ATA sponsors both Open Discussion Forums and Focus Forums .

Click here to visit the Forums.

Click here to register for the Forums. After completing the Forum registration process, the administrator will approve your registration. This may take a few days. (Volunteers are not always on duty; it just seems that way to them!)

Open Discussion Forums

offer opportunities to engage in interactive conversations on a variety of subjects. Posts remain in the forums and provide interesting reading and useful information. Existing posts can be read by anyone, but you must register to add a post.

New Open Discussion Topic

Fans and Collectors

Facilitated by Christine Laffer, email hidden; JavaScript is required
Starting date: January 9, 2012
Open to all

I would like to invite tapestry enthusiasts to gather on ATA’s Open Discussion Forums to talk about exciting work, the artists who create it and about why we follow and acquire this medium.

Tapestry collectors – who are they, where are they? One morning I realized that I actually was one. Perhaps not a Real Collector like someone who collects as an investment or as a connoisseur, but I do have tapestries by people I know and whose ideas still inspire me. And I have found the exchanges that bring me these tapestries meaningful. How about you? I want to hear your stories.

Come and join in at Fans and Collectors on the ATA Forums. It is open to anyone who wants to speak up about their fandom. Just contact me and I will help you set up your registration and introduce you to posting there. If you are already registered then log in, say hello and talk about your experience!

Focus Forums

explore  a particular subject  in depth, such as a specific technique, design, artistic trends and other artistic concerns. Discussion extends over a number of weeks or months and is available only to registered participants.  If you would like to lead a Focus Forum, or participate in a Focus Forum, please contact email hidden; JavaScript is required.

Current & Upcoming Focus Forums

Color Commentary and Queries

Facilitated by Linda Rees
10 week forum starting January 30, 2012
Open to all skill levels

This forum will combine weekly commentaries from various talented tapestry artists whose work in ATA’s Artist Pages or catalogs reveals a distinctive color sense. Hands on exercises will follow each reading. All exercises will be yarn-based. The group will discuss the insights derived from the exercises and the ideas discussed in the texts.

Writing as a Means of Seeing More

Facilitated by Linda Rees
10 week forum starting January 30, 2012
Open to all skill levels; access to the internet and tapestry catalogs is necessary

This forum is geared towards sharpening our perceptual skills through writing about contemporary tapestries. Generally, when we put observations into words, or justify how we feel about any artwork, it clarifies our own aesthetics. It is a rare opportunity to observe a large variety of tapestries intimately and to discover a variety of perspectives.

Business of Weaving

Facilitated by Doris Florig
Ongoing Forum from Fall 2011
New members will be brought up to date with current discussions

Doris Florig, weaver/fiber artist invites you to join a discussion group that will explore ways of turning our weaving habit into a profitable business. Week #1, we will introduce ourselves, share information about our background experiences, frustrations and thoughts for promoting a positive future for the fiber art business. The weekly discussions will focus on the financial challenges and identifying the elements needed for a market development. She would like to hear from you before the registration date so she can develop a reading list and a discussion group that will meet the needs of the individual participants.

Political Lines 2011

Facilitated by Christine Laffer
Fall of 2011 through Spring of 2012

Initially started in 2009, the Political Lines Forum involved its participants in a study of the connection between tapestry and political issues over time. These issues included a spectrum of different historical eras and the economic and social factors that affected artistic expression, to current topics unique to our times such as environmental problems. This second session planned for Fall 2011 through Spring of 2012 will look at unanswered questions and intriguing tangents that remained open in earlier threads as well as initiating new topics that focus on contemporary tapestry artists dealing with political content.