RECAP:
Weaving Workshop Weekend
October 4-6, 2024
Chicago, IL
Weaving Workshop Weekend (WWW) acted as a culminating celebration of LMRM’s first year of public programming. Since relaunching, LMRM has hosted several weaving workshops, started multiple collaborative projects with artists, and supported over 15 weavers looking for continued independent access to a TC2 loom.
Over 3 days, WWW attracted almost 200 attendees for a condensed series of artist lectures, topical workshops, a book release, a group exhibition, and open studio tours of various textile-related community resources in the city. WWW’s programs showcased the experimental practices of 4 featured artists whose works explore a variety of themes and weaving techniques. This weekend served as LMRM's final act for 2024 public events, as well as a gesture of gratitude for our developing relationships within the larger community of digital weaving.
Check out our recap below!
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Cathryn Amidei is a Michigan-based artist whose award winning work is known for her use of color and complexity. Cathryn expands the tradition of hand weaving as an expressive art form by blurring the boundaries of classical craft with cutting edge technology. Cathryn’s work has been featured in Visionary Arts Collective, Fiber Arts Network, and is in private collections nationwide. She has been studying and teaching jacquard weaving for 15+ years. Currently, she is the Director of the Digital Weaving Lab at Praxis Fiber Workshop in Cleveland, OH.
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Danielle Andress is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in analog and digital woven forms and assemblage. Challenging systematic hierarchies, her work invokes various social histories, viral media, and material culture through radical making and slow craft. She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from the California College of the Arts. She has exhibited widely nationally and internationally and is currently an Associate Professor in the Fiber and Material Studies department at the School of the Art institute of Chicago where she teaches analog and digital weaving.
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Jovencio de la Paz is an artist, weaver, and educator. Their current work explores the intersecting histories of weaving and modern computers. They received a Master of Fine Art in Fibers from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2012 and a Bachelor of Fine Art with an emphasis on Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2008. Jovencio is currently an Associate Professor and the Head of Fibers at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. They have exhibited work in solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. In 2022, Jovencio was named United States Artists Fellowship for their contributions to the field of craft.
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Poppy DeltaDawn is a visual artist, weaver, and teacher. Recent projects include exhibitions at NON STNDRD (IL), DESIGNxNYC, Underdonk (NYC), Ortega y Gassett Projects (NYC), Below Grand (NYC), Zürcher Gallery (NYC), Standard Space (CT), and Heidelberg Project (MI), among others. Residencies and fellowships include Fondazione Arte Della Seta Lisio (Florence, IT), Tallgrass Artist Residency (KS), a Media Arts Fellowship (2017) and Workspace Fellowship (2019) at BRIC Arts Media (NYC), among others. DeltaDawn is an assistant Professor of Visual Art in Textiles + Fiber at the University of Kansas. She holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, both in Fiber.
Friday
October 4
6 - 9 pm
Sample Path Opening Reception
Open Shed, 2003 West Fulton Street Studio 215, Chicago IL 60612
LMRM is grateful to Cathryn Amidei, Danielle Andress, Jovencio de la Paz, and Poppy DeltaDawn, who were our featured artists of WWW 2024. On Friday night, we celebrated with an opening reception for Sample Path, a group exhibition highlighting the works of each artist.
With artists traveling in from various cities, it was a wonderful evening for old friends to reconnect in Chicago, meet new ones, and for everyone to kickoff a whirlwind weekend of programs together.
Photos: Felton Edward KizerSaturday
October 5
9 am - 1 pm
Artist Lectures
Open Shed, 2003 West Fulton Street Studio 215, Chicago IL 60612
We shared an incredible morning of thoughtful exchange and inquiry during back-to-back artist lectures led by Cathryn Amidei, Danielle Andress, Poppy DeltaDawn, and Jovencio de la Paz.
Between a mix of experimental writing and academic research, each of them presented on topics related to their digital weaving practice. The lecturers guided us through vibrant conversations about access to tools, translation of ideas and knowledge, concerns around complicated histories, and the possibilities open to us as contemporary makers. The air was mixed with gratitude and awe as each lecture overlapped with the next, tying disparate topics into a continuous thread of discourse.
The artist lectures were a hybrid format between in-person and virtual attendees. We were joined by almost 75 listeners who traveled across or logged on from all over Chicago, the US (21 different states!), Canada, the UK, and Norway.
To fuel this experience, we served pastries by Cadinho Bakery and coffee by Monday Coffee.
“Technological memory is more archival, more reliable, more efficient than human memory. It does not forget easily, but it does not function without the aid of human memory. It is bound to us in collaboration. How strange that, as a collaboration of intelligences, what the loom forgets, we and the cloth must remember.”
“When we stand at the loom and open the shed, we become part of an equation that begins with ourselves. The shed is formed like that greater-than [>] symbol; opening toward all possibilities.”
