Wishing you a joyful holiday season, and a safe and fulfilling new year! |
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SANYC and AHRC NYC
Building a Community of Weavers
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Visitors to the Baychester Public Library in the Bronx have been treated to a colorful display of circle weavings this November and December. Displayed on the wall opposite the library entrance, the artwork has evoked comments of “Amazing!” “I love them.” “They’re all so different.”
The weavings on exhibit were created during the past year by two groups of artists supported by AHRC New York City, a family-governed organization committed to finding ways for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities to build full lives as defined by each person and supported by dedicated families, staff, and community partners. The workshop participants wove with SAORI teaching artists
on Zoom.
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Weaving by Angel Franceschi
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Weaving by Venecia Septimo |
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“We showed them the basic weaving techniques using paper plates as looms, and the artists took it from there. They developed their own ways of warping and weaving, which is what SAORI is all about,” said Maurine Packard, a SANYC teaching artist. “They inspired each other and also the teachers.”
Although Zoom technology presented challenges to conducting weaving workshops, SANYC was pleased that we were able to continue programs throughout the year, and a sense of community developed even though participants were in their separate homes.
“Having weekly sessions over the course of a year allowed us to develop a bond and rapport with the participants,” Maurine went on to say. “Building a sense of community is one of SANYC’s core values.”
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Sharing weavings at end of session |
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Darinka Vlahek, Director of Program Services, Adult Day Services at AHRC NYC, added, "Weaving sessions on Zoom brought people together in a safe place where beautiful weavings and friendships were created. In uncertain times during COVID, these sessions helped keep the spirit alive and created community, which was needed more than ever."
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In addition to bringing people together, weaving had other benefits during the pandemic. Teaching artist Adrienne Sharp commented on the participants’ “enthusiasm, interest and growth, which showed me how being creative aids resilience during a stressful time.” Several participants told us they find the weaving relaxing. And they clearly felt good about what they made.
Seeing the weavings over Zoom is one thing. Seeing them for real in the exhibit is another. As teaching artist Danaleah Schoenfuss put it, “I really came to appreciate the artwork from a completely different perspective. I could finally admire the textures and the unique aesthetic preferences.”
The exhibit reception was a celebration of the artwork and a chance for some of the SANYC teaching artists to meet some of the participants and their families as well as some AHRC NYC
staff in person.
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I am very happy weaving. It calms me down. . . . And doing all of these colors and plates, it takes all my anger out.
Artist James Argentino
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It’s wonderful to see the participants’ smiling faces when they show the weavings they made.
Teaching artist Brandy Godsil
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Pearl Arokium and Guillermo Dipietrantiono share their weavings
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Weaving by James Argentino |
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AHRC NYC artist Ion Balaurea meets
SANYC President, Ria Hawks
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Facilitating the workshops has been a valuable experience and a joy for SANYC teaching artists. At the reception, several AHRC NYC weavers spoke movingly about their experiences.
The workshops will continue on Zoom for the time being and, hopefully in the not too distant future, will transition to onsite, in-person weaving on SAORI looms.
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Yarn crafting is so important to me. I can get lost in it metaphorically, but also physically--you should see my room.
Most importantly yarn reminds me of some of the challenges all of us are facing right now.
To use it as a metaphor: Yarn and life can be messy, but we can get through slowly by finding the end pieces and untangling it. Artist Ion Balaurea
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Ion Balaurea with one of his weavings |
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An Exhibit of Woven Memories Benefits SAORI Arts NYC |
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Juliet Martin calls her weavings her “emotional vocabulary.” It is a vocabulary very accessible to the viewer with its combination of weaving, illustration, and the written word. In the powerful stories told in her recent exhibition, “Household Items Remind Me of You,” the artist reveals profound feelings of loss and loneliness. Not just as a reflection of the past two difficult years of disconnects, rather, the works remind us to recognize the value of tactile objects and important relationships in front of us everyday.
Juliet is a NY-based interdisciplinary artist working with handmade textile design and digital media. She discovered SAORI ten years ago and found great emotional and artistic fulfillment in its philosophy of free-style expression.
In “Household Items…” Juliet has constructed still life portraits of her home with weavings as background, images of objects sewn into the fabric, and her scrawled lines of text expressing her feelings. In “Patio Set on Wednesday” both the artist’s sadness and humor are evident. “No one uses this chair anymore. I can’t let anyone else sit here. This is you in my mind,” and then on the opposite chair, ”You didn’t sit here.” And in “Sewing Room on Tuesday” with beautiful weavings cut in pieces and reconstructed, she writes, “I see you in everything.”
The exhibit and sale took place at Loop of the Loom in Dumbo during October. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of several pieces will be donated to SAORI Arts NYC.
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SAORI Arts NYC at New York Textile Month |
Now in its sixth year, New York Textile Month is a city-wide festival that celebrates textile creativity and promotes textile innovation. Held in September and open to the general public, NYTM offers events, talks, demonstrations, and exhibitions—all about fabric! Presenters come from the worlds of architecture, interior and industrial design, fashion, and art.
SAORI Arts NYC was pleased to be accepted as a program presenter in this notable event. Knowing that many viewers were professional weavers who may not be familiar with SAORI, we wanted to ensure that all those attending our session understood its uniqueness as a healing art form. We produced a 45-minute, virtual story, “Weaving to Heal and Empower,” to describe the philosophy of SAORI and the work of SANYC.
We demonstrated the qualities of the SAORI loom, its ease of use, and its adaptability for people with cognitive or developmental disabilities, or those experiencing chronic illness. We talked about our partners and programs, and showed the wonderful work of our program participants, young and old. We closed with a presentation of weaving SAORI style on a cardboard loom, emphasizing that people of all abilities can enjoy this freedom of expression.
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The mission of SAORI Arts NYC is to inspire creativity and self-confidence through
freestyle weaving for people of all ages with disabilities or chronic illness.
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Please consider donating to our SAORI Arts Programs. |
100% of your contribution will be used for programming with people
with disabilities or chronic illness.
Thank you.
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