As part of our Continuing Textile Traditions series, Weave A Real Peace's December Zoom Panel, Textile Tales: The Value of Stories, will feature three WARP members bringing us tales of their work and writing coming from both the east and west hemispheres. The three are authors of books about textile processes, culture, and communities in pre-Columbian and contemporary North American homes, towns and villages across Nigeria and Guatemala, and refugee camps in Mexico. Their writing includes stories from centuries ago and on up to the present.
Over a diverse working life as a weaver, embroiderer, teacher, anthropologist/archaeologist, and museum curator, Penelope Drooker has taken great delight in learning and creating, and then sharing what she’s learned both in person and through writing. Her books include such titles as Mississipian Village Textiles at Wickliffe, Hammock Making Techniques, and Embroidering with the Loom. Penny is Curator of Anthropology Emerita, New York State Museum.
Elisha P. Renne is Professor Emerita, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and conducts research in central and northern Nigeria. She is also the co-founder, along with Hassana Yusuf, of the non-profit women’s embroidery group, Queen Amina Embroidery. Among other things she will be speaking about two of her books: Cloth that Does Not Die, and Textile Ascendancies: Aesthetics, Production, and Trade in Northern Nigeria.
Marilyn Anderson is an artist, photographer and author who has always worked in solidarity with the Maya of Guatemala. Producing five books between 1975 and 2016, most have focused on the arts and crafts of the Maya. Marilyn says: "Most of the art and books I have done over the years have come out of my drive to do art with social purpose." For Marilyn, art and activism are one and the same.
The panel will be moderated by WARP member Judi Jetson, a weaver and a leader in the well-researched promotion of craft, particularly textiles. There will be ample opportunity for questions from those attending this free online event. Please complete the registration form to join us on Saturday December 11th, from 1:00-2:00 pm US Eastern Standard Time.
