Dear ALL

We welcome new member Ingrid Vorwerk Marren to Fibreworks and hope she will enjoy being a member.

Dates to diarize:

• 'Fibreworks Friday' - POST
  See the information below on page 8 re: social media and how to promote Fibreworks
  
• 15 September 2026 Entry form deadline for exhibition at the Viewing Room in Pretoria
  
• 10 October Delivery of work to Jenny Hearn /Details below
  
• 24 October 10 am Opening at The Viewing Room
  
• 24 October to 16 November 2026 Exhibition at the Viewing Room in Pretoria
  

Tolksdorf, L Smuts, B Murray, S Walwyn, C Knox, H Beaumont, T Horan, C Lemmer, S. Lemmer, AA le Roux, C De Villiers. M Shindler, M Letts, L van Wyk, K Harmer Fox, A McMaster, E Barnard J Clark, M Schindler

It was heartening to see so many members attending this meeting. Thanks.

Apologies: S Naidoo, S Neville, P Schutte, M Claase, S Akerman, G Niederhumer

Issues raised at the meeting:

There was a discussion regarding the admission of new members. As a democratic group, we believe that every member's vote carries equal weight.
At present, images of applicants' work are emailed to members a week before the meeting to give everyone sufficient time to review it before voting.

Mandy made a good suggestion that images of work should be shown during the Zoom meeting again, to refresh members' memories before the vote is taken.

This could be followed by a short discussion of the merits of the work, allowing members to share their observations and ask questions.
The purpose of this discussion would not be to influence or outweigh anyone's vote, but to ensure that all members have the same opportunity to make an informed decision.

Exhibitions:

       1)Please find below Cathy Knox's report on the satellite INTERTIDAL: FIBREWORKS group exhibition;



Artworks by (from the left)
Joy Clark, Helga Beaumont, Tessa Horan Armstrong, Paul Schutte and Mari Claasè

A satellite invitational show at the National Quilt Festival in Gqeberha, 7 to 11 July 2026.


The exhibition was a success and we achieved our aims, viz:

• Relationship building, via our friendly and helpful response to an invitation from the festival committee.
  
• Educational: exposing craft- and art-makers to the limitless terrain of textile art. Many viewers were seen pausing at each work for a close look and discussion.
  
• Brand awareness: promoting the Fibreworks brand in the interests of driving traffic to our website and attracting further opportunities to exhibit.
  
• Promoting individual artists: thousands of photographs (many featuring our work) were taken and posted on social media by audiences during the festival - unlikely to happen on this scale in the case of a gallery show.
  

There was a minor cost to Fibreworks, namely printing costs. Courier costs and entry fees of R220 per work were carried by the artists who were required to consent to a 20% commission on sales (payable to the festival, but there were no sales). Two artists withdrew after doing the sums. In hindsight, we should have accepted the invitation on condition that there were no entry fees.

Featuring a wide variety of media and techniques, 26 works were exhibited by 13 artists. The standard of work was exceptional, including a number of major pieces.

Intertidal shared a large carpeted hall with art quilts from the SAQG Travelling exhibition, the ongoing "Quilt and Wine Pairing" project, over 100 30x30 pieces from India and about 60 pieces of the same size from Kenya. Thus, the hall was a "mustn't miss" feature of the festival experience and a steady stream of viewers was noted.

The Intertidal collection was immaculately hung by Paul Schutte and Antoinette Kriel on both sides of a +10m line of gallery screens with track lighting down the centre of the hall. They effectively created two coherent installations, one on each side. Fibreworks nameplates were dotted about to ensure viewers associated the collection with our group and our website. (Note this kind of branding needs to be bolder.)

From the hall entrance, the eye was drawn immediately to the 1m diameter bowl (by Helga Beaumont) with a large Fibreworks nameplate in front of it. Images of this went viral on social media. Note: three-dimensional work can create a strong focal point.

A number of these Intertidal works will be exhibited at the October exhibition at the Viewing Room. The gallery's hanging team will make the final decision about which works are hung.

FOOTNOTE

No two national quilt festivals are the same. Should we receive an invitation from the next quilt festival organizers (Pretoria in 2028) we could consider offering a slide show, rather than an exhibition.'

End of Cathy Knox's report.

Thank you, Cathy, for comprehensive feedback of the show.

       2) 24 October to 16 November
The Viewing Room Gallery in Pretoria. Title: Transitional Threads

Jenny Hearn is organizing an exhibition of Fibreworks' members and other artists at this gallery.

This is a big gallery with an upstairs gallery where some of the Dematerialize artworks (our Members' National show) will be shown. These are the 30.5 x 30.5 cm small works that travelled from Ballito to Oudtshoorn and then to Pretoria.

