Hayley Perry is a contemporary fibre artist from Southeastern New England who employs the technique of rug hooking to explore colourful, mixed media artworks. Her whimsical wall hangings are made via the most traditional form of rug hooking where each fibre loop is hand-pulled through a linen pattern with a small, crochet-like hook. It is a technique that tracks back many generations in her Canadian family, and thus is an important part of her process and identity as an artist.  

Hayley founded LoopbyLoopStudio.com in 2013, which is an online business that specializes in traditional rug hooking designs and materials.  Hayley's work has been included in many national exhibitions and fibre art publications, such as Wool Works, Fibre Art Now and Rug Hooking Magazine. 

https://www.loopbyloopstudio.com/

https://www.emilyoleary.com/

Hanski, AKA, Hannah Epstein (b.1985) is a Canadian neo-folk artist working in textile and digital media.

Raised by her Latvian grandmother and a Zenith television, Epstein was mesmerized by the sharp contrast between the retelling of World War II family trauma, and the saturated images of American media that flooded through three local channels. This storytelling dichotomy launched a lifetime obsession with popular forms of entertainment as remedy and escape.

Convinced of the power of narrative, Epstein pursued her undergraduate in Folklore, graduating with her B.A in 2009. In 2014 she formalized her art practice when she was admitted to Carnegie Mellon University, where she worked to combine textile, video and interactive media. She graduated with a MFA in 2017.

With her immense visual vocabulary of cartoon and pop culture imagery, Epstein has gained a reputation for using the traditional craft of rug hooking to digest a daily barrage of media, finding resonance with archetypal figures of the collective unconscious. Her work has been shown at The Hammer Museum, The Art Gallery of Ontario, The Textile Museum of Canada, The Long Beach Museum of Art, The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and The Rooms in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

https://www.han.ski/

https://www.marytooleyparker.com/

My art practice explores the rural imagery of landscapes and domestic life through textiles and illustration. Dyeing, weaving, silk-screen printing, 

rug hooking, drawing and stitching are the mediums that I work with.

Recent years have yielded extensive research in the creation and application of natural dyes from plant, mineral and insect sources. 

I completed a BFA in Textiles from NSCAD University in 2004 and an MA in Textile Art from the Winchester School of Art in 2006. I am a part time faculty member at NSCAD University where I primarily teach dye and print based classes in the Textiles Department. 

https://joannaclose.ca/

Simone Elizabeth Saunders (she/her) is an award-winning, Canadian textile artist whose artworks have attracted the attention of galleries, media and prominent collectors from around the world.

Using a punch needle and tufting machine, she carefully hand weaves each canvas with a strong focus on emulating Black womanhood, uplifting their joys, strength and resilience. Her colourful textiles highlight motifs and iconography from her Jamaican heritage and engage with socio-cultural factors reclaiming power from oppressive ideologies.

With two BFA degrees, one in Performance from the University of Alberta and the other majoring in Fibre

(with distinction) from Alberta University of the Arts, Saunders weaves her theatrical experiences with her

passion for diverse art history. She explores the beauty and vulnerability of Black women in connection to her own perspective as a proud, mixed-race Jamaican-Canadian. She has earned countless awards and acknowledgments for her work, receiving one of particular personal importance in 2023 – a Calgary Black Chambers Achievement Award recognizing her work in highlighting and advancing Black and societal issues through the Arts.

Saunders is actively creating new textiles from her studio in Moh’kinstsis (Calgary, Canada) with her work being displayed internationally. Recent exhibitions include Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Art Toronto, Art Gallery of Alberta. Other recent exhibitions: Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem, SCOPE and LOOP Miami, ExpoChicago, and at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, England, the Textile Museum of Canada (ON), Contemporary Calgary (AB),Minneapolis Art Institute (MN), the Mint Museum (NC), and ArtsWestchester (NY).

https://www.simoneelizabethsaunders.com/

Megan Ingman is the founder and creative force behind Lichen and Lace Hand Dyed Yarns, a brand known for its beautifully hand-dyed colourways

and artisanal quality. With a passion for fibre arts and a deep appreciation for nature, Megan combines her love of colour and texture to create yarns that inspire knitters and makers around the world.

Based in Sackville, New Brunswick, Megan draws inspiration from the surrounding landscapes, infusing her collections with earthy tones and vibrant hues. Her dedication to sustainable practices and high-quality materials has made Lichen and Lace a beloved name in the fibre arts community.

https://lichenandlace.com/

Sheree Fitch has been an award winning poet, educator, author, for over forty years and has travelled around the globe as a storyteller and workshop facilitator.  

Sheree holds three honorary doctorates and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. She still thinks being called Mabel Murple's Mama is the best title of all. 

A woman of faith, her work reflects the serious joy of her experiential wisdom. She lives and works with the understanding that creativity is co-creation and collaboration with LOVE and a manifestation of Spirit.  

Sheree writes in many genres, yet feels profound wisdom can be gleaned from excellent children's books and simple heart songs. Sheree and Deanne worked together on a book for children entitled Singily Skipping Along and are collaborating on another.  

Sheree's Books