Sunday, April 12, 2020

Hi everyone - we are all doing our own ART PLAY at home these days - a full 33 days since the arts programming at the TETT Centre closed down, and classes started being postponed or moved forward in the 2020 calendar - are you still out there and interested???

Well - imagine me about 20 years ago - 


There I was, a younger and eager and dynamic Fibreworks Kingston student who was in a Weekend Workshop classroom with Toronto's master artist in fibre, Marion Spanjerdt, at the St. Lawrence College - and we were given the Board Room in the Executive Wing on the 12000 floor - just for the weekend and yes, it was AWESOME FUN. I so wish I could go back in time and enjoy some fun with artist friends and with the amazing artists from our past!


We painted pieces that were intended for collage works and the art play was the very best fun!

There I was with the long hair I was growing out as my big sister Patricia had double mastectomies scheduled and she might lose her hair - so my younger sister, Terrye and I decided to let our hair grow and maybe Patty would need it - she was fine and her hair went totally white (like mine these days) 

I was an aspiring Instructor at the College and did that for 23 years before the SLC Fibre Arts Programming dissolved before my eyes... to be no longer as a diploma program, as the Arts Funding for Colleges has been cut off by the Province and only short term classes might be added for the programs in Continuing Ed.

So, now I play at the TETT Centre and have some really wonderful students in small classes that carry on as being fun and playful and hope that we will all be back in the classroom together soon.

Homage to Hundertwasser, Marion Spanjerdt
The ART OF THE HANDMADE STITCH Class I had planned for April 17th,2020  has been postponed to May 22nd  and fingers crossed we can get together then. Students have been contacted.

The DYE DAY, ALL ABOUT PLAY class scheduled for May 3rd, 2020 is still on, but may also be postponed for the second time due to the Covid-19 rules for the City of Kingston re-opening for the TETT Centre. 

Fingers crossed we will be together May 3rd, but perhaps not. We have guidelines designed to protect all of our visitors to the TETT as well as the staff and our Instructors. Kingston is doing well, but there are still high spikes across Canada... so we wait!

I have re-booked another DYE DAY date at the TETT Centre for May 31st in the Rehearsal Hall to allow for the full complement of students to be Physical Distancing safely together in one large room. 

Keep watching here at the FIBREWORKS KINGSTON Blog... and I will be notifying students already enrolled as news comes to me.  http://fibreworkskingston.blogspot.com/

Stitch up some fabric masks if you have the supplies and be sure to line them with a non-woven like new coffee filters or better yet, if you can get ahold of Pellon 830 Non-Woven "Easy Pattern" nonwoven interfacing from Fabricland or elsewhere online, it is a perfect deterrent to any droplets leaving or coming to you! Help protect everyone you come in contact with if you have to be out of the home.

NOTE: I have been advised today April 13th that HEPA filter fabrics are NOT appropriate as they may include fibreglass extruded threads... 

Be kind to and tolerant of each other, love your family and MAKE ART! 

Bethany