FFAA - History

 

The Focus on Fibre Art Association (FFAA) was formed in 1998 to fill the void created by the cancelation of the craft competition and show at the local summer exhibition.

FFAA’s aim is “to encourage, foster, and develop, among the citizens of the community, excellence and appreciation of fibre as an art form.” In development of its aim, the Association’s main focus is to organize a biennial juried competition and show of fibre art. This provides the opportunity for fibre artists to test their ability and progress in their chosen fields; receive feedback from respected teachers/judges; and, exhibit their art to the public. We use a competition format to ensure high quality pieces are accepted for the competition and for presentation in the fibre art show. The biennial juried competition and show of fibre art provide an exhibition of outstanding fibre art for the general public.

In the beginning we had five categories of fibre art: rug hooking, quilting, needlework, textile design, and weaving. This has expanded to include hand knitting, tapestry, cloth dolls, and wearables in any technique.

We have held six competitions and shows with various themes including ‘From Hand to Hand’, ‘Healing with Fibre’, ‘Just For Fun’, and ‘Wild Thing’.

Our original sponsoring guilds and organizations were: Edmonton Traditional Rug Hookers Guild, Edmonton & District Quilters Guild, Edmonton Needlecraft Guild, and the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta. Members of these sponsoring guilds are members of the Focus on Fibre Art Association.