Schedule
May 9, Thursday evening — 1 hour guild-wide hybrid lecture, 6:30 pm at the guild house and on Zoom. Please check guild eblast for Zoom link. 
May 10 Friday — workshop 9-4pm (1 hour off for lunch each day)
May 11, Saturday — workshop 9-4pm
May 12, Sunday (Mother’s Day) — workshop 9-4pm
Workshop students are encouraged to attend the guild-wide lecture the night before the workshop as it is a good introduction to the artist Frida Hansen and her methods.
Location
Guild House, 3705 Main Street, Philadelphia (Manayunk), PA
Tuition
$400 Members
$435 Non-members
Guild Lecture Description, Thursday evening
Frida Hansen and the Heart of Art Nouveau in Tapestry and Transparency
Frida Hansen (1855-1931) was an internationally famous Norwegian artist. She began her career as a tapestry weaver during the National Romantic Era, working to revive traditional weaving techniques and using historical motifs and symbols. Her personal style evolved with international Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, and Japanese influences. In addition to her monumental art tapestries, she developed a technique of open-warp wool transparencies, used primarily as portieres or door hangings. These combined open warps with meticulous woven areas to create textiles that have fluid drape and dramatic contrasts of color and shadow. As Gabriele Fahr-Becker says in Art Nouveau (2004), she “perfected the technique of transparent weaving which lends her figures an almost ghost-like quality.” Join artist and teacher Robbie LaFleur for a look at Frida Hansen’s artistry, technique, and inspiring floral imagery.
Workshop Details
In this 3-day workshop, you will learn about Hansen’s technique through lectures and hands-on
practice.
Preserving the structure of the piece requires good judgment in the placement of the wefts, a challenge
that begins with the cartoon. Inspired by Hansen’s work and that of her followers, you will learn how to
design optimum cartoons using her technique. By looking at many samples and Robbie’s larger pieces,
you will see how various choices affect the look of the surface.
Then the student will begin a sample or small piece, 9″ to 11″ wide, during the workshop. You can use a cartoon
provided by Robbie LaFleur or design your own cartoon.
Supply List
You will need to bring a pre-warped tapestry loom and your favorite tools to the workshop. Robbie will advise each student about an appropriate loom to bring (all looms should have a tensioning device).
Well before the workshop begins, she will share information on how to warp the loom and on suitable weft materials; in the workshop she will have yarns available for you to purchase.
Here is more detailed information on the materials needed for the class and this pdf includes links to the work other students did in previous workshops. Information Here
Skill Level
Students should have basic tapestry weaving skills.
Materials Fee
A $15 fee for materials will be charged, payable at the first class; please bring cash or check.
Teacher
Robbie LaFleur has been following a thread of Scandinavian textiles since she studied weaving at Valdres Husflidsskole in Fagernes, Norway in 1977. Her projects include interpreting Edvard Munch’s “Scream” painting into a variety of textile techniques, weaving tapestry portraits of her relatives, and continuing exploration of various Norwegian coverlet techniques. She is a Gold Medalist in Weaving from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, coordinates the Weavers Guild of Minnesota Scandinavian Weavers Study Group, and publishes the quarterly Norwegian Textile Letter.
She was a fellow with the American Scandinavian Foundation in 2019 and traveled to Stavanger, Norway, to study Hansen’s open-warp transparency technique. Her website is Robbie LaFleur.
