The Rayela Review: HAND/EYE Magazine

HAND/EYE Magazine, World Textiles, Summer 2011

I was honored and super pleased to receive a copy of HAND/EYE's latest magazine, World Textiles, in exchange for a review here on Fiber Focus.  This is an easy task, theroretically, for the magazine is right up my alley, showcasing textile efforts happening all over the world.  But, of course, I also want to do something different with this review, so I hope that what I say will encourage you to jump up and immediately act on buying your own copy.

HAND/EYE's bi-line, right under the name, says: Connecting cultures and inspiring action.  That is exactly what it does.  The 68 pages tell story after story about how one person had a vision, pursued it and in doing so is transforming a community as well as impacting how that specific tradition or technique can thrive in a modern and industrial world.

Take a look at the table of contents:

• From Australia, India Flint shares how her children have taken the skills handed down within the family to express their own interests in unique ways.  
• Six stories follow from Asia, zooming in on Laos, Japan, India, and Cambodia.
• In Africa, three stories look at silk, weaving and Berber rag rugs.
• A quick stop in Europe takes us to a tiny Dutch area where women still embellish their clothing with a dot technique.
• Latin America gets five stories: Mexican Maya, Colombia, Peru...
• Then, another six stories in North America.

These stories are about empowering indigenous people, healing social wounds, exploring how one tradition can refresh another.  The engine behind the movement comes from the people.  The resulting products are eye-popping, gorgeous, and marketable to high-end markets (as well as affordable ones) which can sustain the communities that make them.

Anouphanethong Thammavong fled Thailand in 1975 and returned in 2001, finding his grandmother's legacy in woven silks.  From the ashes of history rose Soie de Lune.

The magazine, richly illustrated, does a wonderful job of showcasing both the people and the product.  Eyes and silk glow, hands and weave touch, bodies become color, washed in the folds of gorgeous fabrics, embroidery, and stitches.

This is a great time for me to do this review as it was almost exactly a year ago since I first heard about HAND/EYE.  I had launched TAFA earlier that year and one of the members sent me a link and said, "You will love this!"  I began getting the weekly e-mails.  (Subscribe to them, too!)  Eventually, I approached them and asked them if they would do a story on TAFA, which they did.  (Click to read it.)  One thing led to another and they also became a TAFA member:  HAND/EYE's TAFA Member Profile.

Our long term goals are very similar: we want the world to be place that understands and supports the power of craft, of creating something beautiful that is functional or that makes us think.  HAND/EYE has a broader focus, as they also write about clay, wood, glass, and other handmade traditions, which I think is just great!  And, from our communities on facebook and other online groups, we are not alone.  There is a thirst out there for the stories we are telling!

Rehwa Society trains and employs women with limited opportunities in India.

What is the place of a magazine in our techy world?

Even with all this enthusiasm, we are also coming out of whiplash from the demise of another favored magazine, FiberArts, which had published for over 30 years and was a mainstay for many of us.  The reality of today's world is that we are seeing magazines, newspapers and publishing companies closing down their paper products and moving them to cyber venues only.

Should we even be in the business of publishing anymore?  Why have a hard copy that you can hold in your hands and turn real pages?  If we are concerned about the environment, why should we encourage paper production?

Well,  I must say that I am happy to see many paper things disappear or decrease:  trashy novels, catalogs that were not requested, junk mail....  The cost has cleaned up a lot of the abuse.  But, at the same time, there is a place for documenting our stories through hard copies that are not electronic.  Information on the web can be so fleeting.  And, if there is a power shortage, there goes the access.  I have many books on textiles, cultural anthropology, theology, etc.  Those are references that I can check at will, that I can hold in my hand and feel connected to that paper.  Plus, there is a whole segment of our population, like my mother, who refuses to learn how to use the computer.  HAND/EYE Magazine is one of those publications that should continue to tell the story for many, many more years.

The highland communities in Chiapas, Mexico, continue to have dynamic indigenous traditions and dress.

What you should know:

HAND/EYE publishes these beautiful magazines a couple of times a year.  Back issues are still available for their issues on Central Asia and Haiti.  Each magazine is $15.  Think about all of the time and effort that goes into collecting these stories and then taking them to print.  In between, there is much, much more that you can access online.  There are three sites that you can visit:

• HAND/EYE Magazine  (online) discusses the intersections of art, craft, design, effective philanthropy, and enlightented consumption.  Get it by email once a week with an average of three new stories. 
• HAND/EYE Blog  invites makers, collectors and commentators alike to be part of the discussion by bringing what they make, what they collect, what they obsess about, onto the screens of our devoted handmade community.
• 12 Small Things by HAND/EYE offers high quality, handmade, artisan goods from around the globe. Our collections support craftspeople working to improve the lives of their families and communities in some of the most challenging situations on the planet. Their stories are those of strength, hope, and beauty, and each of our products reflects these qualities in their design and craftsmanship. 12 Small Things by HAND/EYE strives to assist these communities and artisans through commerce. 

