I’ve been a member of WARP (Weave a Real Peace) since 2017 when Thrums Books recommended that I organize an international textile conference in Oaxaca for the organization. Over the years, I have come to respect and embrace what they do even more — connecting textile artisans from around the world to support, encourage and promote creativity and economic opportunity. This is the WARP mission:
WARP is a catalyst for improving the quality of life of textile artisans worldwide. We are an inclusive global network of individuals and organizations who value the social, cultural, historic, artistic, and economic importance of textile arts.
The international conference at Kent State University located about forty-five minutes east of Cleveland, Ohio just ended. It was a three-day, jam-packed event that included demonstrations, discussions, presentations, a marketplace filled with textiles for sale from all over the world, a fashion show, an auction, a gallery show, delicious food, and great networking among all of us — weavers, dyers, spinners, educators, collectors, makers, entrepreneurs, and social justice advocates. Now, I’m back in Albuquerque with my son, and will return to Taos tomorrow.
WARP is an inspiration and a place for us to share what we love. It is where we can talk about and see innovation and change. Kent State gave us a place to explore this — how design innovation melds with technology to create ikat, jacquard, and supplementary weft on technologically advanced, computerized looms. It is where we can understand how the Fibershed movement of farmers, fashion activities and makers influences a new textile economy — earth and people friendly, sustainable, and circular, minimizing fast fashion waste. It is how we can embrace the resurgence of innovation in the Rust Belt by meeting entrepreneurs like Faan‘s Aaron Jacobson, who started a Cleveland-based fashion company after working as an architect in China. They make low-waste, recycled, community-centric, eco-friendly fashion with everything sourced locally. We meet John Paul Moribito, assistant professor and head of textiles at Kent State. They open our eyes to creating textiles that speak to a Queer sensibility with beads, loose shimmering threads, evoking drag queen glamour. We talk with Praxis who created a community garden of indigo, involved children and the local neighborhood in natural dye activism to overcome the slave history of indigo culture in the USA.
This is also a place to share our concerns about what threatens hand weavers across the globe. As the global economy tightens its grip on the production of cheap goods made in countries that have no regulation for labor protections, and where often political prisoners are forced labor to reproduce what is authentic around the world, we must read labels and be vigilant about buying hand made. In this way, we personalize rather than depersonalize the shopping/buying experience.
Daniel and Norma, last dance of the evening
A highlight for me during this conference was seeing my friend, North Carolina ceramic artist-potter Daniel Johnston, who is engaged to be married to WARP’s executive director Kelsey Wiskirchen. I’ve known Daniel for almost 25 years, and met him when he was a young studio apprentice with Mark Hewitt Pottery in Pittsboro, NC. I attended Daniel’s first solo show in Asheboro, NC, bought some of his work and continued collecting, going to see his new kiln in Seagrove, and attending studio openings. Even as I was leaving NC, heading to New Mexico, I went to visit him and Kelsey before I left.
The great news is that they have purchased land in Abiquiu, near the Georgia O’Keefe home, and will be back and forth between NC and NM. So, once again, dear people whom I love are migrating to the southwest. In case anyone is interested, Daniel is represented by the Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe. He has a major installation at the North Carolina Museum of Art sculpture garden, and is among the most decent, humble, and caring young men I know (similar to my son, Jacob). A perfect match for Kelsey who mirrors his attributes.
This is Lidia Amanda Lopez de Lopez, Antigua, Guatemala. We will visit her on our 2025 tour!
I delivered the last presentation of the conference, talking about and comparing the weaving traditions of two villages, one on the Oaxaca coast — San Juan Colorado, with a Chiapas Maya village — San Pedro Chenalho, just outside of San Cristobal de las Casas. We had a lively discussion about cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and I’ll be writing more about that as soon as a survey I’m conducting comes in. BTW, we have a few spaces open for both these textile study tours.
Next WARP Annual Meeting: May 16-18, 2024, Golden, Colorado. Join Us!
Yesterday was a travel day, from Taos to Albuquerque by car, then a flight from there to Denver to Cleveland. I arrived by bedtime and slept at an airport hotel, hauling one huge piece of luggage filled with Mexican textiles to sell at the WARP (Weave a Real Peace) Conference Marketplace. I got to Kent, Ohio, about an hour away, via Lyft. I’ve just finished setting up.
There are representatives here selling goods from Guatemala, Africa, Bhutan, Uzbekistan. Some haven’t arrived yet, so there will be more!
WARP is an international textile organization that I’ve belonged to since 2017, when we helped organize their Oaxaca conference. They promote and support the work of indigenous artisans around the world, offer scholarships and support for young talented artisans, and are committed to social justice. It is comprised of weavers, dyers, spinners, all fiber artisans, and collectors. Consider joining if you aren’t already a member!