“Textiles and cloth don’t simply contain physical records of the way in which they were made. They’re manifestations of those movements. All weaving is made through repetitive gestures and, essentially, stories. We imprint our emotions and histories on them.”
“Today’s shifting digital frontier of virtual spaces is restructuring our relationship with ourselves, each other. Every TC2 weaver moves back and forth between the physical world and the mediated one. I am interested in the slippage, the things lost in translation, and the inevitable incongruence that are unique to this weaving process.”
Together, we spent the morning appraising the future of this medium and tool. There was a persistent through line that though knowledge exists in our minds, physical objects, math, and more, it is always activated through the tension of culture, and in communion with each other. These brilliant speakers ignited a passion that we all indisputably share as weavers, artists, scholars, and educators.
Saturday
October 5
3 - 6 pm
Workshop 1: The Warp is the Weft: Design Through Doing
LMRM, 2233 South Throop Street Studio 211C, Chicago IL 60608
In The Warp is the Weft: Design Through Doing, Poppy DeltaDawn expanded upon the design traditions of Mise-en-Carte, or the point paper plan that 18th century weavers of Lyon worked from to manufacture silk. Using the digital canvas, ratios, and mathematics, Poppy led attendees in a demonstration of how she intuitively designs with both warp and weft in mind. Poppy emphasized her approach to “painting with pixels,” stretching our minds as she arranged layers of thread interlacements in Photoshop that responded to the tricolor warp LMRM installed for the season.
Paired with the release of her first publication with LMRM, Poppy’s in-person workshop also served as an appetizer for the design methodologies she expands upon in Ratio. Intermingled with personal essays, historical accounts, and instructional manuals for digital loom file-design, Ratio is both a love letter to artists working on the TC2 digital jacquard loom, as well as to the long lineage of weaving and loom technology.
We are honored and thrilled to usher this book into the world.
Purchase your copy here!
“There are many ways to complete the same tasks, in Photoshop, in weaving, and in life. The combination of varying components in your weaving come together to defy what you thought you knew.”
Photos: Felton Edward KizerSunday
October 6
9 am - 12 pm
Workshop 2: Introduction to Coding for Weavers
LMRM, 2233 South Throop Street Studio 211C, Chicago IL 60608
In Introduction to Coding for Weavers, Jovencio de la Paz demonstrated a workflow that they often employ within their own weaving practice.
Jovencio encouraged an attitude of play and improvisation as they prompted ChatGPT to write more specific code for users to drop into Processing, a software sketchbook that offers different visualizations of coding instructions, and then filled the graphics with weave structures in Photoshop. They worked with attendees to navigate their curiosities at LMRM’s TC2 loom, responding to individual requests and queries around double cloth and waffle weave structures.
The morning had an air of quiet excitement as Jovencio deftly cleared a path forward for attendees to think through the loom beyond photographic images.
“Let’s not think about the weaving as the end product, but another node in the process of exploring an idea.”
Photos: Felton Edward Kizer25% off
25% off
LMRM is grateful to Considered Cloth for sponsoring the yarn material for WWW Workshops.
Considered Cloth offers a curated selection of unique yarns for weavers including hard-to-find silk, linen, paper, hemp, and blended yarns such as stainless steel and silk. LMRM's workshop participants and WWW attendees are eligible for a 25% discount on all yarns sold by Considered Cloth. For weavers who are planning future weaving sessions at LMRM, email info@considered-cloth.com for special orders at wholesale prices.
Sunday
October 6
1 - 4 pm
LMRM Open Studio Hours
LMRM, 2233 South Throop Street Studio 211C, Chicago IL 60608
Our doors were open for an afternoon of tours around our weaving studio and demonstration of our loom equipment. We talked about Ratio, our first ever LMRM publication, and basked in the final hours of a vibrant inaugural Weaving Workshop Weekend.
We were happy to welcome a guided CXW tour led by Stoodio. As one of two places in the USA to offer public access to a TC2 digital jacquard loom, we love sharing about how cool our big loom is. One of our favorite moments to witness will always be the first sound of awe (silence) when our loom turns on and huffs as it lifts its threads. The perfect cocktail of magic and human ingenuity!
LMRM was also a partner on Chicago Exhibition Weekend 2024 (CXW), which was presented by Gertie and EXPO Chicago. CXW 2024 is an annual weekend spotlighting Chicago’s vibrant cultural landscape and artistic spirit for locals and visitors alike.
Open Studios Across Seven Neighborhoods in Chicago
In addition to our open studio hours, we also coordinated with other textile-based friends and organizations across the city to open their doors for visitors as well. Make sure you have all these folks on your radar from now on!
