146: Exploring Ancestry Through Art With Sobia Ahmad

In this week's episode, LaChaun speaks with adé Oh (they/themme/àjé) an afro surrealist, animist, and multimedia healing artist. Their creative fire is nourished by earth-based textile crafts, sound arts, experimental and abstract visual arts, nature writing, poetry, capoeira Angola, good food and healing herbs, river time, belly laughter, money, healthy relationships, and peaceful rest. They are a returning generation slow craft artisan and in 2014, made a lifelong commitment to cloth and tapestry weaving. In 2020, they founded dièdiè textile farm and production studio which is currently incubating on collective land Tierra Negra farms. They work with land and sky to grow and process plant-based fibers and dyes for the people. At Gist, we are lucky to support them as one of our artists in residence of 2022 and as a guest on the podcast this week. Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-147

In this week's episode, LaChaun speaks with Sobia Ahmad, an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores how our deeply intimate struggles of belonging can inform larger conversations about migration, the tenuous notions of home, personal memory, and cultural porosity. While exploring her ancestral knowledge, Sobia reimagines craft rituals and intergenerational storytelling as acts of liberation. Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-146

In this week's episode, LaChaun speaks with one of our artists in residence Kesiena Onosigho. Kesiena's thought-provoking mixed-media collages and installations are informed by her lived experiences, curiosity, and the historic influence on arts & crafts from people within the African Diaspora. Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-145

In this week's conversation, ​LaChaun is switching roles to ​be interviewed by Michelle Brooks of The Stitchering Shop. ​You may remember Michelle from episode 110 where ​she talked about her practice of creating custom textile art pieces using a variety of fiber techniques such as tufting, embroidery stitching, and weaving. ​In this week's episode, LaChaun gives an update on her fiber and farming journey as well as some insights into her experiences in fiber and how they relate to Michelle's experiences as well. Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-144

Our WEAVE Artist in Residency program is a 12-week long remote residency that aims to support weavers and fiber enthusiasts who engage in community-based fiber practices. Each participant will receive a $1,500.00 cash stipend to use with no restrictions, and a $1,500.00 materials budget to shop for materials on the Gist Yarn website. We will select three Artists in Residence in 2022. Shownotes: www.gistyarn.com/artist-residency-2022 Residency Application: https://forms.gle/dfAcFhuPpJ1uL3X29

In this week's episode, LaChaun speaks with author and maker Melanie Falick. Melanie traveled across continents to meet quilters and potters, weavers and painters, metalsmiths, printmakers, woodworkers, and more, all to uncover truths that have been speaking to us for millennia yet feel urgently relevant today. In revealing stories and gorgeous original photographs, Making a Life captures all the joy of making and the power it has to give our lives authenticity and meaning. Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-143

In this week's episode, LaChaun speaks with Melvenea Hodges. Melvenea is a Fiber Artist residing in South Bend, Indiana. She was born and raised in Benton Harbor, Michigan where she began learning about fiber arts through experimenting with hair braiding, beading, and weaving. It was through these experiences she found joy and realized her talent in creating with her hands. She creates clothing and accessories using traditional techniques such as block printing, sewing, weaving, spinning, knitting, crocheting, and embroidery. On a small scale, Melvenea grows processes and spins naturally colored cotton that she weaves with. Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-142

In this week's episode, Sarah speaks with Tommye Scanlin. Tommye is a well-known tapestry weaver, tapestry teacher, and the author of The Nature of Things: Essays of a Tapestry Weaver, as well as her newest book, Tapestry Design Basics and Beyond. In their conversation, Tommye talks about how she began teaching weaving, and what inspired her to write her latest book. Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-141

On this week's episode, Sarah speaks with Rebecca Mezoff. We are really thrilled to welcome Rebecca Mezoff back onto the podcast. Rebecca is a contemporary tapestry weaver in Fort Collins, Colorado, and a tapestry weaving teacher, both in-person and online. She's written books about tapestry weaving, including the recently published book The Art of Tapestry Weaving. We first spoke for the podcast in 2018 for episode 11 and since then, Rebecca and I have stayed in touch and Rebecca has been really instrumental in giving feedback throughout the development of our new line of wool tapestry yarn, Array. We have been collaborating on an exciting project that she’s going to be launching soon and we're excited to share more details in this episode! Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-140

On this week's episode, LaChaun speaks with Lea Thomas. Born in Hawaii and based in Brooklyn, Lea Thomas is a multimedia artist with a focus on music and weaving. Her woven work is centered around hand-looming natural fibers that she dyes with botanical pigments. Her frequent use of indigo is symbolic of her Japanese heritage, honoring a lineage of kimono makers and textile artisans in her immediate ancestry. Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-139