Friday, November 21, 2014

The Amazing Story of Fiber Art Fusion


This week I examined the history of an art group I formed in 2005 which started as the Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Art Alliance (caqa).  We all giggled when my husband acquired the domain name: CAQA.  I didn't know why he didn't get CAFAA. It wasn't long before the majority ruled and we renamed ourselves: Fiber Art Fusion. Wait, I am jumping ahead.

In 2005 I took a workshop and was so excited at the prospect of making art from fiber that I wanted to join a group of like minded souls.  There were a few art quilt groups around Atlanta, several too far to drive, and one that wasn't taking new members.  I thought about starting my own and began to research.  I found the incredible Mary McBride, who turned me on to Jan Girod and Sharon Serrano Ahmed.  Both Jan and Sharon were excited at the prospect.  Both gave me input and advice and agreed to help.

I read A View from the Studio Door by Ted Orlands.  In his book, Ted talks about Stravinsky violins and how the community supported the artists who made these.  Without the support of the community, these beautiful instruments would not exist.  My utopia was that our group wold support each other so we could make art without FEAR.  No DIVAS, no meanness, encourage and promote each other, HELP, constructive criticism, respect the worth and dignity of all members.


The Second Meeting of The Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Art Alliance
(Later renamed Fiber Art Fusion.)
Each month our meetings consisted of a welcome, show and tell, and then an artist presenting an exercise or small technique.  We met on Tuesday nights and had 2 hours to get all this done.  Not enough time for a full blown class, just a taste of a technique.  We passed the hat to pay the presenters a nominal workshop fee -- but that was voluntary.  As were dues.  I did not want to create a group that might exclude an artist because he/she could not afford to join, or pay the fee.

 I never really looked at comprehensive list of all our meetings, presenters, topics on one page.  And when I pulled it all together it makes one beautiful example of what happens when you gather creative people together in a mutually supportive environment and say "OKAY GO."

 8 years, 106 meetings and STILL ROCKING.  Fiber Art Fusion has had some really amazing artists at our meetings -- guest artists Laura Cater-Woods, Pamela Allen, Betty Pillsbury, Nicholas Kniel, Pati Bradi, Linc Bennet, Molly Elkind, Leisa Rich, Terri Dilling, Pat Drew and member artists: Sharon Serrano Ahmed, Margaret Betz, Debbie Smith, Janet O'Brien, Paula Coplon, Heidi Miracle, Debbie Taratoot, Mary Akers, Hellenne Vermillion, Denny Webster, Ben Hollingsworth, Diane Schultheiss, Martha Meyers, Lynn Rinehart, Devon Pfeif, Elizabeth Talledo, Pam Rishfeld and Melinda Fulkerson.  Oh my if I forgot someone, send me an email, but I am pretty sure I've got them all.

 WOW!  And below is the list, month by month of each meeting, presenter, topic and a link to the website of the presenter -- so you can check out how awesome these people are!!

 And to anyone in Atlanta and surrounding areas, join Fiber Art Fusion.  
Each month, FAF meets on the Second Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. 
MAY 2006
Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Art Alliance Forms
First Meeting – Informational
Public Library

JUNE 2006
Sharon Serrano Ahmed
Quilts, Art Quilts, Fiber Artist, Felting, Surface Design
Exploration in Surface Design
Public Library


JULY 2, 2006
Tea with Betty Pillsbury
Award Winning Textile Artist specializing in Crazy Quilts
Fiber On A Whim

JULY 11, 2006
Margaret Betz
Extraordinary Textile Artist
Bead Embroidery
Public Library

AUGUST 2006
Rebecca Reasons Edwards
Artist/Writer/Advocate
and Sharon Serrano Ahmed
Mixed Media/Fiber Artist
Fiber Artist's Pantry

SEPTEMBER 2006
Postcard Sew-in at Fiber on a Whim
to support Virginia Spiegel's
Fiber Art for a Cause

OCTOBER 2006
Little Treasures
Debbie Smith
From a publicly-shared technique by Carol Fletcher
featured on Quilting Arts Magazine Website