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The Chicago Weaving School
4201 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60641Open: Saturday, Oct 5, 3-7pm
The Chicago Weaving School is one of the few places in the country dedicated to full-time, ongoing, weaving instruction. Beginning-through-advanced weavers come to the space for weekly classes and community. The large studio space is filled with over 100 looms, as well as warping boards, warping mills, swifts, shuttles, winders, cones, and skeins. During this time, their gallery, The Wayback, will feature an opening reception for Caleb Sheridan. His show, "Something Ate my Zinnias," includes weavings and mixed media.
There is metered parking on Irving Park Rd., and free parking on nearby residential streets like Keeler, Byron, and Grace. The school is one block from the Irving Park Blue line stop, and the Metra Burlington line.
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Passementerie Mill
2101 N Monitor Ave, Chicago, IL 60639Open: Saturday, Oct 5, 11am-5pm
The Passementerie Mill is the successor to Roger's Textile and Trim, which, like The Weaving Mill, traces its roots back to the Theodore Merwitz Company. For the past several years they have been restoring the equipment to functional condition and teaching themselves how to operate the machines, some with parts dating back to the 19th century. They will be demonstrating weaving, warp knitting, circular braiding, cord plying, winding during open studio tours.
Please be sure to dress appropriately for the Passementerie Mill, as there are large and heavy machinery operating in an old space. The mill has an indoor capacity of 30 people. Parking is available on Churchill only. -
The Weaving Mill
1801 N Spaulding Ave, Chicago, IL 60647Open: Sunday, Oct 6, 12-5pm
The Weaving Mill is an artist-run industrial weaving studio that blends design, production, textile education and research-based practice. They produce small runs of fabrics, home goods and apparel, self-publish zines and other research-based publications, host an annual experimental artist residency program, and in partnership with Envision Unlimited, run textile education programs for adults with developmental disabilities. In all these realms, they aim to fill the space between the hand and industrially made and bring the mechanics of textile production into wider view.
Parking is available.
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Apparel Industry Board Inc
2021 W Fulton St Suite K-111, Chicago, IL 60612Open: Saturday, Oct 5, 10am-2pm
The AIBI Fashion Lab supports designers through rental access to pattern making software, cutting tables, industrial sewing machines, body forms, and educational resources, all of which are available under a Day or Monthly Pass. Covering networking, entrepreneurial guidance, and manufacturing technology, AIBI offers the essential resources for launching and growing your brand in a rapidly changing fashion industry.
AIBI member Jackie Corlett will be present to discuss her brand Motif Handmade, which works with fair trade handweavers in Bangladesh, using recycled cotton and upcycled saris.
Please note masking is encouraged. When you arrive, please use the door marked 2031 W Fulton St. Please use the call box next to the door to be buzzed in. If you have any questions, call the office number (312-836-1041).
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Starling
Monday Coffee
3243 W 16th St
Chicago, IL 60623Open: Saturday, Oct 5 + Sunday, Oct 6, 8 am -2pm
Starling is a first-of-its-kind neighborhood amenity in North Lawndale. The space features Monday Coffee and flexible areas for residents and organizations to use such as a garden, a sound booth which can be rented by the hour, a workshop area, and a library nook filled with books by Open Books. Starling will provide spaces and programming for residents to gather, replenish, learn, and create. Stop by Starling to engage in programming, have a great cup of coffee, or just sit and relax!
We request that visitors are vaccinated against COVID.
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LMRM
2233 S Throop St, Studio 211C, Chicago, IL 60608Open: Sunday, Oct 6, 1-4pm
Masking is encouraged.
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The Greystone Collective
4733 S Forrestville Ave
Chicago, IL 60615Open: Saturday Oct 5, 1-4 pm
WE are a collective of creative Mark-Makers establishing an indelible environment for communal explorations of space, design and art; continuing to build upon a legacy of creative, intellectual and cultural experiences within the Bronzeville community. We consider and honor Bronzeville as a historically Black neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago. Our priorities are in place to honor and uplift Black Queer + Trans Makers; elevating our spirits and igniting our imaginations to DREAM in a safe inspiring space – The GREYSTONE Studio.
Masking is required. Please note the exhibition is installed on the second floor, accessed by stairs.
4 LECTURES
3 DAYS
2 WORKSHOPS
1 EXHIBITION
LMRM is grateful to everyone who joined us for our inaugural Weaving Workshop Weekend. We are guided by your collective curiosities, which in turn helps shape the space LMRM inhabits in the larger arts ecosystem. These events are only as special as the people who show up make them, so thank you all for joining us, or rooting for us if you could not make it.
Your enthusiasm fuels what’s next!
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Breakout Foundation's Chicago Community Fund Fellowship, in partnership with Gertie. CCF supports individuals and organizations dedicated to driving positive change, fostering connections, and creating lasting impact in Chicago.
We also thank our WWW volunteers, for whom this endeavor would have been an impossible feat without:
Louisa Zheng, Thương Hoài Trần, Jun Yu Tan, Wendy Lu 
