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Reflections by Linda Weghorst

At Convergence I expected to be inspired, gain energy and to come away with excitement and enthusiasm.  I attended outstanding exhibitions, excellent keynote speeches and seminars. In spite of this I still felt a sense of detachment from the overall conference scene.

Saturday, however, proved to be the day that opened up all the possibilities I had hoped for. The morning began with an outstanding seminar presented by Kathy Spoering about working in series.  Her tapestries, concepts, processes and method of presentation were not only inspiring but I found many commonalities to my own life and work.  I left the morning session energized, my journal and sketchbook filling up. 

The ATA Seminar was the height of the conference. Diverse, insightful presenters, (Rebecca Bluestone, Sharon Marcus, and Kate Anderson) an excellent moderator (Christine Laffer), and thought provoking responses from audience members contributed to the outstanding Critical Forum.  Seeing members’ slides and hearing statements about their work was the ideal conclusion to the session.

By the close of Convergence I clearly recognized that the Tapestry community, artists and supporting organizations are the essential source for my artistic growth.  This connection extends far beyond methods and materials to deeper aspects of perspectives, ideas and creative expression.  I am grateful for all of the above and indeed returned home with the optimum experience I had anticipated for Convergence.

Impressions from Jan Austin

It was my first convergence. I loved it. The major lecturers by Anne Hedlund and Rebecca Bluestone made me cry and that of Arline Fisch, combining slides of her own work with the ancient art that inspired it, was also stimulating. 

I saw Small Format Frontiers, ATB5, Woven Journeys, and Six of One, all in 24 hours. I got to hear some amazing people in my seminars (Irvin and Lisa Trujillo, Rebecca Bluestone, James Koehler, Alice Zrebiec, Bhakti Zhiek).

Then there was the ATA forum, with Rebecca Bluestone again, this time talking about her road to success in the fine arts world, and Sharon Marcus speaking from an educators point of view, with Kate Anderson, who runs a “high end” gallery as well as being a basketry artist.  Sharon's talk was an impressive summation of recent fiber art history, including very perceptive insights into problems and criticisms of the field. Very thought provoking insights into problems and criticisms of the field.

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