The Digital Weaving Lab at Praxis Fiber Workshop invites you to join us for our first conference in Cleveland, Ohio on June 23–25, 2023. Praxis and Practice—A Digital Weaving Conference will explore the revolution in possibilities, concepts and practice unleashed by the introduction of the TC2 in 2012.
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In a time where artists of all disciplines are riding the line between digital and analog, textile artists have carved a digital meets analog niche out of the history and tradition of hand-weaving. The first TC1 (Thread Controller) was invented in 1995 and was available globally to individuals and universities and was then completely redesigned in 2012 as the TC2. Since then, demand and acquisition of this tool has skyrocketed. There are more than 80 TC2s in the United States alone, and Praxis Fiber Workshop owns and runs the only open artist residency for the loom in North America.
It is the vision of Praxis Digital Weaving Lab Director, Cathryn Amidei, to host a triennial conference to bring together the growing number of individuals whose practices have been revolutionized by this tool. ‘Praxis & Practice: Digital Weaving Conference’ is an equitable model for joining practitioners from all over the globe to share research and experiences that are paving the way for a new movement and perspective in contemporary art and design. We welcome all users of the TC2 to apply as panelists and speakers for paid opportunities to present their research and findings. Featured presenters include Vibeke Vestby (inventor of the TC1 & TC2) and Janice Lessman-Moss (Retired Chair of textiles at Kent State University). The conference will take place at Praxis Fiber Workshop (Cleveland, OH), Cleveland Institute of Art, (Cleveland, OH) and Kent State College of Art (Kent, OH). |
Order of Events
We want this conference to truly reflect the scope of digital weaving today. It is your voice, research, and experience that will shape this exciting conference. Presenters were invited after an open application and will join us from many parts of the world.
WARP SPEED PRESENTATIONS will include: Melissa English Campbell, John Fifield-Perez, Helena Sarah Richardson, Laurie Carlson Steger, Helen Weston, & Julia Wright
Meet our Hosts
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Jessica grew up in Akron, Ohio and moved to Cleveland in 2011 after receiving a BFA in Studio Art from New York University in 2006 and an MFA in painting from Boston University in 2009. She began teaching at Cleveland Institute of Art in 2011 and is currently serving as faculty in the Sculpture and Expanded Media department. Together with Cleveland Institute of Art, Jessica founded Praxis Fiber Workshop in June, 2015.
“It has been a great privilege and honor to bring a new life to the fiber department at CIA and to open Praxis in a city with such welcoming community, kindness, talent and creativity. Thank you to every single person I have met along this journey and to every person who has created art using this precious equipment over the years and so are woven into the rich history of textiles in our region.” www.jessicapinsky.com |
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Cathryn holds a B.A. in Anthropology/Russian from University of Illinois Chicago and an M.F.A. from Eastern Michigan University and was Associate Professor there for 13 years.
She has been the studio Director at the Jacquard Center in Hendersonville North Carolina since 2018. Cathryn has been engaged with Jacquard weaving for 15+ years. She has travelled extensively, studying and teaching on the TC2. She spent a year living in Norway working and walking at Tronrud Engineering Headquarters: the Digital Weaving Norway production facility. She owns a TC2 and provides technical support to Artists and Universities in North America when they purchase the loom and after. She lives in Ann Arbor Michigan and is a member of the WSG Gallery. www.cathrynamidei.com |
For general questions or if you need special services, assistance, or accommodations to fully participate in the conference, please send an email to Jessica Pinsky, conference co-chair, at jessica@praxisfiberworkshop.org or Cathryn Amidei, Digital Weaving Lab Director and conference co-chair at, dwl@praxisfiberworkshop.org. For accommodations, please notify us at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the conference.
About our Venues
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Praxis Fiber Workshop
15301 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland, OH 44110 Praxis Fiber Workshop builds the international community of fiber artists and makers through classes, workshops, residencies, and demonstration projects that teach the art form and demonstrate how fiber arts can be used to build healthy, resilient and inclusive communities. |
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Cleveland Institute of Art
11610 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106 The Cleveland Institute of Art is one of the nation's leading accredited independent colleges of art and design. Since 1882, the college has been an educational cornerstone in Cleveland, Ohio, producing graduates competitive as studio artists, designers, photographers, contemporary craftsmen, and educators. |
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Kent State School of Art
325 Terrace Drive, Kent, Ohio 44242 The School of Art recognizes the power of art to transform lives and communities through acts of dynamic creation, rigorous instruction, and engaged research. As we reexamine and reimagine our curriculum, we expand definitions of visual arts so as to include the widest possible range of research, pedagogy, and creative expression for all of our students. |
Meet our Featured Guests
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Janice Lessman-Moss is a weaver whose art practice revolves around an interest in the interconnection of abstract systems rooted in the common binary language of the computer and the loom. Networks of patterns, composed digitally on the computer screen are informed by the architecture of the weaving process in combination with an element of random selection and intuitive sense of order. Her deep engagement with digital weaving led her to Digital Weaving Norway in Honefoss, Norway where, in 2013, she was their first Artist-in-Residence, and more recently, she completed a residency at the Icelandic Textile Center in Blonduous, Iceland.
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It was in the early 90s that Vibeke Vestby, then a weaving professor from Oslo (Norway), began toying with the idea of developing a Jacquard weaving loom based on computer technology. The Norwegian economy was booming and the government was encouraging research projects, particularly concerning traditional crafts with new technology. Vibeke sent in a proposal to develop a digital weaving loom, and after getting a go ahead, she partnered with Tronrud Engineering and began to develop the loom. It took four prototypes and five years of intensive research before the Thread Controller 1 (TC1) was born. Although the TC1 was in itself an ‘ahead of its times’ loom, DWN strived to build an upgrade. Based on its own research and valuable feedback from users, DWN finally rolled out the TC2 in 2012. The TC2 was more than an upgrade, it was a brand new machine that overcame all the challenges of TC1 and other contemporary looms.
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Contact and Accessibility:
For general questions or if you need special services, assistance, or accommodations to fully participate in the conference, please send an email to Jessica Pinsky, conference co-chair, at jessica@praxisfiberworkshop.org or Cathryn Amidei, Digital Weaving Lab Director and conference co-chair at, dwl@praxisfiberworkshop.org. For accommodations, please notify us at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the conference.
A block of rooms has been reserved for conference guests. Please book your accommodations here.
Our sponsors:
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