Every year I look forward to New York Textile Month in September. This was the eighth year and it just gets better each year.

Finally TEXTILES are getting the attention they deserve! This year I am particularly proud and excited to share that I am on the board of directors of this fantastic city-wide event! I was so honored to be asked and am in the very esteemed company of Dorothy Waxman, Li Edelkoort, Philip Fimmano, Preethi Gopinath and Jacob Long. You can also read more about NYTM mission statement and board of directors here!

The best news is after a huge effort, NYTM is now a non-profit and we will have so many new opportunities in the future to get even more exposure for this incredible month long event!

Founded by Lidewij Edelkoort and Philip Fimmano, my studio has always participated in NYTM in previous years. This year was no different, we hosted a pop-up event in our studio and it was so much fun! I genuinely love this community of artists, designers and creatives!

Every year there is a diverse selection of programming, from workshops to lectures and panels or pop-ups. But now that it is October, I wanted to take a moment and highlight some of my favorite events from last month.

Botanical Colors is a natural dye supply and information source. Utilizing plants, minerals - and sometimes bugs - to create beautiful dyed goods from cotton to wool and silk with a lower environmental impact.

Natural dyeing has seen a reassurance in popularity the last few years, and I highly recommend this resource for anyone curious in learning more!

Link to more information via NYTM here!

In keeping with an environmental perspective, NYTM offered workshops at Little Creek Farm to better understand the positive impact that responsible material sourcing can have on the environment. Focusing on techniques to redirect carbon from the air into soil.

Link to more information via NYTM here!

Turning our attention to industry, Black Sheep is the 2023 design collection from Brooklyn based Rhymes Studio. Focusing on interior design in connection with wellness, Black Sheep utilizes undyed wool from Irish Zwartbles sheep to create fully customizable wool rugs.

Link to more information via NYTM here!

Sharktooth x Common Loom worked together to create a month-long event, investigating the themes of repair, regeneration and renewal through the process of repairing and reweaving a worn rag rug from Sharktooth’s collection.

Link to more information via NYTM here!

Last but not least, I want to highlight a few fantastic exhibitions. Elana Herzog’s work is on display at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey until Feb 2024.

Herzog’s work is focused on the details and decay of fiber, creating hybrid sculptures with deep tapestry woven roots.

More via NYTM here!

Another interesting show was hosted by the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn featuring the work of artists from Singapore, Ukraine and Lithuania.

"The Embrace: Threads that Bind Us - an installation by Madhura Nayak from Singapore, Tereza Barabash from Ukraine, Virginija Stigaitė from Lithuania Ingrained in the spirit of every Indian are these three beautiful words 'Atithi devo bhava', which means ‘to treat our guests like we would treat our god!’ Before I take down my installation, I welcome the two guest artists into my world of creation celebrating weaving as a medium. The two works added to my current installation are by Tereza Barabash and Virginija Stigaite. Both artists already connected by the work they did together, now join me in celebrating this amazing medium!”

More via NYTM here!

Fibrations, hosted by L’space, and featured the work of established and emerging artists. It was such a wonderful experience and show, and I always appreciate being able to meet the artist’s behind the work.

More about this exhbition via NYTM here!

Addendum