NOVEMBER 2006
Janet O'Brien
Award Winning Quilter and Instructor
Thread work and Threads
Fiber On A Whim

NOVEMBER 16, 2006
Laura Cater Woods
Mixed Media/Fiber Artist
Fiber On A Whim

DECEMBER 2006
Holiday Dinner
Fiber Art Exchange

JANUARY 2007
Planning Meeting

FEBRUARY 2007
Name Change Meeting
Hope Show Discussion


MARCH 2007
Paula Coplon
Ceramic and Fiber Artist
Heidi Miracle
Mixed Media/Fiber Artist
Embellisher Machine Techniques

APRIL 2007
Nicholas Kniel
Artist, author
Silk Ribbon Roses

MAY 2007
Margaret Betz
Extraordinary Fiber Artist
Beaded Vessels

JUNE 2007
Heidi Miracle McMahill
Mixed Media/Fiber Artist
Watercolor Crayons

JULY 2007
Janet O'Brien
Award Winning Quilter and Instructor
Finishing Quilts

AUGUST 14, 2007
Show and Tell AND
Turn in Art for HOPE Exhibit

AUGUST 17, 2007
Happy hour with Pamela Allen
Fiber On a Whim

SEPTEMBER 2007
HOPE Exhibit

OCTOBER 2007
Debbie Taratoot
Artist and owner of Rubber Stamp Fantasy
Rubber Stamp Fantasy

NOVEMBER 2007
Janet O'Brien
Award Winning Quilter and Instructor
Garments, Samples and Quilts

DECEMBER 2007
Holiday Party/Art Exchange


JANUARY 2008
Rebecca Reasons Edwards
Artist/Writer/Advocate
The Fiber Artist's Pantry
Part One


FEBRUARY 2008
Rebecca Reasons Edwards
Artist/Writer/Advocate
The Fiber Artist's Pantry
Part Deux

MARCH 2008
Paula Coplon
Ceramic and Fiber Artist
Clay Embellishment
Paula's Studio

APRIL 2008
Margaret Betz
Extraordinary Fiber Artist
Silk Embroidery

MAY 2008
Unknown topic at
Fiber On A Whim

JUNE 2008
Transformation Show and Tell and
Art turn in for Exhibit
Fiber On A Whim

JULY 2008
Mixed Media Artist/Fiber Artist/Water colorist
NOW Executive Director of the Cherokee County Arts Center
Transformation Show

AUGUST 2008
Heidi Miracle
Mixed Media/Fiber Artist
Fabric Beads

SEPTEMBER 2008
Hellenne Vermillion
Silk Scraps Creativity Workshop

OCTOBER 2008
Margaret Betz
Extraordinary Fiber Artist
and Rebecca Reasons Edwards
Artist/Writer/Advocate
Guided Creativity Workshop
Fiber on a Whim

NOVEMBER 2008
Margaret Betz
Extraordinary Fiber Artist
AIDS Quilt Project

DECEMBER 2008
Holiday Party Art Exchange

JANUARY 2009
Mary Akers
Mixed Media Artist/Fiber Artist/Water colorist
NOW Executive Director of the Cherokee County Arts Center
Drawing Workshop
Tiny Stitches

FEBRUARY 2009
Martha Myers
Textile Artist/Fiber Artist/Wearable Wearable Art/Embroidery
Sashiko Workshop
Red Hen Fabrics

MARCH 2009
Sharon Serrano Ahmed
Quilts, Art Quilts, Fiber Artist, Felting, Surface Design
Working Dimensionally
Tiny Stitches

APRIL 2009
Patti Brady
Working Artist Program Director for Golden Paints, author and artist
Golden Acrylic Lecture-Demo
Abernathy Arts Center

MAY 2009
Linc Bennet
Award Winning Artist
Painted Wood/Fabric Pictorial
Red Hen Fabric

