Joy Boutrup is a textile engineer, chemist, and historian from Denmark. Catharine Ellis is a textile artist from North Carolina who specializes in combining weaving and dyeing. They first met at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and, despite living on different continents, they have worked and taught collaboratively for many years.

Joy’s science-based knowledge of textile dyeing and finishing has informed and expanded Catharine’s approach to textile design and practice. As a result, Catharine has developed a unique body of woven and dyed textiles. Many of her fabric can be directly attributed to the lessons she learned from Joy. Currently, they are working collaboratively on a book about the science and the art of natural dyes (just released - see below). Join them as they speak of the scientific principles and the textile applications that have resulted from their work together.

Catharine Ellis is a textile artist and educator. She developed the process of woven shibori in which special threads are added during weaving and then manipulated to create resist patterns during dyeing. Catharine directed the Professional Craft Fiber Program at Haywood Community College for 30 years and has now focused her explorations on the use of natural dyes. She teaches and exhibits internationally and is active in the Textile Society of American and Surface Design Association. Catharine is the author of Woven Shibori (Interweave Press, 2005 and 2016). She lives in the mountains of North Carolina.

Joy Boutrup has a background in textile engineering, specializing in textile chemistry. Her main strength is the ability to analyze structures, develop new methods and techniques and to solve problems in connection with the practical realization of ideas in textile art and conservation. Joy’s unique ability to teach in an accessible manner and to convey the deeper structures of fibres and dyes has had a profound influence on textile designers and artists. Joy has taught at design schools in Denmark and at the School of Conservation in Copenhagen. She lives in Sorø, Denmark.

This long-awaited guide serves as a tool to explain the general principles of natural dyeing, and to help dyers to become more accomplished at their craft through an increased understanding of the process. Photos of more than 450 samples demonstrate the results of actual dye tests, and detailed information covers every aspect of natural dyeing including theory, fibres, mordants, dyes, printing, organic indigo vats, finishing, and the evaluation of dye fastness. 

Throughout history and across cultures, textiles have served important spiritual roles. Belief in the protective or auspicious nature of cloth can be found in societies on all continents. The idea that embellishment and pattern may add not only beauty but also a link to the spiritual realm and protection from evil is indeed a potent one. In this lecture Amy Putansu will discuss how notions of spirituality have influenced her own hand-woven artwork. Inspired by Buddhism, Zen design precepts, and the minimalist art movement, Amy presents a powerful way to reimagine textiles as an invitation to the divine.

Amy’s current practice focuses on an unusual weaving technique called ondulé, which produces ever-present waves of threads throughout the cloth. These fabrics are specially constructed for resist dyeing and other alternative techniques. The resulting textile panels are contemplative fields that reference the undulating nature of light, the sea, and expressions of transcendent experience.

Recorded October 4, 2016. Published as a podcast February 13, 2019.

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Aya Matsunaga is a Japanese textile artist who tempered her formal studies by moving to Nottingham, England, and embracing the UK fibre art scene of the 1990s.

In this lecture Aya will share her artistic journey—how, like white yarn in a dyebath, she absorbed influences and inspiration from her time in Japan, England, and Italy.

Her work is a synergy of knit and felted techniques. Aya Matsunaga knits with multiple dyed fine wool yarns—both by hand and also using a hand-cranked knitting machine. She completes the construction by fulling the fabric. The result is a very complex colour mixture that gives the work a distinctive artistic flavour. She has adapted this process to make unusual sculpted works and garments. Aya will showcase her work and relate it back to her journey—the challenges and successes of an independent working artist.

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Recorded at the 2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium on October 21, 2009

Panel: 
Bappaditya Biswas
Stephen Huyler
Linda Cortwright
Charllotte Kwon
Sheila Paine

Each member of our panel has carved a road in the wilderness. It is not easy to walk off the map, but they have all done it, struck out alone to follow a path as unknown to themselves as it was to others. And then something happens ...

As Charllotte puts it, “At a certain point there is an incredible feeling of freedom and you are able to see the whole world as your workshop.”

Join Bappaditya Biswas (weaver and entrepreneur), Stephen Huyler (anthropologist, photographer, and writer), Linda Cortright, (journalist and magazine publisher), Charllotte Kwon (owner of Maiwa and documentary filmmaker), and Sheila Paine (explorer and author) as they present a variety of approaches to travel, exploration, culture and craft.

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We usually put the Symposium lectures up as podcasts. This one is a little different. We connected with the Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja through Skype because they were not permitted to visit Canada to give their presentation in person. The result is this series of videos from the event.

Here are some reference links about the group and the presentation:

The Real Barriers to Trade
Visa Denial Makes Waves in India
Live from India: The Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja
On the Road: Visiting Jawaja

In preparation for that event the Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja worked with Anitha Balachandran and Siddhartha Chatterjee and India's National Institute of Design (NID) to create a presentation that would help tell the story of Jawaja. You will see the presentation in the video, but we've also made it available here as a high-quality pdf file.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who made this presentation possible - The Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja, and the representatives who traveled to Ahmedabad, Ashoke Chatterjee for his tireless vision, everyone at the Ravi J Matthai Centre and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), and the National Institute for Design (NID).

We had never attempted a Skype presentation before and had only limited experience with it. It is testament to the positive energy gathered around the group that we only lost the connection once for a very short time.

Recorded at the 2007 Maiwa Textile Symposium on October 17, 2007
Posted March 2008