Mimi Smith
My interest in textiles began with sewing for myself and two little daughters, which culminated in a desire to create the actual fabric. Belonging to a craft group and meeting several weavers encouraged me to take classes in weaving. I was soon enthralled with the process and started to weave scarves and sweater-vests which I sold at the Clothesline Festival for several years.
However, I began to feel isolated weaving alone. I joined the Weavers' Guild of Rochester, and through them started on a long journey of teaching in various venues. These included stints with the Rochester Presbyterian Home, the Psychogeriatric Unit of the Rochester Psychiatric Center, Rochester Museum and Science Center, and various fiber shops. The teaching has been most rewarding and satisfying and is definitely my niche.
I have taught at regional guilds and national conferences such as MAFA, MidWest, Complex Weavers, and Convergence, but my favorite classes have been at the The Weaving and Fiber Arts Center and the Creative Workshop of the Memorial Art Gallery. Here I have a chance to teach new students and watch their delight as they discover patterns, textures and color in weaving. I'm able to encourage returning weavers to stretch themselves and develop their creativity. Weaving is so open-ended that there is a place for almost everyone in the myriad possibilities it offers.
Recently I have expanded my teaching of textiles to include paper making, felting, and marbling. The exploration of new techniques constantly intrigues me and I try to combine this with my continual fascination with weaving.
