At our last NYGH board meeting, Membership Chair Katy Clements proposed a wonderful idea: to create a series of interviews with Guild members to be presented on our YouTube channel for the benefit of handweavers worldwide. As well, these recordings will create a historical record for our Guild.
Shortly after receiving unanimous and enthusiastic approval from board members, Katy got started by interviewing Kate Ohara, the creator and host of our monthly Movie Night. As you will see from the first 30 seconds of the video, Kate embodies what it means to be a member of a guild. In her own words: "...sharing, caring - I know that's corny but it's true - and that is really what has gotten me through the pandemic..."
Katy notes that "Kate’s path is as winding, textured and colorful as her beautiful weavings. Her creative work has ranged from stained glass work, Kumihimo braiding, knitted scarves, paper making and weaving... Her goal during Covid has been to focus on learning Zoom and coordinating online events to unite the fiber community. She is currently working on an interactive map of all the fiber guilds across the US." We are certain you will find this interview to be inspiring, profound, and joyful because Kate's sense of humor is as big as her heart!
And we also hope that other guilds follow suit by interviewing and sharing the wisdom and stories of their guild members. Please feel free to contact the NYGH if you would like guidance on how to do this. And now, scroll up to the YouTube video above and press the play button; treat yourself to an hour of conversation with Katy and Kate!
"Roadblocks are fun challenges." Tara Weinstein's philosophy comes through clearly in all she does. A physics and engineering teacher who has become a highly-skilled weaver in a short time, she has also done knitting, sewing, oil painting, shoe making, needle felting, wood working, and watercolors. She has also learned and taught swing dancing, has appeared on stage in several community theater productions, and is a writer. Her fellow guild members admire the fearlessness, determination and creativity shown in all her work.