Native American artist Teri Greeves tell her story through hand-sewn beads on manufactured high tops.

The Key Words

Here is my exercise:  we are always reducing our curiosity or hunt on the web down to key words that capture what we want.  I will pick a word from each page of this World Textiles issue and see what we come up with.  Ready?  Here goes:

Hope + India Flint + child + Laos +Paris + baby + weaver + Japan + origami + nuno + handloom + heritage + Muslim + saris + India + UNESCO + eco-culturalist + silk + ancient + yam juice + Raw Mango + royalty + sustainable + road + Cambodia + Madagascar + feathers + South African + embroidery + rags + Morocco + Amazigh + Dutch + dots + Chiapas + Maya + backstrap + fashion + threads + globetrotter + sophisticated + indigenous + Peruvian + ancestral + nature's + organic + Rome + costume designer + hope + symbols + vision + empowerment + textures + conscious consumption + indigo + Korean + moccasins + beads + healing + machine embroidery + Rowland Ricketts + sukumo + opacity + vitality.

What do you think?  One page, one word.  Are we speaking the same language?  Is there enough there to spark your interest?  Order your copy of World Textiles and support HAND/EYE in the wonderful work that they do: connecting cultures and inspiring action.  It is not only fascinating to those of us who love these textiles and techniques, but also so important in making the world a safer and healthier place for all.  The more we can communicate, share, learn, and break down the barriers that divide us, the more we understand that even if names, places and techniques are different, we are really all on a common journey.

And, if that journey includes some raw silk, indigo and a good story along the way, I am a happy camper indeed!

The Rayela Review: HAND/EYE Magazine

The Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (SEFAA): New Fiber Arts Center in Georgia

There's a New Kid on the Block!

Written by:
 

Suzi Gough

President, Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance

Have you heard? The Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (SEFAA) will be opening a fiber arts center in Atlanta this July. There will be low-cost artist studios and communal space for classes, meetings, exhibitions and informal gatherings. It will be a place for anyone interested in the fiber arts - individuals with a desire to learn a new skill, fiber artists who are expert in their field, organizations, businesses, educators, and collectors. It will be a place to connect, learn, create, share, and explore. It will be a place to engage the public, to inspire and support artists, to teach and display all aspects of the fiber arts, and to celebrate and perpetuate all fiber art forms. It will be your fiber art center.

TAFA Member, Leisa Rich, teaching a sewing class.

So, who is SEFAA? 

SEFAA is a 501(c)(3) that incorporated in July 2009 to provide a unique and all-encompassing fiber art experience. It is an alliance of all facets of the fiber art community who are collaborating and cooperating to foster the fiber arts. You can learn more about SEFAA at their website and their blog and on their Facebook and Twitter pages.


How can you support SEFAA? 
Volunteer, join, donate and spread the word.


• To volunteer, just email. A desire to help and a little spare time are the only job requirements. Right now SEFAA is looking for individuals to audit their 2010 accounts and to organize a fiber garage sale in May.
• To join, print out and mail in the membership form. Individual memberships are only $50 and are good for a full year from the date you join.
• To donate, click on Crowdrise, where we have a fundraiser for the SEFAA.

Spread the Word

SEFAA's goal is to raise $6,000 by April 1st through Crowdrise to finance minor renovations, to purchase tables and chairs and to ensure that they have adequate working capital prior to opening the SEFAA Center. As of today, they have raised $1,765. That means they need to raise $4,235 in the next 23 days to make this architect's rendering a reality.

Proposed space for the new fiber arts center.

Spreading the word is easy. Talk to your friends, blog about SEFAA, and post about SEFAA on your social media sites. Help SEFAA reach out and touch everyone interested in the fiber arts.
You already believe in the fiber arts community. Believe in the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance and you'll be supporting both.

You'll be glad you did.

The Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (SEFAA): New Fiber Arts Center in Georgia

TAFA Members on the Map!

