednesday, March 23, as Carmen Bohn talks about how curiosity and courage helped her finally log out of a corporate inbox and leap into the creative unknown of running her own business. She will share how her fibre journey opened her eyes and heart to “doing it scared” and why the story of so much of her fibre art is truly the story of unfinished things. By the end of this talk, she hopes you’ll feel inspired enough to get off your computer and to go make something! Find tickets for this online talk HERE.

Carmen is a fibre artist and creative entrepreneur who lives, works, and plays in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her fibre art focuses on creating colourful and textural art yarns out of reclaimed textiles and household waste on one of her many spinning wheels. She then uses those yarns to make free-form knit and crochet objects as well as woven tapestries. She prefers to make use of items that otherwise would have gone to a landfill. She weaves (literally) the story of these things into her pieces, drawing attention to the issue of consumption and waste.

Carmen officially launched her own creative arts studio called Ply Studio in January of 2021. There and online she offers a range of creative arts workshops (sometimes in collaboration with other makers and artists) with the mission of helping people to feel happy by teaching them to make stuff by hand.

Ply Studio offers both in-person and virtual creative arts workshops. Our workshops will help you slow down, connect with others and create something beautiful. The very act of making stuff by hand is good for us. Go on – give yourself permission to learn new skills or expand on ones you already have. Ply Studio is a place where “no/I can’t/not today” is replaced by “why not?”. Oh, and we also have some well-curated supplies to fuel your next creative obsession.

Come make stuff with us.
-from Carmen’s website

When she isn’t in her studio, Carmen spends her time with her inspired husband, Chris, and her giggling girls, Everleigh and Maeven. Usually you’ll find them on a ski hill in the winter or near a body of water in the summer.

You can learn more about Carmen Bohn and see her work, or sign up for a workshop with her at www.plystudio613.com, or find her on Instagram @plystudio613 and @carmenbohn_art. She is also on Facebook @plystudio613.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:

Tickets will be on sale until 10 am the day of the event. After that time you will no longer be able to purchase tickets.

Please note that the time of the talk is 1:00 pm EASTERN.

FAQ’s

* Will this talk be recorded for viewing later?

Unfortunately, no. Due to the logistics involved, we decided some time ago to keep these events live. Hopefully if you can’t make it to this talk, you’ll be able to make it to a future talk.

* It’s the day of the talk and I’m having trouble finding or using the link for the talk. How can I find help?

* I’m finding it distracting during the talk seeing all of the other participants on my screen. What can I do?

* What Time Zone is the time of the talk in?

*I can no longer make it to the talk. Or, I missed the talk. Can I get a refund?

November 29, 2021

Time to register for Workshop Week 4!

Workshop Week 4 classes announced; registrations are open!

A little déjà vu… Classes offered for Workshop Week 4

Thanks to Covid, a new type of “art camp” was born last year, one that lets folks from all over come together without worrying about the high costs (in money and germs!) of travel and hotels. Those of us involved in In the Studio – brought together by Karen Miller – had such success and fun, that we did it all over again in Februaryand then again last month. So as not to get too complacent or predictable, we now regularly invite other artists to join us.

Workshop Weeks are a little different than the usual rug hooking camps. While we have plenty of classes involving hooking in some way, we also look to offer new skills to our students. New skills can involve different textile arts traditions. They also might be about ancillary arts and processes that can enhance your hooking or your other artistic endeavors. “Why limit ourselves?” is a big part of our philosophy at In the Studio.

Artists participating this go-around include the usual suspects: Elizabeth (Beth) Miller; Meryl Cook; Susan Feller, and myself. You’re probably familiar with at least a few of our guest teachers: Charlie Dalton (you might know him by his Instagram handle @thehookingcolonel); Yvonne Iten-Scott; Hayley Perry; Jane M. Mason, and Deirdre Pinnock.

Again, all Workshop Week 4 classes will be conducted on Zoom. I know, I know, it’s not the same as being there in person, but how else could you be part of these incredible line-ups? And we’ll have the two bonus sessions again during the week – an evening gathering (February 6) and a panel discussion (January 30).

Just like Workshop Weeks 1-3, there is a wide array of workshops available. Scroll through the document below to find your favorite(s). Feel free to take more than one. Email individual instructors directly for registration and more info. Don’t tarry, as classes filled up pretty quickly last time.

BTW: If you see a workshop that you’d love to take with your guild or other social group, most of us are happy to run our classes again.

WORKSHOP WEEK 4 – Scroll away to see the classes being offered. Enlarge image by clicking on bottom right symbol.

October 5, 2021

IN THE STUDIO – October is our month!

In the Studio is having quite the month! Make sure you’re caught up with all that’s going on so that you don’t miss anything.

