Art in Ubiquity: The Handwoven Tea Towel

It's a tea towel, it has a function.  We see and use them every day.  Yet for 65 years Edmonton weavers have decidedly chosen to put time and effort into designing and creating handmade items that most would consider ubiquitous.  Initially weaving "useful goods" may have been for economic, cultural, or artistic reasons.  However, even with the onset of "fast fashion" this unheralded craft remains as resilient as ever. 

This book includes photographs of the tea towels included in the Alberta Craft Councils exhibition "Art in Ubiquity".  It also includes notes from each weaver and written works by:

Rachel Snack- Weaver, textiles artist and conservator.  Rachel is the founder of Weaver House, a textile studio dedicated to preserving craft tradition through hand-making and weaving education. 

Mackenzie Kelly-Frere- Artist, writer and educator who has taught at the Alberta University of the Arts (formerly ACAD) since 2006.

Nikita Sheth- Contemporary textile artist based in Sydney, Australia. Her woven work stems from an intuitive practice on a Saori loom.

Arlene Oak- Professor of material culture and design studies in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta.

Kim McCollum- Artist and co-owner of Gather Textiles. MFA student at the University of Alberta