Weaving with Foraged Plant Fibres
Monday May 26 - Friday May 30
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Instructor: Ralph Simpson
Materials Fee: $250 (paid directly to Instructor)
Students: 12
In this five-day workshop, each participant will be working with plant fibres, foraged in New Brunswick by Instructor Ralph Simpson, to create a new project every day. Participants will learn about the plant fibres in use, their names, how to collect, process, store, and prepare them for weaving as well as important aspects of environmentally sustainable collection methods.
All fibre materials for the workshop will be provided by the instructor, but participants are encouraged to bring their own plant fibres and other textiles they would like to incorporate into their projects.
This workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate plant fibre weavers.
Two spots for this workshop are available at half-price for artists belonging to one of the Ontario Arts Council priority groups (https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/priority-groups).
These are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please email info@textilestudio.ca to apply for one of these spots.
This workshop is part of the Sustainable Textiles Series we are developing for 2025-2026 with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
Materials to bring with you: scissors, measuring tape, and a spray bottle.
Monday May 26 - Friday May 30
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Instructor: Ralph Simpson
Materials Fee: $250 (paid directly to Instructor)
Students: 12
In this five-day workshop, each participant will be working with plant fibres, foraged in New Brunswick by Instructor Ralph Simpson, to create a new project every day. Participants will learn about the plant fibres in use, their names, how to collect, process, store, and prepare them for weaving as well as important aspects of environmentally sustainable collection methods.
All fibre materials for the workshop will be provided by the instructor, but participants are encouraged to bring their own plant fibres and other textiles they would like to incorporate into their projects.
This workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate plant fibre weavers.
Two spots for this workshop are available at half-price for artists belonging to one of the Ontario Arts Council priority groups (https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/priority-groups).
These are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please email info@textilestudio.ca to apply for one of these spots.
This workshop is part of the Sustainable Textiles Series we are developing for 2025-2026 with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
Materials to bring with you: scissors, measuring tape, and a spray bottle.
Monday May 26 - Friday May 30
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Instructor: Ralph Simpson
Materials Fee: $250 (paid directly to Instructor)
Students: 12
In this five-day workshop, each participant will be working with plant fibres, foraged in New Brunswick by Instructor Ralph Simpson, to create a new project every day. Participants will learn about the plant fibres in use, their names, how to collect, process, store, and prepare them for weaving as well as important aspects of environmentally sustainable collection methods.
All fibre materials for the workshop will be provided by the instructor, but participants are encouraged to bring their own plant fibres and other textiles they would like to incorporate into their projects.
This workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate plant fibre weavers.
Two spots for this workshop are available at half-price for artists belonging to one of the Ontario Arts Council priority groups (https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/priority-groups).
These are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please email info@textilestudio.ca to apply for one of these spots.
This workshop is part of the Sustainable Textiles Series we are developing for 2025-2026 with support from the Ontario Arts Council.
Materials to bring with you: scissors, measuring tape, and a spray bottle.
Nationally acclaimed Canadian plant fibre artist, Ralph Simpson has developed an innovative method of weaving and sculpting plant fibre into pleasing sculptural forms. He was raised in the fields and forests of New Brunswick along the Petitcodiac River and there developed a keen interest in plants. His personal motivation arises from a deep connection with nature and an implicit desire to promote environmental sustainability.
Currently, he resides in Fredericton working full time in his studio there. Ralph chooses to workwith locally sourced, sustainable materials and forages his own plant fibres using environmentally sustainable methods. Ralph holds an MSc. from UNB in Forest Research Biology, and a Diploma in Fine Craft from NBCCD. Informed by the sciences and his acquired technical expertise his intricately woven pieces reflect the fields and forests around him.
Ralph is an award-winning artist with grants from Arts NB and Canada Council, short-listed for the Salt Springs National art Prize (2021) and his work has been accessioned into New Brunswick’s permanent art collection (2023). He exhibits his work locally and internationally, attending residencies and giving workshops. The flora of New Brunswick informs his work and his creative process. His designs arise fromhis interpretations of nature and have evolved from traditional basketry, to vessels, and botanically themed sculptures. His process results in a contemporary manifestation of his connection with plants in their natural habitat. His work varies in form and style but what resonates in all his work is an underlying investigation into ways that plant materials can be used to spark interest and insight into the natural world.
You can find out more about Ralph’s work at www.plantfibreartist.com or find him on Instagram @ralphasimpson