Textile Center Of Minnesota

TEXTILE CENTER'S MISSION IS TO HONOR TEXTILE TRADITIONS, PROMOTE EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION, AND INSPIRE WIDESPREAD PARTICIPATION IN FIBER ART.

TEXTILE CENTER WAS FOUNDED IN 1994 AND IS A NATIONAL CENTER FOR FIBER ART BASED IN MINNEAPOLIS. OUR PROGRAMMING INCLUDES YEAR-ROUND EXHIBITIONS THAT ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, FIBER ART EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS AND YOUTH, A LIBRARY THAT IS HOME TO MORE THAN 30,000 BOOKS AND PERIODICALS DEDICATED TO TEXTILES AND FIBER ART, A RETAIL ARTISAN SHOP THAT PROVIDES INCOME TO FIBER ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE REGION, COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS, OUR DYE LAB AND DYE GARDEN, AND THE MCKNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS FOR FIBER ARTISTS. WHEN IT COMES TO ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AMONG MINNESOTANS, FIBER ART IS FIRST, ACCORDING TO A STUDY RELEASED SEVERAL YEARS AGO BY MINNESOTA COMPASS AND LED BY WILDER RESEARCH. THE POPULARITY OF THIS ART FORM, WHICH ENCOMPASSES ALL OF MINNESOTA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES FROM OJIBWE BEAD WORKERS TO SOMALI WEAVERS IS A STRENGTH OF OUR STATE WHEN ADDRESSING A WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES, RANGING FROM REUSE OF MATERIALS TO REDUCE "DISPOSABLE FASHION" IN OUR LANDFILLS, TO PRODUCING MASKS EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS, FIRST RESPONDERS, AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF COVID19. WE HAVE STRIVED TO LEAD THE FIELD THROUGH INNOVATION BY ADAPTING OUR PROGRAMMING FOR THE PANDEMIC AND BEYOND, CREATING MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS, STUDENTS, AND AUDIENCES TO PARTICIPATE IN TEXTILE CENTER PROGRAMMING THROUGH ONLINE AND REMOTE LEARNING OPTIONS, AND SERVING AS A MODEL FOR HOW TO MAKE QUALITY FIBER ARTS EDUCATION AVAILABLE OUTSIDE THE TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM SETTING. TEXTILE CENTER HAS PROVEN TO BE RESILIENT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND DURING OUR FISCAL YEAR 2021, WE ADAPTED PROGRAMS INTO DIGITAL FORMATS, INCLUDING VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS, ONLINE RETAIL SALES, AND DIGITAL CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, AND ART SPEAKS PRESENTATIONS. INDIVIDUALS, FOUNDATIONS, AND GOVERNMENT SOURCES PROVIDED CONTRIBUTED REVENUE THAT HELPED US THROUGH A VERY CHALLENGING YEAR, INCLUDING TWO FORGIVABLE PAYCHECK PROTECTIONS PROGRAM LOANS. WE ACHIEVED THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF GIVING TO OUR ANNUAL FUND BY INDIVIDUALS IN OUR ORGANIZATION'S HISTORY DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR, AND THESE GENEROUS DONORS HELPED FUND THE GAP WE EXPERIENCED DUE TO STEEP DECLINES IN EARNED REVENUE FROM CLASS TUITION, SHOP SALES, AS WELL AS RENTAL AND MEMBERSHIP INCOME DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. OUR BUILDING ATTENDANCE IS JUST ONE WAY WE CAN ILLUSTRATE THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC. IN FISCAL YEAR 2019 ENDING MARCH 31, 2019, WE HAD 19,865 VISITORS, COMPARED TO 2,380 FOR END OF FY 2021 (WE WERE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC APRIL THROUGH JUNE).WE EMBRACE ALL FORMS OF FIBER ART INCLUDING WEAVING, QUILTING, KNITTING, SEWING, DYEING, FELTING, NEEDLEWORK, LACE MAKING, BEADING, SCULPTURE, INSTALLATION, SOFT SCULPTURE, AND MULTI-MEDIA PIECES. ALL FIBER ARTS DISCIPLINES ARE OFFERED AND RANGE FROM INTRODUCTORY CLASSES FOR THE CURIOUS TO EXHIBITS OF WORKS BY MASTER ARTISTS. PROGRAMMING IS OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE TWIN CITIES, AND WE ARE EXPANDING OUR STATEWIDE AND NATIONAL REACH THROUGH OUR ONLINE PROGRAMMING. IN ADDITION TO FIBER ART CLASSES, OUR RESOURCES FOR INNOVATION INCLUDE ELLEN EREDE WELLS DYE LAB, A PLACE FOR LEARNING, EXPLORATION, AND EXPERIMENTATION, AND OUR PAT O'CONNOR LIBRARY, A SINGULAR RESOURCE FOR INVENTIVENESS AND INNOVATION, AND ONE OF THE LARGEST CIRCULATING COLLECTIONS ON FIBER ART IN THE NATION.EXHIBITS AND CLASSES ADDRESS A VARIETY OF INTERESTS AND THEMES. THIS YEAR, IN RESPONSE TO THE COMMUNITY UNREST OUR COMMUNITY ENDURED LAST SUMMER, WE LAUNCHED OUR WE ARE THE STORY QUILT INITIATIVE IN COLLABORATION WITH WOMEN OF COLOR QUILTERS NETWORK. THESE EXHIBITIONS, PROGRAMS, AND NOW A NEW BOOK, HAVE BROUGHT NATIONAL ATTENTION TO TEXTILE CENTER, INCLUDING COVERAGE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE BOSTON GLOBE, AND CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR.