Over the years I have been a member of several guilds.  They have all been different in size, intentions, variety of members but in all cases I have learnt a lot and hopefully contributed equally.

Current Guilds:

2016 – The Townsend Artisan Guild is located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in the town of Townsend.  I was first introduced to the Guild via volunteer work at the Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival (see below).  I was juried in to the Guild in 2016.  Currently I don’t have items in their studio/store, but will likely start selling items there next year.

2014 – The Tennessee Vally Handspinners Guild is a longstanding guild that meets monthly in Knoxville.  As the meeting site is just down the road from where we first stayed after moving back to the US it was the first guild I joined.  Meetings regularly attract 30+ participants and activities range from speakers, demonstrations, practical sessions and challenges.

2015 – TheScenic Valley Handweavers is a small weaving guild that conveniently meets monthly just down the road from home (well 40 minutes drive – but that’s close enough).  The members have regular programs and set an annual challenge.  The meetings are held at R&M Yarns who are the organizers of the annual Fiber Education Festival which the Guild helps with.  I am one of the few weavers and spinners so have regularly been the spinning demonstrator.

Previous Guild Membership:

2013 – 2014 Wellington Hand-Weavers and Spinners met regularly both in the daytime and then monthly on the weekend.  The small group undertook some fairly challenging projects and both Anne and I enjoyed weaving 8 shaft towels as one of those challenges.  I gave one presentation on ikat and everyone then went away to try the method out with some rather good successes.  The group met just around the corner from a very nice coffee shop with wonderful healthy food as well. Needless to say it was visited monthly.

2009 – 2013 The Potomac Fiber Arts Guild is a very large guild that meet monthly in Bethesda, MD.  They regularly have 100 members at meetings and have a huge library and equipment pool.  I was mainly spinning when I joined and ended up joining the ‘Third Thursday Spinners’ sub-group where I enjoyed the company of 8 or so other spinners monthly at meetings just down the road from where I lived.  Once a year these sub-groups all reported their progress to the whole meeting.  Some sub-groups have been running for years – constantly practising their particular arts.  The general monthly meetings always included a speaker – and given the number of paying members they typically had some top-notch artists who then typically ran classes/workshops on their specialty for the rest of the weekend.  I attended several of these but found out most things just from the interaction with the very skilled people who made up the guild.  Through another guild member I acquired the Macomber and no cost (other than transport), and my Leclerc Dorothy came from a Third Thursday Spinner.

Festivals:

I have been a volunteer at the Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival  since 2014.  Initially spinning, but in the last two years I have set up and woven.  This year and next I am the Vendor/Volunteer co-ordinator.  The web link is currently pointing to the 2018 information but will be updated idc.