#showingupinthestudio2021

Search Instagram using this hashtag. We at In the Studio are urging folks to jump into our new daily “challenge” that’s not so much a challenge as it is a gift to yourself. As Meryl Cook put it: “Just do something to stretch yourself creatively for the rest of 2021.” And, hey, if you can only do it every other day or weekly, do that. Just do it for yourself. Because I had a show this past weekend to prep for, I only got to join in the fun yesterday. I started an improv stitching mini-project that I’ll work on a little each evening because I haven’t been good at starting a stitching PROJECT earlier in the year like I wanted to. This will put me on a path of exploration so that I can really get into something come 2022. There are almost two months to see where this takes me. Find more examples at @artwools and @karenmillerstudio .

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MerylCook Engagement by Design (@merylcook)

Workshop Weeks 3 and 4 In the Studio Workshop Week logo

Last year the In the Studio artists began Workshop Week (WW) to fill a hole that Covid dug. Sure, we couldn’t attend workshops and classes in person, but we put our heads together and technology to work and managed to come together anyway. It stuck! We’ve realized that getting together via Zoom allows students and teachers (most of us have played both roles) to meet one another and learn new techniques for a fraction of the cost of traditional schools. (Not that we’re giving up on those, but WW is a nice complement and the only thing available to many of us.) We don’t limit ourselves to rug hooking, but encourage the presentation of other arts and complementary techniques and subject matter. If you haven’t perused the WW3 options, check them now as classes have been filling. Personally, I have room in my October 23 session of Hooking with T-Shirts. Contact me at Laura@highonhooking.com if interested. We are currently soliciting proposals for this winter’s WW4. Teachers, find more info here.

In the Studio Online with JESS STEPONAITIS – October 22

Join Nova Scotia textile artist, Jess Steponaitis, as she discusses how she uses bold colours and unique designs to approach the traditional craft of rug hooking with a fresh perspective! You can find tickets for this online talk HERE.

About Jessica Steponaitis:

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Jessica has been designing and crafting hooked rugs since 2002. Her work is best described as “contemporary folk art” or “folk art meets pop art,” and she frequently creates work inspired by her proximity to the ocean and all of its creatures. All of Jessica’s work is created using linen foundation cloth. She cuts all of her wool by hand and frequently dyes wool to create custom colors. The edges of each rug are carefully finished using locally sourced wool yarn.

Jessica’s work was featured in Rug Hooking Magazine in 2020 and she has been invited to participate in the Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival. She is also a member of the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia.

To learn more about Jessica and to see her work, you can find her on Facebook and on Instagram @rughookerjess.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ FOR ALL IN THE STUDIO TALKS:
The Zoom link for this presentation will be emailed to you the day before the talk (or after you purchase your ticket, if you purchase on the day of the event). If you don’t receive it, you can contact the organizer at info@karendmillerstudio.com.
Tickets will be on sale until 10 am the day of the event. After that time you will no longer be able to purchase tickets.
Please note that the time of the talk is 1:00 pm EASTERN (EST).
FAQ’s
* Will this talk be recorded for viewing later?
Unfortunately, no. Due to the logistics involved, we decided some time ago to keep these events live. Hopefully if you can’t make it to this talk, you’ll be able to make it to a future talk.
* It’s the day of the talk and I’m having trouble finding or using the link for the talk. How can I find help?
It is very advisable to LOG INTO THE EVENT A FEW MINUTES EARLY to be sure that you have no trouble with the link, and if you are having trouble the organizer can help you out. You can email or message the event organizer up until one hour before the talk on the day of the talk for help. ONCE THE EVENT STARTS, however, messages and emails are not able to be monitored.
* I’m finding it distracting during the talk seeing all of the other participants on my screen. What can I do?
During the event the organizer will put the screen setting on “spotlight view” so that the presenter is the focus on your screen. Depending on your device, you may still see audience members on your screen and changing your setting from “gallery view” to “speaker view” should help with that.
* What Time Zone is the time of the talk in?
The time indicated on all ‘In the Studio’ talks is the EASTERN (EST) time zone. If you live in a different time zone, be sure to check what time you should tune in to ensure you don’t miss the talk.
*I can no longer make it to the talk. Or, I missed the talk. Can I get a refund?
Unfortunately no- the price of the ticket is so low that it is not cost-effective to refund those amounts. If you are unable to make it to the talk and you already have a ticket, or you forget to attend, please do contact me at info@karendmillerstudio.com. I always offer a ticket to the next talk to make up for it. All of the artist speakers receive a portion of the ticket proceeds so we very much appreciate your contribution to supporting artists!

The artists of In the Studio – Karen Miller, Susan Feller, Beth Miller, Meryl Cook, and myself – hope that you’ll join us for at least one of these events in October!