Welcome from the Board President, Lisa Black
Greetings WGM Members. September launches us into Fiscal Year 2023 and Year 2 of our five year Strategic Plan. What an exciting year it is shaping up to be! I joined WGM and started weaving about 4 years ago after a rigid heddle class. I knew immediately that I wanted to learn more. I took a few floor loom classes, which led me to add an eight shaft Mighty Wolf to my house. Who needs a kitchen table, right?
Professionally, I have a degree in Chemistry and spent most of my career working in the Pharmaceutical industry, first in the laboratories and then as a project manager. I retired in December 2021, so this opportunity to serve the Guild on the Board came at the perfect time. Here’s a recent project: a bath towel, hand towel and washcloth set. The towels were made on my 8 shaft Mighty Wolf loom and the washcloth on my Rigid Heddle.
As you know, WGM is getting ready to move into a larger and more flexible space in the Open Book building, just a few short miles away from our current location. I am excited to share that we signed a 5 year lease in late August and the space at Open Book is officially ours! Over the next few months, we will be focused on some light construction work in the new space to transform it into our new home. We will also begin the process of moving out of our current space, starting with moving out of the front classroom by the end of September. Keep an eye on upcoming issues of The Draft for updates on the construction and moving progress.
Under Amanda Anderson’s leadership last fiscal year, we made significant progress on the objectives of the Strategic Plan. Thank you, Amanda, for a spectacular year! With the addition of a third full time staff member and the identification of a larger space in Open Book, we made great progress within the Talent and Financial Sustainability objectives. During the upcoming year, we will focus on adjusting to our new space, creating a financial forecast and moving forward with plans to expand our instructor pool. As always, we act in support of our guiding mission: preserving and advancing the arts of weaving, spinning, and dyeing.
This is such an exciting time for WGM! I look forward to working with you in the year ahead.
–Lisa Black, WGM Board President, pres_lisa@weaversguildmn.org