"All the Time in the World" by TAFA Member Marcia H. Eygabroat

TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List was launched a year ago on January 31st.  Those of you who follow this blog will have seen many other posts that I have done about TAFA and its members.  (Click TAFA for past posts) Now at 229 members, we have grown into a vibrant, international organization with an active core group of members.  I wanted to see what we looked like on a map to get a physical idea of our growth and location, so I spent the last several days entering all of us on to a google map.  It's quite fascinating to see us this way!

 

One of the things that struck me is how remote some of our members are, far away even from a small town.  And, this is where the internet clearly allows us to live anywhere and still be connected to a global community.  This has really changed our ability to do business with something that we love even if we do not have ready access into a local market.  It's also such an incredible tool for developing relationships and friendships with people who live so far away.  The other side of the coin is that I think that many of our members will be surprised that they have TAFA members living very close to them.  People they met online are actually neighbors!

Jump in and take a look around!  You might find some TAFA neighbors yourself.  The pins are not on exact locations, but close.  Zoom into the places where there are clusters so that you can see the individual pins.  When you click on them, a photo pops up along with a link to their TAFA member profile.

Share this map with your people.  Remember that all of our members are looking for customers.  There are many reasons people buy something: because it matches something, it's a must-have, it supports a cause, or it comes from somewhere meaningful.  You will find each member's contact info in their member profile.  Support them with their online shops, their galleries, and their projects.  TAFA members are talented and excel at what they do.

Enjoy!

TAFA Members on the Map!

Colorjack - a Tool for Playing with Color by Gina DeLorenzi

Colorjack, a color resource for artists

Considering the cost of artistic materials, angst over making a mistake purchasing fabric or paints or other art expenses can lead to procrastination, loss of a great idea or ineffective artwork.

Sure, looking at magazines for appealing color combinations is one solution. But those glossy pictures are not my own creation and I have had no success translating magazine adverts to real art. I like Color Harmony by Hideaki Chijiiwa for musing over color choices.

Color Harmony: A Guide to Creative Color Combinations

It’s portable and can be taken shopping. And then there are professional programs available that can provide color mixing, but are expensive to buy.

Color Sphere on Colorjack

Colorjack is a website that has 3 tools to get instant color palettes. These tools are called Color Theory Visualizers. To use Color Galaxy, just let your cursor hover over any of the array of colored boxes and a palette appears. To use Color Sphere move your cursor around on a ball. Color Studio has you moving your cursor along bars. The colors chosen indicate their RGB (red,green,blue) values. Hue, saturation and value (HSV) codes are automatically generated.

Color Studio on Colorjack

For Photoshop enthusiasts, Colorjack has a link to a list of links for Photoshop tutorials plus several other color related websites.

For quilters who don’t want to be constrained by the fabric industry’s annual colorways in printed quilt fabric, Colorjack could help you delve into your stash and try some different color combinations using what you already have.

Artists working in oil or other media, dig out your half used paint tubes and enter what you have on hand into the software.

An unexpected color combination just might inspire that vague idea wandering in your dreams or sketchbook. Plus using up, recycling and rethinking our product stashes are always smart ideas.

Circus Quilt by Gina DeLorenzi, quilt artist

View featured Quilter of the Month, Suzan Engler
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Gina is a self taught quilt artist. She creates visual and emotional impressions in her fiber art by allowing a relationship between various fabrics to emerge. The stunning results of her dyeing and sewing techniques energize the direction each art work takes.

Gina is a regular contributor here on Fiber Focus. Click here to see her past posts.

"Gina's kaleidoscopic quilt collages are a focal point on walls in any setting." Ellen Ray Panero New York artist represented in the Guggeheim

“The colors are so vibrant, one’s eye is mesmerized.” Eva Birkner






www.quilts4u.com
modern interpretations of a traditional art form
www.contemporaryquiltart.org
your inspiration zone


*

Colorjack - a Tool for Playing with Color by Gina DeLorenzi

Grants, Foundations and Other Great Resources for Artists

Drawing by Van Gogh, Weaver

Over the years I have accumulated a list of great resources in my grants and foundations folder. I thought I would share them with you. Many are specifically for artists, but my interest has been in the economic development potential that craft production can have on low income populations, so there are also many that are targeted towards non-profits or efforts working in under-served communities.

Please let me know if any links quit working in the comments area. And, if you have some favorites you want to share with anyone, you can leave links and info there, too. Funding opportunities for artists and non-profits have become increasingly harder to obtain, but there are still places out there that can help give that financial push needed to start or grow a good idea. Also, as I am in the Unites States, my list will serve mostly those living here, although some do have an international focus or have branches in other parts of the world.

