Eugene Weavers' Guild is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

weavers Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...

, spinners, and other

fiber art Fiber art (fibre art in British spelling) refers to fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labor on the part of the artist as ...

ists in Eugene, Oregon, in the U.S. It was founded in 1946 and has been meeting monthly for more than seventy years. As of 2016, the Guild included 85 members, ranging in skill from hobbyist to professional weavers, from Eugene, Springfield, and rural communities of surrounding

Lane County, Oregon Lane County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,971, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Eugene. It is named in honor of Joseph Lane, Orego ...

, USA. The Guild sponsors workshops, a lending library, skill demonstrations in a variety fiber arts, equipment sharing, and events to raise funds for local charities.

History

On March 18, 1946, 16 people met to discuss forming a group for handweavers, following the example of guilds established in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, and

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. Guild founder

Mary Elizabeth Starr Sullivan Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

had studied weaving at the Cranbrook Art School and taught at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. In the 1930s, she had several pieces included in a traveling exhibition, with showings at schools and museums. Guild historian Clarice Krieg wrote of the founding, "In order to give the group real ''guild'' status, a two tier membership was proposed – apprentice and master; and the guild was to assume real responsibility for teaching weaving." However, the founding group recognized that goal was too ambitious, and decided to instead focus on "helping each other with the exchange of our knowledge". Initially, dues were 50 cents per year, and the group met in members' homes. By 1954, the group had grown to 30 members, and moved to the Woman’s City Club building, raising dues to $3.50 annually to cover rent. Between 1946 and 1953, the Guild participated in hobby shows sponsored by the Eugene Garden Club Crafts Group. During the same period, the Guild also entered competitions at the annual

Lane County Fair Lane County Fair is a fair that is held in the middle of the summer every year, at Eugene, Oregon, and it features cuisine, entertainment, and music. Excellent family entertainment, cuisine, and artwork can be found at the Lane County Fair. A Lane ...

, and provided an exhibit with a working loom at the fairgrounds. By 1950, Guild members began holding twice-yearly sales of woven goods, and for the first sales event, fourteen members donate 537 items for sale. In June 1952 members had started monthly workshops for members. By 1954, membership stood at 30, and the Guild moved to the Woman’s City Club building, raising monthly dues to $3.50 to afford the rent. The Guild had attempted to offer classes in 1949, without much success, but that changed in 1951 when

Berta Frey Berta Frey (8 November 1893 – 1 February 1972) was a well-known New York weaver, who spoke and taught about weaving techniques for many years. She was one of the founders of the Handweavers Guild of America. Early years Berta Frey was born on 8 ...

, a weaver with a national reputation, offered a workshop. The workshop was "a profitable and successful venture... a true guild experience", according to Krieg.

Programs and activities

In 2014, the local

Maker Faire Maker Faire is a convention of do it yourself aka-DIY enthusiasts started by ''Make'' magazine in 2006. Participants come from a wide variety of interests, such as robotics, 3D printing, computers, arts and crafts, and hacker culture. History ...

said of the Eugene Weavers' Guild: "The Guild has supported the weaving community in Eugene since 1946 with meetings, workshops, equipment sharing, a lending library... Guild members include both professional and hobbyist weavers at all skill levels." The Guild offers demonstrations at the Lane County Fair and

Oregon State Fair The Oregon State Fair is the official state fair of the U.S. state of Oregon. It takes place every August–September at the Oregon State Fairgrounds located in north Salem, the state capital, as it has almost every year since 1862. In 2006, res ...

, as well as local venues. The Guild also fosters interest groups at the

Eugene Textile Center Eugene Textile Center (ETC) is a studio and a regional source of fiber arts materials, equipment, and lessons in weaving, spinning, dyeing, and felting. Founded by Suzie Liles and Marilyn Robert in 2008 in Eugene, Oregon, USA, ETC offers classe ...

on various

s topics, with conversations about past, present, and future projects; Fiber Challenge, with a focus on annual themes including weave structures and other research topics;

Shibori is a Japanese manual tie-dyeing technique, which produces a number of different patterns on fabric. History Some discussion exists as to the origin of as a technique within Japan, and indeed, the exact country of origin of some of the earlies ...

and

Indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

, to explore dyeing methods and applications; and Ply Split Braiding Study Group for those interested in ply split braiding.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.eugeneweavers.com/, name=Eugene Weavers' Guild 1946 establishments in Oregon Arts organizations based in Oregon Culture of Eugene, Oregon Guilds in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Oregon Organizations established in 1946 Textile arts of the United States Textile arts organizations Textile artists from Oregon

History

Programs and activities

See also

References

External links