Posted onWednesday, March 15, 2023|Comments Off on Alert: WARP Offers Grants to Textile Artisans–Apply Now
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 26!
Weave a Real Peace (WARP) is an international textile organization that supports artisans, offers scholarship grants, and holds an annual meeting to bring together textile makers and appreciators to talk about all things weaving, cloth, and community. I have belonged to this organization for many years, organized its Oaxaca annual conference in 2017, and find it to be very satisfying to be a member.
I’ve offered to help spread the word about submitting applications for scholarships to help individuals and organizations improve their capacity. All textile artisans are invited. They may need help with the application based on language skills — so if you work with a Mexican weaving cooperative, we hope you will jump right in and help them submit an application in the next week. Thank you.
Here is the application information:
Dear Friends of WARP,
There is one week left to apply for a 2023 WARP Artisan Support Grant! Please help us spread the word: Textile artisans from any country are welcome to apply. WARP is offering one-time grants of up to $500 for individual artisans and up to $1,000 for artisan groups. This year, we are providing two grant options: one for Basic Needs and one for Development. This reflects the fact that while many artisans may still need COVID or other emergency support, others are transitioning out of an emergency situation and now have needs that are more development-oriented.
The application deadline is March 19th, 2023. The link to the electronic application form is below, with details about this year’s grant program. Please share this announcement with any textile artisan or artisan group you think would benefit from this grant.For any grant related questions, please contact Diane Manning, WARP Grants Committee Chair, at dkmanning@gmail.com.Best wishes,WARP Grant Committee
Use the electronic form to submit, but I’ve included the language of the grant application below.
2023 WARP Textile Artisan Grant Application
Weave a Real Peace (WARP) is a catalyst for improving the quality of life for textile artisans worldwide. We are an inclusive global network of individuals and organizations who value the social, cultural, historic, artistic, and economic importance of textile arts. Learn more about WARP at: www.weavearealpeace.org.
We are delighted to announce that, for 2023, WARP will again award monetary grants to textile artisan communities in need.
This year, WARP is offering two grant options: one for Basic Needs and one for Development. This reflects the fact that while many artisans may still need COVID or other emergency support, others are transitioning out of an emergency situation and now have needs that are more development-oriented.
Basic Needs: This option is for applicants who are still experiencing hardship due to continuing effects of COVID or other circumstances such as drought, extreme heat, or floods.
Basic needs could include but are not limited to: food or seeds for food crops, medical care/medicines, clothing, utilities, dependent care, education, or housing.
Development: This option is for applicants who are seeking to grow their business coming out of COVID.
Development needs could include but are not limited to: artisan supplies (dye garden, wood for loom, fiber), equipment (sewing machines, looms, etc.), marketing materials (camera, product photography), technology (cell phones, computer, etc.), training (need to specify what, whom, where), and travel (to attend trade fairs, markets).
NOTE: You may apply for a Basic Needs Grant or a Development Grant, but not both.
Eligibility Criteria:
Textile artisans from any country are welcome to apply.
If you are applying for a Basic Needs Grant, you must describe in your own words what you require and how specifically this grant will help you.
If you are applying for a Development Grant you must articulate a plan that includes specific information about what you want to do, how you want to do it, how much it will cost, and how it will help you grow your business.
Total grants will be up to $500 for individual/family applicants and up to $1,000 for associations/coops/businesses.
You may submit more than one grant application: i.e., one for yourself, and one or more for artisans and/or artisan groups with whom you have a relationship. However, you may not combine applications. Each application will be considered separately.
You may apply for a 2023 WARP grant whether or not you applied for or received a grant from WARP in a previous year.
Timeline:
Deadline to submit completed applications: March 19, 2023. Only applications submitted during this timeline will be accepted.
Grant recipients will be notified: April 14, 2023. Grant funds will be disbursed as soon as possible after grantee notification
Grantees confirm receipt of funds via email: As soon as possible, but no later than 14 days after receipt of funds
Summary written report stating how funds were used (form will be provided): July 17, 2023
Questions? Contact Diane Manning, WARP Grants Committee Chair, at dkmanning@gmail.com.
Non-Discrimination Statement: No person shall be denied membership or participation in any of WARP’s activities or operations on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.
The name and photo associated with your Google account will be recorded when you upload files and submit this form. Only the email you enter is part of your response.
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BASIC NEEDS GRANT APPLICATION
NOTE: You may apply fora Development Grant or a Basic Needs Grant, but not both.
If you are applying for a Development Grant, please skip this section and go directly to the Development Grant Section below.
