Saskatoon Spinners and Weavers Guild proudly presents:
“Prairie Fibre, Prairie Warmth” Festival
May 12 – 14, 2023 in Saskatoon SK
Festival Information
Prairie Fiber, Prairie Warmth is a three-day textile art festival including an art exhibition showcasing SK-sourced fibres, demonstrations, a public collaborative art piece, and an opportunity for the public to try fibre-arts techniques. The focus of the festival is on public outreach and education and not commercial benefit. All festival activities will be offered free of charge for attendees.
The Prairie Fiber, Prairie Warmth Festival is financially supported by a Festivals grant from the SaskArts Board. We gratefully appreciate and acknowledge the support of the SaskArts Board in helping us provide free festival programming for the Saskatoon and area public.
“Prairie Fibre, Prairie Warmth” will take place at the SSWG Guild Studio (600 45th St W, Saskatoon) over three days (May 12 – 14).The festival will consist of four parts: 1) a gallery-style exhibition of 40 textile/fibre art pieces; 2) a series of drop-in public demonstrations/Q&A with fibre artists as they work, and a scheduled lecture on a fibre art related topic; 3) a collaborative public art piece (ex: felted mural, or woven tapestry) that the public can add to under the guidance of an artist; 4) a small market area for participating artists to showcase their items.
For the exhibition portion, SSWG artists will create new works using locally sourced materials. We will showcase our work with an immersive exhibit held at the SSWG Guild Studio. This project was inspired by growing interest in local fibre among our members. Local fibre can be challenging to source, and is most often available as raw fleece or plants, requiring extensive processing before it can be used. The processing requires specific knowledge and skills. A map of Saskatchewan will indicate the origin of each material. This format will allow us to showcase the incredible variety of items that can be made from local materials, by local artists, artisans, and craftspeople.
Fibre art demonstrations have proven to be a popular draw in the past. People are fascinated that “old methods” are still being used by artisans today. Some people like to watch artists at work, while others are eager to jump in and try their hand at tasks such as blending fibres, spinning yarn from wool or weaving fabric. Children are especially fascinated by the process and love to “pedal” the spinning wheels, often leaving with a bracelet of yarn they helped spin. Textile creation spans all cultures and new immigrants are excited to share their traditions.
A main demonstration at this year’s event will be the “Sheep to Shawl” demonstration. The entire process, from cleaning locally sourced sheep fleece (provided by sheep Patsy and Fallon), preparing the fibre, spinning the yarn, and weaving the shawl will be done onsite as part of the festival.
Festival funding provided by:
SSWG Fibre and Textile Arts 