JUNE 2009
Planning Meeting
Exploring Dimension Check In

JULY 2009
Debbie Taratoot
Artist and owner of Rubber Stamp Fantasy
Rubber Stamp Fantasy

AUGUST 2009
Exploring Dimension Exhibit
Art Turn In

SEPTEMBER 2009
Mary Akers
Mixed Media Artist/Fiber Artist/Water colorist
NOW Executive Director of the Cherokee County Arts Center
Charcoal Drawing Still Life

OCTOBER 2009
Margaret Betz
Extraordinary Fiber Artist
Yard Sale

NOVEMBER 2009
Rebecca Reasons Edwards
Artist/Writer/Advocate

“Zen” Doodling, Not ZenTangling
Which I have been doing since 1969
All original designs/art/instructions.

DECEMBER 2009
Holiday Party
Art Exchange

JANUARY 2010
Heidi Miracle
Mixed Media/Fiber Artist
Based on her recent Quilting Arts article
Creating Fiber art with Foam Plate Mono prints

FEBRUARY 2010
Molly Elkind
Mixed media/Fiber/Textile Art/Wearable Art/Weaver
Presentation Elements of Art and Principles of Design for QUILTERS

MARCH 2010
Virginia Greaves
Award Winning Fiber Artist
Portrait Quilts

APRIL 2010
Sharon Serrano Ahmed
Quilts, Art Quilts, Fiber Artist, Felting, Surface Design
Embossing Coloring and Stitching on Metal

MAY 2010
Leisa Rich
Presentation

JUNE 2010
Denny Webster
Fiber/Mixed Media/Quilt Artist
Acrylic Paint on Fabric

JULY 2010
Terri Dilling
Painter and Printmaker
Cyanotypes

AUGUST 2010
Exhibit Art Turn In

SEPTEMBER 2010
NO MEETING

OCTOBER 2010
Debbie Taratoot
Artist and Owner of Rubber Stamp Fantasy
Rubber Stamp Fantasy

NOVEMBER 2010
Mary Akers
Mixed Media Artist/Fiber Artist/Water colorist
NOW Executive Director of the Cherokee County Arts Center
Drawing Workshop

DECEMBER 2010
Holiday Party and
Art Exchange

JANUARY 2011
Ben Hollingsworth
Quilter/Fiber Artist/Artist/Retired High School Art Teacher
Speaker/Teacher
Composition
Tiny Stitches

FEBRUARY 2011
Hellenne Vermillion
Painter, Ceramic Artist, Silk Painter
Silk Painting Workshop

MARCH 2011
Mary Akers
Mixed Media Artist/Fiber Artist/Water colorist
NOW Executive Director of the Cherokee County Arts Center
Gel Transfers
Red Hen Fabrics

APRIL 2011
Planning Meeting
Red Hen Fabric

MAY 2011
Ben Hollingsworth
Quilter/Fiber Artist/Artist/Retired High School Art Teacher
Speaker/Teacher
Breaking the Creative Block
Beadazzled

JUNE 2011
Paula Coplon
Ceramic and Fiber Artist
Thread Painting
Paula's House

JULY 2011
Taking Flight Exhibit
The Art Place

AUGUST 2011
Debbie Taratoot
Artist and Owner of Rubber Stamp Fantasy
Rubber Stamp Fantasy

SEPTEMBER 2011
Virginia Greaves
Award Winning Fiber Artist
Textile Photography
Abernathy Arts Center

OCTOBER 2011
Diane Schultheiss
Fiber Artist/Silk Painter/Methodist Pastor
Tsukeniko Ink and Shaving Cream Technique

NOVEMBER 2011
Sew In
Social Meeting
Tiny Stitches

DECEMBER 2011
Holiday Party/Art Exchange

JANUARY 2012
Martha Myers
Textile Artist/Fiber Artist/Wearable Wearable Art/Embroidery
Folk Art Stitching

FEBRUARY 2012
Denny Webster
Fiber/Mixed Media/Quilt Artist
We HEART Fiber Art Fusion
Creativity exercise

MARCH 2012
Ben Hollingsworth arranged
a studio tour and art review at
the studio of artist Pat Drew

APRIL 2012
Led by Denny Webster
Fiber/Mixed Media/Quilt Artist
Planning Meeting and
guided discussion and exercise about
storytelling in our art.

