NEW ORLEANS – More than 500 fiber artists, educators, entrepreneurs and industry professionals from across the U.S. and around the world are expected in New Orleans Aug. 12-16 for the Handweavers Guild of America’s Convergence Fiber Art Conference.
The biennial conference will make its New Orleans debut at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, 500 Canal St., marking the event’s first return to the Southern United States in 18 years.
Convergence will feature more than 125 hands-on workshops along with juried exhibitions, presentations, a wearable art fashion show and a marketplace featuring fiber artists, tools and materials.
Louisiana Fiber Arts Traditions in Focus
Organizers said New Orleans was selected in part because of the region’s traditions in weaving, quilting, dyeing, costume arts and other forms of cultural craftsmanship and fiber arts. Louisiana artists, instructors, exhibitors, entrepreneurs and cultural leaders will be incorporated throughout the conference.
Programming will explore Cajun textile traditions, Acadian Brown Cotton, Native American natural dyes, Black Masking Indian beadwork and Creole craftsmanship.
The conference’s Krewe of Threads: Let the Good Times Roll Fashion Show will be produced by New Orleans Fashion Week founder and Creative Director Tracee Dundas. The show will feature local models presenting one-of-a-kind wearable fiber art created by artists from around the world.
Convergence organizers have also partnered with local cultural and community organizations, including Longue Vue House & Gardens, Raphael Village and OPTIONS Weaving Studio, as well as galleries, libraries, independent senior living communities and arts organizations. The partnerships will help provide 2,500 complimentary day passes and additional programming intended to expand local access to the conference.
An Artist Row marketplace will showcase New Orleans makers, while curated tours will direct visiting attendees to museums, galleries, historic sites and cultural attractions throughout the region.
The conference will also open part of its programming to the general public. Twilight Madness will take place Aug. 14, when the Convergence Marketplace will offer free admission and give visitors an opportunity to shop more than 40 fiber art vendors, meet artists and watch demonstrations.
Attendees will also participate in a service project benefiting New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, donating handmade woven and fiber art household items for new homeowners.
The Handweavers Guild of America is a nonprofit organization focused on education and the preservation and advancement of fiber arts. Convergence is its premier biennial conference.
