Residency #2

I have been doing my second residency of the summer for a different group and in a different location from the first one. This one (and the next one) are for my weaving group and they are being held at the Charlotte Street Art Centre. It is a beautiful old building that used to be a school. The school was closed down many years ago and there it sat. Until a group of people decided that it would make a great art center. Fast forward ten years, countless hours of meeting to convince the right people, fundraising up the yingyang, and untold hours of volunteer labour, and we now have an Art Centre. The Fredericton Designer Weavers' secretary just happened to be one of those fundraising/volunteering people and when we were looking for a location to hold residencies this summer, she suggested the CSAC as a possible location. Sounded good to us.


Here is the loom that was provided for the residency. We have it set up on the landing of one of the staircases. This place was built in the late 1800's and space and heating were obviously not a problem. This landing is larger than my bedroom. The ceilings are high , the wood work, fancy. As I said, it is a beautiful old building.

The loom is 45 " wide and I was thrilled at the prospect of weaving something that was wider than 17". So I put three dyed shawls on that are 24 ".


Here is a view going up the rest of the staircase. There is a show that is hung right now and these are a few of the pieces. Upstairs are a couple of classrooms and the violin studio. Downstairs are a few studios, the CSAC office, a dance studio, Film coop and a few other groups that I don't know . And in the basement is The Underground Cafe. Totally appealing to students and those of like minds. Big comfy, well worn couches. Large tables. A computer hooked up to the internet. And a totally vegan menu. As in soya cream in your coffee. I haven't been brave enough to ask for coffee yet. I just stick to the organic ginger ale.

So, back to the residency. Remember last time I said that I talked to a bunch of people? Well, so far, this time , I have talked to five. Ten if you count Karen and Jan, two other weavers, a friend of Karen's and her two girls. And of the five, four work at the center. So that leaves me with 1. One person that actually came to ask questions and see what I was doing. So if the point of the residency was to expose people to weaving, then it is a bust. But on the plus side, I have gotten a lot of weaving done. I have two of the three shawls woven off and will get the third one off this afternoon.

I have to come up with another project for my next residency. I am thinking about throw blankets with some of my hand spun in them. Or maybe dyed blankets. Or maybe one of the warps that I made up and dyed last week. Who knows?