All Studio Tours take place at 4 p.m. (ET)

 

Monday, October 2, 2023 at 4 p.m. (ET)

Studio Tour: Nome Schoolhouse

Meet Teresa Perleberg and Chris Armbrust, the dynamic duo behind Shepherd Industries, LLC. Chris founded Dakota Fiber Mill in 2010, where she's been spinning all kinds of fibers into gorgeous yarn and roving, including her own line of yarn, Dakota Spun! Teresa started Bear Creek Felting in 2008 and specializes in creating adorable 3D needle-felted sculptures using wool from her 250 sheep. She also created an online felting Academy featuring video courses. These two talented women teamed up to purchase the abandoned Nome Schoolhouse in 2018 and spent 3 years turning it into a one-stop-shop for fiber lovers. The schoolhouse boasts a retail store, classrooms, fiber animals, a boutique hotel, an in-house chef, and even an event center! You can also tour the Dakota Fiber Mill. Also at the schoolhouse, the Nome Eweniversity nonprofit provides a hands-on, farm-to-needle experience that educates and inspires future makers, artists, and growers. 

 

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Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 4 p.m. (ET)

Studio Tour: Sarah Gotowka

Sarah Gotowka is a practicing textile artist and instructor. She has been weaving since 2005 and has been growing natural dyes since 2010. She received her BFA in Fibers and Material Studies from The Cleveland Institute of Art in 2007, and her MFA in Fibers and Material Practices from Concordia University in Montreal in 2013. Since moving to the Ithaca area, she has taught at SUNY Cortland, Cornell University, Ithaca College, The Johnson Museum of Art, Wells College, and New Roots Charter School to name a few. Sarah currently advises in the BFA Socially Engaged Art degree track at Goddard College. Sarah is a Korean adoptee and formerly worked for the Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York. There she mentored youth adoptees and advocated around trans-racial adoption issues. Weaving and dyeing have been a powerful healing tool in Sarah’s journey of exploring her roots and connecting to her ancestral knowledge. 

 

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Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 4 p.m. (ET)

Studio Tour: Omar Chávez Santiago

Originally from Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, Omar Chávez Santiago is part of the fourth generation of weavers in his family. Omar, who learned to weave at age 8, is involved in all parts of the creation of his pieces—he carefully uses exclusively natural dyes, respecting the history and natural timing in each element. He develops ideas and weaves without a fixed pattern, following his experiences and emotions as they change. An industrial engineer, he learned to be detailed and careful in his processes. Each rug is carefully considered to convey harmony and freedom; through the joining of warp and weft he searches for inspiration to create new possibilities and ways to do and see things. Omar has given presentations about his creative process across Mexico and the US, received the Alice Brown Memorial Scholarship from Weave a Real Peace, and has been featured in Selvedge. He is in charge of the design and production department at Fe y Lola Rugs and Textiles in Oaxaca, Mexico.  

 

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Friday, October 6, 2023 at 4 p.m. (ET)

Studio Tour: Bobby Zokaites

Bobby Zokaites is a U.S. based sculptor skilled in a variety of materials with a wealth of experience producing large-scale works for private and public spaces. He has been weaving as a solution for sculptural skins for almost two decades. Blurring the line between fine art, public sculpture, and collaborative practices, his work engages diverse audiences, humanizes public spaces, and often encourages participation with larger-than-life-sized artwork. Zokaites earned his BFA at New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University (2008) and his MFA in Sculpture at Arizona State University (2014). He recently completed two permanent public art projects in Arizona and one in Wailuku, Hawaii on the island of Maui. 

 

 

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Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 4 p.m. (ET)

Studio Tour: Beth Ross Johnson

Beth Ross Johnson has been weaving since 1970. After learning to weave from students of Norman Kennedy, her interests turned to the textiles of Japan and she has had two extensive stays to study kasuri and sakiori there (and bought lots of fun equipment!). She received an MFA in textiles from Georgia State University and has taught weaving and art history as an adjunct instructor at many institutions. She is a regular instructor at the John C. Campbell Folk School and Penland School of Crafts. This fall she is teaching weaving at Appalachian State University. Current research projects include ikats from Europe and  weaving sashiko patterns. At present, she is weaving, writing, teaching and researching from her studio in Black Mountain, North Carolina. 

 

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Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 4 p.m. (ET)

Studio Tour: Rebecca Shelly

Rebecca Shelly was trained in oil painting at the Maine College of Art. She fell in love with color, texture, and patterns. This work led her to Oregon. She pursued her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Contemporary Arts Practices at Portland State University. After school she sewed a shirt on her roommate’s sewing machine. 

This led her down the path of sewing and fitting garments, piecing, and free-motion quilting. She began teaching at California State University, Chico, and Butte College in their Art Departments. In Spring 2020, she was given the Fiber Arts course to teach. She had to quickly learn how to weave, spin and natural dye. She did not realize that this would turn into her own business, Weft and Willow Fiber Arts Studio. Rebecca built this with seventeen looms, twelve sewing machines and six spinning wheels. She hosts workshops, a YouTube Channel, and opportunities for gathering.