Learning to knit at age 10, Catherine Marchant had no idea how important fiber would become in her life. Knitting, bead weaving, quilting, spinning, felting, and dyeing all played a role at different times until she ultimately settled on weaving as her primary focus. She took her first weaving class in 1985 in Midland, Texas. The following year, she moved to New Jersey, where she became deeply immersed in the world of weaving guilds, conferences, and workshops. These experiences led her to where she is today—a co-founder of a weaving school and a teacher of what she considers the most rewarding art in the world: weaving. Catherine is an active member of the Mary Meigs Atwater Weavers Guild in Salt Lake City and a past president of the Handweavers Guild of America.

Demetrio Bautista Lazo is considered by Mexican and international textile experts to be one of the best rug weavers and natural dyers of his generation. He began weaving at age seven at his grandfather’s side. He has held solo exhibits and workshops in both Mexico and the US and has been featured in Zapotec Weavers (Museum of New Mexico Press) and Spin-Knit: Colorways (Interweave Press). Demetrio dyes his wool/mohair blend with locally grown plants plus cochineal, a small insect. Through experimentation, he has learned to combine dyes and use a variety of acid and base modifiers to achieve a rich, varied natural palette of over 300 colors for his innovative designs inspired by Mexican culture. Demetrio is prominently featured in the book, Journeys in Natural Dyeing. The book chronicles authors Kristine Vejar and Adrienne Rodriguez visiting his studio in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, to document his ancestral textile and color techniques

Dee Clements is an artist working in sculptural basketry, ceramics, and painting, with interests in ethnography, feminism, and craft. She holds an MFA in 3D Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in Fiber & Material Studies and Sculpture from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. From 2010-2023 Clements was the founder and designer behind the textile brand Studio Herron. In fall 2024, she founded a new school for basketry in the United States called The Weaving Workshop. Her work is in the permanent collections of Cranbrook Art Museum, The Anderson Collection at Stanford University, and in the acquisition process with Yale University Art Gallery. She lives and works in Chicago.

Detroit-born, Carol Irving moved to Michigan's Upper Peninsula at the age of 24. Before her move, she had earned a degree in Botany, lived in New Mexico and Oregon, and had always loved weaving. After taking a weaving class, she began to explore weaving on her own. Early on, she took a workshop from Master Weaver, Peter Collingwood. This began her love of weft-faced textiles and Shaft Switching. Over the many years, she has fine-tuned her craft into an art.  Her designs range from very contemporary, geometric ones to organic shapes and images. “I am committed to excellent craftsmanship so that my rugs are not only functional but pleasing to look at.” Her work is striking when hung on the wall, visually bold from a distance and tactile in its intricate detail. Her works have won awards in juried art shows and have been collected by many throughout the US. 

Barbara Burns is a figurative artist working in the ancient medium of tapestry. Her background in historic costume and textiles, and her love of dance, fuel Barbara’s interest in the female form and her 3D work. Along with working flat, she has been pushing the boundaries of pulled-warp weaving with art corsets and large vessel shapes. Barbara’s extensive study of tapestry includes an 11-year mentorship with world-renowned tapestry artists Archie Brennan and Susan Martin-Maffei and a course at West Dean College in England. On both a national and international platform, Burns has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows, received many awards for her tapestries, lectured, curated and juried exhibits, and written for textile publications. Her work is in several private collections.

Anthony DiRenzo is a textile artist based in the Hudson Valley. Formally trained as a Montessori teacher, Anthony is interested in the human story of textiles, the science of fibers and dyes, contemporary crafting, and a sustainable future for clothing. His practice is guided by his love of teaching and learning, working with local fibers, natural dyes, and reclaimed yarns. Anthony learned to knit and spin in his late adolescence. He began weaving and dyeing a decade ago. In his 10 years as a Montessori middle school teacher, Anthony taught his students weaving, knitting, spinning, natural dyeing, and felting. He currently serves as the Vice President and Newsletter Editor for the New York Guild of Handweavers.