Update on Fiber Fair 2019

The Weavers Guild of Minnesota holds an annual event in the fall, called Fiber Fair. The three-day sale offers members a chance to sell their work in a collaborative format, volunteering their time toward the event and taking home a percentage of their sales. Perhaps you’ve sold items there yourself, volunteered as guide, or attended to shop or show off the skills of our members to your friends and family. Fiber Fair is a long-standing guild tradition.

Following feedback from last year’s chairs, staff and participants, the Board identified the need for our organization to take a critical look at the event. Over the winter, WGM formed a small work group to start the process, look at past feedback, meet with stakeholders, and survey the participants. Last week, a small group of knowledgeable and long-standing Fiber Fair artists plus WGM staff (our “Vision Team”) met to discuss the survey and identify next steps.

At the meeting, the Vision Team recognized the need for many strategic changes to make Fiber Fair viable. The potential changes involved nearly every aspect of the event. Sometimes to move forward, you have to take a step back. The group made the hard but necessary decision to put a pause on Fiber Fair for 2019.

Please know we came to this decision through complete consensus and after careful consideration of its implications for the participants and for WGM. Taking a year off gives all of us time to thoughtfully and strategically move forward.

In 2020, the Weavers Guild of Minnesota turns 80. This is perhaps the perfect opportunity to introduce a re-imagined event. At the moment, I don’t know what that will be or how it will look. I do know that with the talent, passion, and support of our members, it will be something I’ll be proud to support and put my energies toward. Please contact me if you’d like to be part of that re-visioning process.

I am personally so grateful to everyone who participated in this process and to all of you in this community. Please reach out to me if you’d like more info about the surveys or process. Please also feel free to contact anyone on the Vision Team with your questions.

–Karin, WGM Operations Manager

Brenda Andrewson, brendaandrewson@outlook.com

Kala Exworthy, kala.exworthy@gmail.com

Barbara Heath, bheath48@gmail.com

Susan Hensel, susanhensel@yahoo.com

Karin Knudsen, kknudsen@weaversguildmn.org

Betsy Konop, bkonop@weaversguildmn.org

Cathie Mayr, catmayr@yahoo.com

Jan Nelson, janlouisenelson@comcast.net

Geri Retzlaff, geri.retzlaff@gmail.com

Roberta Zeug Shell, rzeugshell@gmail.com