You may submit more than one grant application: i.e., one for yourself, and one or more for artisans and/or artisan groups with whom you have a relationship. However, you may not combine applications. Each application will be considered separately.
Please select one:
I am applying as an Individual/Family (you may request up to $500 USD)
I am applying as an Association/Cooperative/Multi-household group (You may request up to $1,000 USD)
I am requesting the following amount:
Your answer
Please describe what emergency you are experiencing (for example: COVID 19, drought, flood, earthquake, war, etc.)
Your answer
Describe how the emergency has impacted you/your family/household or group? Please provide as much detail as possible.
Your answer
How specifically do you plan to use this Basic Needs Grant? Grants may be used for essentials including medical needs, child/elder care, housing, utilities, food, and seeds for growing crops, etc.
The more details you provide, the better the Grants Committee can evaluate your application. If not enough details are provided to fully assess how the grant funds will be used, a grant will not be awarded.
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How many artisans (family/household members/group) would benefit from this grant request?
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How long have you and/or your family/household/group been creating textiles?
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What type of textile do you produce?
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Where do you make and sell your textiles?
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Please attach up to 3 images of your work here. If you are unable to upload the files, please send images to info@weavearealpeace.org. We must see examples of your work for the grant application to be considered.
Add file
Provide any additional information that will support your application. This will help the Grants Committee better understand your needs and how you will use the funds.
Your answer
DEVELOPMENT GRANT APPLICATION
NOTE: You may apply fora Development Grant or a Basic Needs Grant, but not both.
If you applied for a Basic Needs Grant above, please skip this section and go directly to the bottom to submit your application.
You may submit more than one grant application: i.e., one for yourself, and one or more for artisans and/or artisan groups with whom you have a relationship. However, you may not combine applications. Each application will be considered separately.
Please select one:
I am applying as an Individual/Family (you may request up to $500 USD)
I am applying as an Association/Cooperative/Multi-household group (You may request up to $1,000 USD)
I am requesting the following amount:
Your answer
Please describe your 2023 development plan and how specifically your business will benefit from this Development Grant.
(For example, I/we want to expand our 2023 production by 20%, or I /we want to send 5 people to a training workshop so that we can improve the quality of our designs.)
The more details you provide, the better the Grants Committee can evaluate your application. If not enough details are provided to fully assess how the grant funds will be used, a grant will not be awarded.
Your answer
Describe the specific requirements to execute your plan. These could include, but is not limited to:
– artisan supplies (dye garden, wood for loom, fiber)
Submit a budget that lists the cost for each item you will need to accomplish the plan described above.
For example, if your plan states that you needed 5 sewing machines to increase production, your budget would state the following:
– I/we will purchase 5 new sewing machines
– Each one costs $100
– Total grant request: $500
Your answer
How many artisans (family/household members/group) would benefit from this grant request?
Your answer
How long have you and/or your family/household/group been creating textiles?
Your answer
What type of textile do you produce?
Your answer
Where do you make and sell your textiles?
Your answer
Please attach up to 3 images of your work here. If you are unable to upload the files, please send images to info@weavearealpeace.org. We must see examples of your work for the grant application to be considered.
Add file
Provide any additional information that will support your application. This will help the Grants Committee better understand your needs and how you will use the funds.
Weave a Real Peace (WARP) is an international textile networking organization made up of weavers, academics, and interested supporters. Their mission is to exchange information, raise awareness of the importance of textile traditions to grassroots economies, mobilize textile enthusiasts, and create conversations that result in action.
I’ve been a member for several years, and helped the organizers produce their very successful 2017 Annual Meeting in Oaxaca, Mexico.
This year because of Covid, the annual meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. It is FREE and open to the public. All you need to do is register in advance. I’ll be there and hope you will join me!
Omar Chavez Santiago, WARP’s Alice Brown Scholarship Recipient
Kudos are in order: My godson Omar Chavez Santiago from Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, was just named an Alice Brown Memorial Scholarship recipient by WARP. It is a two-year honor. Omar will attend this virtual conference and the next one in 2022, which will hopefully be in person! Omar is a fourth generation weaver and works only with natural dyes. He is part of the Fe y Lola Rugs gallery and an accomplished textile designer who incorporates contemporary elements with traditional tapestry weaving techniques.
Last Sunday, a group of ten WARP conference participants gathered in the lobby of our hotel at 9:30 a.m. We set out for a day-long walking tour of textiles and folk art, concentrating on a few superb venues to see the best of the best.
Walking around Oaxaca on a Sunday morning.
I had set meetings up in advance with two of Oaxaca’s most distinguished shops where the finest textiles are curated and sold, Arte Amuzgo and Los Baules de Juana Cata.
I asked the owners if they would select five to ten of their most outstanding textiles, explain the dye and back-strap weaving process, and talk about the maker and the region of origin.