The link is embedded in the photo or name of the organization, followed by its mission or description. It is in alphabetical order.


Community/Artists Partnership Project was initiated in 1984 by Alternate ROOTS. Since its inception, the project has supported over 38 projects in eight states, convened a national gathering of community cultural workers and initiated a training program for the advanced study of community arts practice. Projects selected for funding focus on social issues in a variety of community settings.

The Alternate ROOTS Resources for Social Change Program directly supports the CAPP by hosting Learning Exchanges that share ideas, methods, and techniques for creating social change through the arts. The core method used to share information are learning exchanges that engage emerging, as well as established art partners in sharing best practices toward partnerships that incorporate the five key principles forcreating sustained projects with deep impact.



This link will take you to a list of resources for women provided by Awakened Woman. There is a section on women's art.


The Banff Mountain Grants Program supports projects that communicate the stories of mountain landscapes as places of ecological, inspirational, and cultural value, and that celebrate the spirit of adventure. Its concentration on communication of mountain stories is unique in the world.

Individuals or organizations may apply for grants of up to $5000 (Canadian dollars) to fund projects that creatively interpret the environment, natural history, human heritage, arts, philosophy, lifestyle, and adventure, in and of the mountains. Projects must include a communications component (such as film, literature, photography) that brings the project before a public audience. Projects must show respect for mountain landscapes as places of ecological, inspirational, and cultural value. Projects should be world class in execution, celebrate the spirit of adventure, and reflect our mission statement.

Black Rock Arts Foundation: The mission of the Black Rock Arts Foundation is to support and promote community-based interactive art and civic participation. For our purposes, interactive art means art that generates social participation. The process whereby this art is created, the means by which it is displayed and the character of the work itself should inspire immediate actions that connect people to one another in a larger communal context.


The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design (CCCD) is a regional center of the University of North Carolina with a strong nonprofit support organization. It is located on the fifty-acre UNC Asheville Kellogg Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina. CCCD convenes national meetings, supports research in the area of craft and design, and curates exhibitions for a small gallery space and the sculpture and public art on the property's one-mile Rudnick Nature Trail. CCCD also manages an adjacent Conference Center, a multimedia rental facility serving area nonprofits, educational and corporate needs.

Mission: The mission of the regional UNC center is to advance the understanding of craft by encouraging and supporting research, scholarship, and professional development.

The mission of the nonprofit is to support the regional center through funding, programs and outreach to national and regional artists, craft organizations, schools, and the local community.

Founded in 2000 by Craig Newmark and others, Craigslist Foundation (www.craigslistfoundation.org) is a publicly supported, non-endowed 501(c)3 operating foundation (i.e. not a grantmaking institution). Just as craigslist.org is about 'people helping people' by facilitating online connections, Craigslist Foundation creates community in the nonprofit arena by 'helping people help', regardless of cause or sector. We are uniquely positioned to support nonprofits by providing free and low cost education opportunities to emerging nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs, thereby fulfilling our mission of "Providing knowledge, resources and visibility to the next generation of nonprofit leaders."



Creative Capital, a nonprofit organization, acts as a catalyst for the development of adventurous and imaginative ideas by supporting artists who pursue innovation in form and/or content in the performing and visual arts, film and video, and in emerging fields. We are committed to working in partnership with the artists whom we fund, providing advisory services and professional development assistance along with multi-faceted financial aid and promotional support throughout the life of each Creative Capital project.


Cubs Care: Cubs Care is the charitable beneficiary of the Chicago Cubs and a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation (MTF). Cubs Care focuses it's giving in the city of Chicago and makes monetary grants to organizations that aid children who have special needs, victims of domestic violence and youth sports programs. Most of these grants are to specific programs. Cubs Care also focuses on a wide variety of charitable and social service agencies located in the immediate neighborhood of Wrigley Field. This includes Lake View, Uptown and Lincoln Park. To help stimulate giving the fund, the MTF provides significant matching dollars to all funds raised for Cubs Care.

Note: Cubs Care funded the quilt project I worked on with Chicago artist, Allison Svoboda. See my Fiber Focus post on it.


Digital Women has over 17,000 International members. We provide information on starting a business, business finance resources including small-business loans for women and non-government business grants for women, along with a networking community for women-in-business.


