A workshop, Photoshop for Jacquard Weaving and Design, was taught by Vibeke Vestby of Digital Weaving Norway in November of 2005. Students, several of whom are shown here visiting with Ms.Vestby during a lunch break, learned many valuable skills for preparing digital files to weave on the EMU TC-1 loom. In conjunction with the workshop, Ms. Vestby also presented a public lecture, during which she showed current work by many artists from around the world that was woven on the TC-1 loom.

Vibeke Vestby, the person responsible for development of the TC-1 hand jacquard loom manufactured by Digital Weaving Norway, presented a public lecture in January of 2004. Ms. Vestby formerly taught at the College of Art & Design in Oslo. Since 1995, she has been involved in development, marketing and support of the TC-1. In her January lecture, she showed images of work woven on the TC-1 by artists and designers throughout the world and also included a survey of approaches to jacquard weave design using Photoshop. Following her lecture, she gave an impromptu demonstration of working with Photoshop for a number of interested audience members. During her visit to campus, Ms. Vestby installed additional modules on the TC-1 loom that is owned by the Art Department of Eastern Michigan University.

Digital Weaving and the Power Loom, an exhibition of jacquard weavings and a symposium featuring exhibiting artists Janice Lessman-Moss, Bethanne Knudson and Bhakti Ziek, were presented in November and December, 2002. Works shown in the exhibit were developed in the summer of 2001 by these educators, as well as by Lia Cook, Deborah Frazee Carlson and Patricia Williams, at The Jacquard Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The works in the exhibition were woven at Pure Country, a textile mill in Lynn, North Carolina.

Patrice George, textile designer and consultant, presented a public lecture in March of 2001 titled Transforming Tradition: Handloomed Silk Fabrics of Laos. Patrice designs woven fabrics for the textile industry in her NYC studio, founded in 1979. She has taught textile design in New York at the School of Visual Arts and Parson's School of Design, as well as at many professional conferences and workshops. In 1994 she recieved a Fulbright fellowship to teach at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland. She has also been a consultant to cottage industry projects sponsored by the United Nations and other international development programs. While on campus, she taught a two-day intensive workshop on the topic of Design for Multi-Shaft, Dobby and Jacquard Fabrics.

Bethanne Knudson spoke on the topic Everything I Wish I'd Known About the Textile Industry When I Was In School in June of 2000. Ms. Knudson received her MFA in Textiles from the University of Kansas, and her woven works have been widely exhibited. She was Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Clarion, in 1990 and at Tennessee Technological University from 1992-95. She joined JacqCAD Master in 1997 as Director of Training and Technical Support. JacqCAD Master is Macintosh-based software used to design textiles for print and weave, with an emphasis on designing for the Jacquard industry.

JoAnn Bachelder gave a lecture titled Crossing the Line in November of 1999, discussing her experiences as a freelance fiber artist. Bachelder, considered to be one of Michigan's best weavers of non-objective wall hangings, is owner of Rivertown Textiles in Bay City. Her complexly woven scarves, blankets, towels, table runners and wall hangings exhibit a rare sophistication in color, texture and technique, and are owned by banks, churches and private collectors throughout Michigan.

Cynthia Schira, internationally known for her explorations of woven imagery, is a pioneer in artistic approaches to the jacquard loom. Ms. Schira's work is represented in major public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art and the Museum Bellerive in Switzerland. In January of 1998, she presented a public lecture about her work, titled A Point of View, and also led a seminar involving current and former students of the Textiles Program in the Art Department.

Leesa Hubbell, a New York Textile designer with experience in both the apparel and home furnishings markets, presented a talk on Careers in Textile Print Design in November of 1997. She presented a wealth of information, including types of careers one can pursue in textile design, the kinds of preparation needed and what one can expect to be paid. Showing slides from different phases of her 15-year career, she presented some of her print designs as well as the fabrics manufactured from them. She also shared her experiences overseeing production at a textile mill in Bali.