September 18th, 2024
Dear Cluster Members,
I hope you have all enjoyed a beautiful summer and are easing into the new academic year. We are delighted to welcome you back to the Textiles and Materiality Cluster and are excited to share some important updates with you.
•Message from our co-director Dr. Miranda Smitheram
Welcome back to all! I hope it has been a summer full of enjoying all the beautiful moments of the season in Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal, from the early days of summer with fragrant magnolias and lilacs, the midsummer colours of goldenrod blooms, cosmos, loosestrife and wild violets, through to the end of summer with milkweed blooms, wild grapes, and Virginia creeper in the ruelle vertes. It’s been a dream for me, my research team and all the other eco- dyers and ink makers, making memories with the colours of Montreal summertime. I look forward to hearing about your summer discoveries and research-creation.
•Membership Renewal
As we start this new academic year, it is time to renew your membership. This process is crucial for ensuring that you continue to benefit from all the resources and opportunities the cluster offers. Please complete this google form at your earliest convenience:
https://forms.gle/MUU7qBLkVZci4iqb9
•Publications and Exhibitions for Milieux/Hexagram Report
We are eager to include your recent publications and exhibitions in the Milieux annual report and Hexagram’s cluster report. If you have received cluster funding or used cluster equipment and facilities to support your research-creation, and/or recent publications from September 2023 through August 2024, we would appreciate if you could share this information with the cluster. This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight your work and share your achievements with the broader community. Please send details of your recent activities to the report team no later than September 30th.
•Space and Technician Access
If you need key card access to the cluster commons room, please email textiles.materiality@concordia.ca after you have completed the cluster renewal form, I will be happy to fill the form to get you a new card, or to renew an existing one.
If you have ongoing or upcoming projects requiring access to our equipment, please arrange a meeting with our research support technician Genevieve Moisan by email: tm.support@concordia.ca
It is essential to talk through the planning of your project with Gen, and have her approval, before going ahead with your projects. Please be aware that project timelines may need to be adjusted according to Genevieve’s schedule and expertise, so plan accordingly.
•Grant Recipients Check-In
For those of you who have received research grants for 2024-25, we would appreciate an update on your progress. Please email Morris, our coordinator, to provide a brief update on your research developments. This helps us keep track of how your work is advancing and ensure continued support where needed. We can also then plan your grant outcomes and presentation.
•T&M Member Workshops
We are excited to announce that T&M member workshops will start in October. These workshops are designed to foster collaboration and skill development among our members. Stay tuned for more details and registration information.
•Upcoming Social Event; The Social Stitch
We are planning a welcome back and summer share social event as we get into stride with the semester, specifically, Friday the 11th of October from 4-6 PM. This will be a great chance for us all to reconnect, and to share what we have been up to over the summer. Our event will include a “round the room” update where members can briefly share their summer activities, including field schools, research activities, exhibitions, and other experiences. We are particularly excited to hear from members who took part in the Icelandic Field School with Kathleen Vaughan, and members who participated in the field school in Japan. If you have had any residencies, art exhibitions, or other explorations over the summer term, or updates going into autumn we are eager to hear! Feel free to bring along an object or item of interest that reflects your recent experiences or projects. This gathering will celebrate our collective accomplishments and experiences over the summer. Tea and light refreshments provided. Feel welcome to bring friends or colleagues who might be interested in joining the cluster.
•Message from co-director Kathleen Vaughan
Finally, co-director Kathleen Vaughan has an important message to share with the cluster, please read her words below:
“Hello fellow cluster members! I am grateful to have the opportunity to wish you farewell as co-director of the cluster; I am stepping down now after several years as co-director with Miranda, in order to have the time to devote to my home Department’s administrative needs as well as my own research. I’ve loved my time helping facilitate your research and promoting the possibilities of textiles and material-based research and creation within and beyond Concordia. I look forward to seeing you in cluster spaces and Concordia halls and thank you for your friendship and fellow love of what textiles can do! Our amazing team of Miranda, Morris and Gen will see you through to a great next year and fabulous ongoingness,
–Kathleen”
We echo Kathleen’s message and want to thank her for the wonderful steering, wisdom, and initiatives she has brought to the cluster over the past few years. We are looking forward to her ongoing presence as a regular faculty member of the cluster!
We look forward to a productive and engaging year ahead with all of you. As always, if you have any questions or need further information, do not hesitate to reach out.
Best regards,
Morris Fox
Textiles and Materiality Cluster Research Coordinator,
Textiles and Materiality Cluster
textiles + materiality research cluster 