Echoing Green: To accelerate social change, Echoing Green invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions. Through a two-year fellowship program, we help our network of visionaries develop new solutions to society’s most difficult problems. These social entrepreneurs and their organizations work to solve deeply-rooted social, environmental, economic, and political inequities to ensure equal access and to help all individuals reach their potential. To date, Echoing Green has invested $27 million in seed funding to over 450 social entrepreneurs and their innovative organizations.




The Foundation Center's mission is to strengthen the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy.
Established in 1956, and today supported by more than 600 foundations, the Foundation Center is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance philanthropy at every level. The Center's web site receives more than 47,000 visits each day, and thousands of people gain access to free resources in its five regional library/learning centers and its national network of more than 340 Cooperating Collections.


Sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program provides funding for students, scholars, teachers, and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The flagship international educational program sponsored by the U.S. Government, the Fulbright Program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and the people other countries.



Idealist.Org: This is an incredible resource if you are looking for a job with a social mission. It also has resources that are very useful. Idealist.Org is a part of Action Without Borders which connects people, organizations, and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives. AWB is independent of any government, political ideology, or religious creed. Our work is guided by the common desire of our members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.

International Quilt Association: The International Quilt Assocation is dedicated to the preservation of quilts and the art of quilting, the attainment of public recognition for quilting and for quilts as an art form, and the advancement of the state of the art through continuing education services for members, public education activities, and professional and artisan
development programs.

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation: The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation provides fellowships for advanced professionals in all fields (natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, creative arts) except the performing arts. Fellowships are not available for students. The Foundation only supports individuals. It does not make grants to institutions or organizations. The Foundation selects its Fellows on the basis of two separate competitions, one for the United States and Canada, the other for Latin America and the Caribbean.

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife for the purpose of supporting educational, health and civic and cultural organizations. Our goals are to strengthen communities, promote good health and improve education. The Foundation continues a tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement begun by MetLife in the 19th century.

The Kentucky Foundation for Women offers two grant programs: Artist Enrichment and Art Meets Activism. The Artist Enrichment grant supports feminist social change artists to develop their art making skills. The Art Meets Activism grant supports feminist artists to engage in art making directly involving social change. KFW awards $200,000 in grants annually, $100,000 in each program.

They also have a good links page.


Lindbergh Foundation: Each year, The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation presents Lindbergh Grants to individuals whose proposed research or education projects will make important contributions toward improving the quality of life by balancing technological advancements and the preservation of our environment. Awarded in amounts up to $10,580 each (a symbolic figure representing the cost of the "Spirit of St. Louis" in 1927), the Grants are made in numerous areas of special interest to Charles and Anne Lindbergh, including aviation/aerospace, agriculture, arts and humanities, biomedical research and adaptive technology, conservation of natural resources, education, exploration, health and population sciences, intercultural communication, oceanography, waste disposal management, water resource management, and wildlife preservation.

Nathan Cummings Foundation: The Foundation’s core programs include arts and culture; the environment; health; interprogram initiatives for social and economic justice; and the Jewish life and values/contemplative practice programs.

The Foundation seeks to work with partners in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. We make efforts to document the outcomes of our projects and share with others the results of our work and the work of our grantees. Several basic themes run through all of these programs and inform the Foundation’s approach to grantmaking:

• concern for the poor, disadvantaged, and underserved;
• respect for diversity;
• promotion of understanding across cultures; and
• empowerment of communities in need.
• 
  

NYFA's mission is to empower artists at critical stages in their creative lives. NYFA is the largest provider of grants, services, and information to artists working in all disciplines in the United States.



Open Meadows Foundation is a grant-making organization for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls. Open Meadows Foundation funds projects that do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age or ability. It offers grants up to $2000 to projects that: * Are designed and implemented by women and girls;
* Reflect the diversity of the community served by the project in both its leadership and organization;
* Promote building community power;
* Promote racial, social, economic and environmental justice;
* Have limited financial access or have encountered obstacles in their search for
funding. Organizational budget should not exceed $150,000.


The Puffin Foundation Ltd. has sought to
open the doors of artistic expression
by providing grants to artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy.


We seek to promote the well-being of humanity by addressing the root causes of serious problems. We work to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerable people and to help ensure that globalization's benefits are more widely shared. We are one of the few institutions to conduct such work both within the United States and internationally.


We partner with investors, donors, and social enterprises to realize financial transactions that enliven consciousness and enhance quality of life. With our clients, we cultivate environmental, social and financial sustainability, and provide access to capital for organizations committed to fair practices and improving economic conditions.