Rare silk + Egyptian cotton huipil, indigo + caracol purpura dyes, San Mateo del Mar
Both are doing an outstanding effort to rescue lost weaving traditions by encouraging villages to bring back an art form on the edge of extinction.
Baby alpaca translates to traditional Mitla weaving, theme of corn + cacao beans
Both have galleries in the historic center of Oaxaca where they offer a market for indigenous artisans to show and sell their work.
Amazing indigo, native coyuchi cotton and caracol purpura blusa, Amuzgos
They give attribution to the weavers, too, by including their names and villages on the hang tags of the clothing.
On the colonial walking street, Macedonio Alcala, Oaxaca
But, first I thought it was important to offer a backdrop to Oaxaca, by explaining a bit about her history and culture. I invited Janet, who was born and raised here, to tell us about her city.
Gold-leaf interior, Santo Domingo Church, Oaxaca
Our first stop was at the cathedral on the Zocalo, where the story of Colonial Oaxaca begins. We then walked up the Alcala, making a coffee stop, a shopping stop for hand-made paper earrings (on special request from Louise), and gathered in front of Santo Domingo Church.
Like a tapestry, silk and Egyptian cotton huipil
Here, we talked about the conversion of indigenous people, the construction of the city, the power of the Dominicans, and the wealth provided by cochineal.
The underside is as beautiful as the front!
With a stop, too, at Andares del Arte Popular before lunch with a welcome from manager Eric Chavez Santiago, by the time we landed at Los Danzantes, hunger had overtaken us. Lots of walking, but we didn’t even complete 10,000 steps!
Efren at Los Baules de Juana Cata explains dedication to preserving Oaxaca textiles
Organic blue corn tortillas, Los Danzantes, Oaxaca
The aperitif, fresh frozen mango mezcal and agua de tuna
Here, I will not bore you with our seven course tasting menu that I ordered in advance. It included grilled watermelon salad. Coconut shrimp. Rib eye tacos. Wild mushroom lasagna. Let’s go straight to dessert.
Chocolate casacada with house made vanilla ice cream, raspberry drizzle
And, if that wasn’t enough, another taste of my other favorite at Los Danzantes:
Goat cheese flan with toasted, caramelized nuts, honey and chocolate sauce
Oh, and fresh fruit. The figs were out of this world.
I ordered this so we would all stay healthy.
Back into the world of textiles, I want to show you some other beauties that we had the privilege to see this day.
Cochineal dyed silk on Egyptian cotton, embroidered, Ayutla
Irene’s find at Arte Amuzgo
Lollie and Elaine holding down the dressing room fort
Gauze weave cotton by Francisca Palafox, San Mateo del Mar
Getting a closer look
Rare green and coyuchi cotton, native to Oaxaca, Amuzgo
Oaxaca is a vast treasure trove of textile wonderfulness. In the colder mountain regions, the cottons are triple-ply and thick for warmth. Along the coast, the weave is much lighter gauze to cover-up but to also deal with hot, humid weather. Some villages weave. Others work in embroidery.
Close up of Mitla wool rebozo, with traditional corn and cacao pattern
There is a reintroduction of silk weaving, and wool is a perfect wrap around material for rebozos (shawls) to protect from winter chill in the valleys.
Stacks of fine garments at Los Baules de Juana Cata
Early Sunday morning, a perfect time for a stroll in Downtown Oaxaca
We know the culture! We are locally owned and operated.
Eric Chavez Santiago is Zapotec, born and raised in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca.
Norma Schafer has been living in Oaxaca for almost 20 years.
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We give you a deep immersion to best know Oaxaca and Mexico.
Creating Connectionand Meaning between travelers and with indigenous artisans. Meet makers where they live and work. Join small groups of like-minded explorers. Go deep into remote villages. Gain insights. Support cultural heritage and sustainable traditions ie. hand weaving and natural dyeing. Create value and memories. Enjoy hands-on experiences. Make a difference.
What is a Study Tour: Our programs are learning experiences, and as such we talk with makers about how and why they create, what is meaningful to them, the ancient history of patterning and design, use of color, tradition and innovation, values and cultural continuity, and the social context within which they work. First and foremost, we are educators. Norma worked in top US universities for over 35 years and Eric founded the education department at Oaxaca’s textile museum. We create connection.
OCN Creates Student Scholarship at Oaxaca Learning Center Giving back is a core value. Read about it here!
Why We Left, Expat Anthology: Norma’s Personal Essay
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Dye Master Dolores Santiago Arrellanas with son Omar Chavez Santiago, weaver and dyer, Fey y Lola Rugs, Teotitlan del Valle