MAY 2012
Led by Denny Webster
Fiber/Mixed Media/Quilt Artist
members brought "homework" from April 2012 meeting to share
Contracts were distributed for 2012 exhibit.

JUNE 2012
Rebecca Edwards
Artist/Writer/Advocate
Fiber Artist's Pantry

JULY 2012
Lynn Rinehart
Quilt Appraisal presentation

AUGUST 2012
Hosted by Denny Webster
at Tiny Stitches
Turn in art for exhibit

SEPTEMBER 2012
Debbie Smith
Local Mixed Media/Fiber Artist
Little Treasures
From a publicly-shared technique by Carol Fletcher
featured on Quilting Arts Magazine Website

OCTOBER 2012
Debbie Taratoot
Artist and Owner of Rubber Stamp Fantasy
Rubber Stamp Fantasy

NOVEMBER 2012
Painter, Ceramic Artist, Silk Painter
Layout and Design Workshop

DECEMBER 2012
Holiday Dinner and Gift Exchange

JANUARY 2013
Ben Hollingsworth
Quilter/Fiber Artist/Artist/Retired High School Art Teacher
Speaker/Teacher
Principles of Design

FEBRUARY 2013
Award Winning Fiber Artist
Color Value and Choosing Fabrics
(Color Theory, Color Illusions and how prints will affect your work.)

MARCH 2013
Rebecca Reasons Edwards
Artist/Writer/Advocate
Derwent InkTense Pencils and Crayons

APRIL 2013
Annual Planning Meeting

MAY 2013
Program Planning Session

 JUNE 2013
Virginia Greaves
Award Winning Fiber Artist
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITIQUE

JULY 2013
Rebecca Reasons Edwards
Artist/Writer/Advocate
Dye Fest at Rebecca's Home

AUGUST 2013
Art Turn in for Exhibit

SEPTEMBER 2013
Diane Schulteiss
Fiber Artist/Silk Painter/Methodist Pastor
Doodling and “tangling”

OCTOBER 2013
Textile Artist/Fiber Artist/Wearable Wearable Art/Embroidery
Kimono Workshop

NOVEMBER 2013
Program Brainstorm
for 2014

DECEMBER 2013
Holiday Dinner


JANUARY 2014
Dianne Schulteiss
Fiber Artist/Silk Painter/Methodist Pastor
Crayon and Stitches

FEBRUARY 2014
The Great Atlanta Ice Storm
Meeting Cancelled

MARCH 2014
Quilter/Fiber Artist/Artist/Retired High School Art Teacher
Speaker/Teacher
Cheater Shibori

APRIL 2014
Devon Pfeif
Fiber Artist and Batik Artist
Batik Slide Show, Lecture and Exhibit


MAY 2014
Lynn Rinehart
Certified Quilt Appraiser, fiber artist, quilt instructor and long arm quilter.
Fiber Art Postcards


JUNE 2014
Elizabeth Talledo
Needlework Designer and Teacher
Thread Painting

 JULY 2014
Lynn Rinehart
Certified Quilt Appraiser, fiber artist, quilt instructor and long arm quilter.
Fabric/rope Bowl


AUGUST 2014
Artist/Textile Designer/Needlework Artist, Art Quilter
Appeared as featured guest on Simply Quilts with Alex
Owner of Rishfeld Designs
Layering

SEPTEMBER 2014
Award Winning Longarmer Quilter and Teacher
Fabrics other than Cotton
Making a Small Needle Block

OCTOBER 2014
Martha Myers
Textile Artist/Fiber Artist/Wearable Wearable Art/Embroidery
Silkscreen


NOVEMBER 2014
Quilter/Fiber Artist/Artist/Retired High School Art Teacher
Speaker/Teacher
Group Show Review



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