The Foundation gives cash awards to individual artists and craftspersons, selected by a panel of judges. Our winners have told us that our grants have made a significant impact on their ability to continue their work. We take great pride in the fact that many of our grantees have gone on to receive increased public recognition and appreciation. Some have work in the permanent collections of prestigious museums including the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition, winners have had their art displayed in numerous local museums and public spaces across the United States. Some of our artists have earned Fullbright Scholarships to study and teach art abroad.


United States Institute of Peace: The Grant Program, part of the Grant and Fellowship Program, increases the breadth and depth of the Institute's work by supporting peacebuilding projects managed by non-profit organizations including educational institutions, research institutions, and civil society organizations.

In over twenty years of grantmaking, the Grant Program's Annual Grant Competition and Priority Grantmaking Competition have received nearly 10,000 applications and awarded almost 2,000 grants. The Institute has provided funding to grantees located in 46 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and in 81 foreign countries.

The Foundation’s mission is to enable institutions to expand learning and enrichment opportunities for all people. We do this by supporting and sharing effective ideas and practices. To achieve our mission we have three objectives: strengthening education leadership to enhance student achievement; improving after-school learning opportunities; and expanding participation in arts and culture.


List of artist resources built by artists for artists. Part of The Pauper, Starving Artists Online.


Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources.

Winrock matches innovative approaches in agriculture, natural resources management, clean energy, and leadership development with the unique needs of its partners. By linking local individuals and communities with new ideas and technology, Winrock is increasing long-term productivity, equity, and responsible resource management to benefit the poor and disadvantaged of the world.


Women of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America): Women of the ELCA awards grants annually. The organization encourages applications addressing a broad range of issues within rural, urban, and suburban sectors.

Grants, Foundations and Other Great Resources for Artists

The Costume Page, A Most Wonderful Resource

Have you heard of The Costume Page? Are you interested in clothing design, apparel throughout the ages? Do you have many, many, many hours at your disposal to explore this extensive list? The Costume Page is a resource that compiles links to websites with costume related information. Julie Zetterberg Sardo, who developed the site, states:

"Welcome to The Costume Page, my personal library of costume and costuming-related links. I'm sharing it for the benefit of those who study and/or make costumes: costumers, students, historical re-enactors, science fiction fans, professionals, amateurs, dancers, theatrical costumers, trick-or-treaters, writers, researchers, and all those interested in fashion, textile art, and costume history.

There are over 1,000 unique links listed on these pages. Some of them cover more than one area of interest. I recommend that you browse through all sections of The Costume Page if you don't immediately find what you're seeking. I've tried to cross-reference where possible, but you're likely to find some additional gems if you dig!"

The subjects are divided into the following topics:

Home | Reference | Museums | History | Topics | Ethnic | Theatrical
Organizations | Events | Schools | Instructions
Halloween | Other Lists
Materials | Accessories | Costumes

Each of them opens the door to a vast compilation of links. Of course, my favorite is the Ethnic tab. This one is divided into:

Africa | Asia & India | Western Europe | Eastern Europe and Siberia
Near & Middle East | North, Central & South America | Pacific Islands

The linked sites are varied and include documentation of historical costumes, how-to pages, and ethnographic information. Photocollect deals with old photographs such as the Japanese warrior below. They target museums and private collectors as clients.


Macedonian Folk Embroidery offers samples of embroidered clothing and patterns such as the one below:


Maya Adventure has a page on woven symbolism in Mayan textiles.

Those three are just a small sampling of what is available in the ethnic section. There is a lot more on Japanese kimono, Indian saris, Middle Eastern garb, African wraps and a huge section on European costumes.

The Costume Page is especially rich with information on Western historical fashion. The Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Medieval links are fascinating! Footwear of the Middle Ages is one example of an excellent overview of how shoes were made, what tools were used, and what the various designs meant in that period.


One of the Paducah artists had a costume party last year with a 1960's theme. Another one used a flapper theme. I used this site as an idea place to figure out what to wear for both parties. Sometimes you just need to look at some good images to get some inspiration. This is the place to come.

There are also many links that have excellent educational resources for kids (or adults who like to play...). David Claudon Paper Dolls has a huge selection of designs from all over the world through the ages. My sister is home schooling her kids and I can just imagine her using these as teaching aids.

The Costume Page is an invaluable resource for theater people, designers, historians, and anybody just curious enough to poke around the site. I can only thank Julie Zetterberg Sardo for putting such an excellent collection at our disposal. Thank you for all your hard work!

The Costume Page, A Most Wonderful Resource