Jenny will be sending out a letter regarding the show to everyone. If you need more information urgently, please contact her on 083 263 6790.
Delivery of work: Jenny Hearn, 139 William Road Norwood or the nearest Postnet at Spar Arcade. William Road Norwood


       3) Fibreworks Member's 30th Celebration Exhibition
Theme - to be discussed. Please give this some thought.
Date - 2028
Venue - suggestions welcome from members please.
A professional online catalogue to be considered.

FIBREWORKS & SOCIAL MEDIA:

At the National Quilt Show several Fibreworks members had a meeting. The promotion of Fibreworks on Social Media was an important topic that was raised. As a result of this, we decided to ask Amanda Huismans if she would be happy to discuss this matter at a Fibreworks Zoom meeting.

       See below Amanda's overview on this topic:

Firstly, thank you very much for inviting me to speak today.

When Jeanette first approached me, she explained that Fibreworks was thinking about expanding its social media presence, particularly by creating an Instagram page.

Social media gives Fibreworks the opportunity to showcase the exceptional creativity of its members while reaching a much wider audience. It complements everything Fibreworks already does by making members' work more visible and accessible.

Fibreworks already has an established Facebook page. By adding Instagram-a platform built around visual content - Fibreworks can share its artwork with an even larger community of art lovers, collectors and potential members.

The benefits of Social Media for Fibreworks include:

• Showcasing members' artwork to a wider audience
  
• Attracting new members and followers
  
• Promoting exhibitions and events
  
• Showcasing the galleries that exhibit Fibreworks' work
  
• Driving traffic to the Fibreworks website
  
• Building awareness of Fibreworks and textile art
  
• Creating a lasting visual archive of members' work
  

The best part is that there is very little extra work involved. One photo and one caption can be created once and automatically shared to both Facebook and Instagram.

To make the process as simple as possible, I will set up the Instagram account free of charge, link it correctly to the existing Facebook page, and configure everything so future posts can be shared seamlessly across both platforms.

Social Media Strategy:

For Fibreworks' social media to be successful, the most important ingredient is having people who are willing to manage the pages consistently.

Odette Tolksdorf and Lein Smuts have been asked to take on this role and oversee Fibreworks' Facebook and Instagram pages. They have kindly agreed to this.

Everyone Has a Role to Play

The Social Media Managers can't do it alone - they need the support and INPUT of ALL Fibreworks members to make the pages engaging, inspiring and successful.

The best way to help is by sharing photographs, stories and news from your Fibreworks journey. Whenever you have something worth sharing, simply send it to the Social Media Managers via WhatsApp or email.

Ideas for Social Media Posts include:

• Finished artwork
  
• Works in progress
  
• Studio photographs
  
• Exhibition and gallery photos
  
• Workshops and guest speakers
  
• New techniques and inspiration
  
• Awards and achievements
  
• Upcoming events
  
• "Meet the Artist" stories
  
• Interesting articles or news from the textile world
  

The more members contribute, the richer and more vibrant Fibreworks' social media will become.

Tag us!

Another way to support Fibreworks is to tag Fibreworks whenever you share your artwork to your own page on social media.

Every tag helps introduce Fibreworks to new people, increases awareness of the organisation, and makes it easy for others to discover our community.

How to Tag Fibreworks

1. Upload your photo.
   
2. Write your caption.
   
3. Type @ and start typing Fibreworks.
   
4. Select the Fibreworks page from the list.
   
5. Publish your post.
   
6. If you're posting on Facebook, tag the Fibreworks Facebook page.
   
7. If you're posting on Instagram, tag the Fibreworks Instagram account.
   

Every tag helps expand Fibreworks' reach and connect more people with our vibrant textile art community.

Potential Opportunity
There is another idea that members may wish to consider in the future.

At the moment, businesses are able to advertise on the Facebook group free of charge.

With approximately 1,000 members, Fibreworks has built a valuable niche audience of creative people. That makes the group attractive to businesses selling relevant products and services.

One option could be to introduce a simple advertising policy.

For example:

Type	Suggested Fee
One promotional post	R50
Monthly advertising package	R200

The aim wouldn't be to generate large profits, but rather to discourage spam while creating a modest source of income for the group.

Advertising could be limited to businesses that genuinely benefit members, such as:

• Members may advertise their own handmade work free once each month.
  
• Businesses pay a small fee for promotional posts.
  

• More people discovering the group.
  
• More visitors to exhibitions.
  
• Supporting our galleries.
  
• Attracting new members.
  
• Showcasing the incredible talent within Fibreworks.
  
• Creating a lasting record of our creative journey.