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The Textile Center – A National Center for Fiber Art is an American arts center dedicated to fiber and textile arts located in the Prospect Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the only organization in the Midwestern United States representing all fiber art forms, broadly defined to include knitting, weaving, quilting, sewing, needlework, lace-making, dyeing, felting, jewelry-making and beadwork. Established in 1994 by four women affiliated with the Minnesota Weaver's Guild, today the center has over 2000 members and 28 participating guilds.

The Center's facility consists of 4 galleries, a 300-seat auditorium, classrooms, offices, a juried shop supporting working artists, and a natural dye laboratory with dye plant gardens. Its programs include exhibitions by over 400 artists annually, both onsite and at other venues throughout the Upper Midwest such as the Minnesota State Fair. The center offers professional advancement to emerging artists through a mentorship program funded by the Jerome Foundation and conducts approximately 200 classes for adults and children each year. The center's textile library holds 30,000 items utilized by 4,400 patrons annually, making it the largest such facility in North America.

History
During the 1970's and 80's few American galleries or museums were interested in fiber arts.

Around the same time, members of the Minnesota Weaver's Guild had grown frustrated with their own poor facilities and began to recognize the success of specialized arts organizations such as the Center for Book Arts. Beginning in 1991, four members of the Guild led by artist Margaret Miller began outreach to anyone interested in textiles: knitters, weavers, quilters, jewelers, even retail stores. They discovered thousands of groups nationwide meeting in homes, community centers, and church basements. One group of quilters had 1700 members and was holding meetings in a Machinists Union hall. The idea of developing a shared resource began to emerge, even though some groups were initially skeptical about joining a bureaucratic "center" and many practitioners didn't even consider themselves "artists". After several years of outreach and perseverance the Textile Center was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1994. Miller became its first executive director.

Since its inception, the center has been key to elevating the stature of textile arts and artists.

The 18-year-old Textile Center was created to promote excellence and innovation in all types of fiber art, including weaving, quilting, knitting, sewing, needlework, dyeing, lace making, basketry, and beading. It describes itself as “a national center for fiber art.” THREADS

Clubhouse model. Clubhouses involve dedicated space that is available for ongoing visits, where membership and access to many events is available to all comers, and where other artistic functions are available on a more selective, often openly competitive basis. In large urban regions like the Twin Cities, the depth and variety of artistic practice enables the emergence of clubhouses organized around specific genres. Clubhouses

They offer artists opportunities to take and give classes, observe top people in their fields (often from outside the region), receive professional development, use well-equipped studio space, interact with other artists compete for grants and mentorships.

learn much of what they need to evolve. I briefly characterize three types of artist-centric spaces that perform this role in cities and some smaller towns. While other venues are also important – art fairs, schools and training institutes – these spaces, I argue, are particularly important in fostering an independent political voice for artists.

In 2001, the Textile Center bought its present building and refurbished it with $1.2 million obtained through grassroots fundraising and $1 million from the McKnight, Bush, and Kresge Foundations.

Galleries
The center contains four galleries. The Joan Mondale Gallery displays juried, invitational, and regular member exhibitions. The Studio Gallery displays more informal, innovative exhibits. The center also sponsors offsite exhibitions, including annually at the Minnesota State Fair.

Events
Annual Textile Center events include the Hot Art Cool Jazz fundraiser, the Textile Garage Sale every spring, A Common Thread member exhibitions, and the newly established Margaret Miller Fiber Artist Award for Excellence. A common thread

annual member show

Minnesota State Fair

Each spring the Center sponsors the "World's Largest Textile Garage Sale" at the University of Minnesota.

Education and outreach
In 2018, the center was offering 200 classes adults of all abilities annually, with at least one introductory class in every fiber art genre and master classes in many of them. These classes also offer advanced textile artists the opportunity to teach and earn income. Workshops are held at the center and also in schools, libraries, and cultural organizations in Greater Minnesota. The center holds summer camps, field trips, and other outreach services to over 1400 youth through the Youth Fiber Arts Guild.

Emerging artists can also apply for Jerome Foundation mentorship programs.

The Ellen Erede Wells Dye Laboratory provides both artists and students access to state of the art facilities in the dyeing of fiber and fabric. A dye garden located on the property has over 90 species of plants.

1000 members.

Each year, the Textile Center hosts the "World's Largest Textile Garage Sale"

Library
The Textile Center Pat O'Connor Library holds over 30,000 books, periodicals, and media materials from 16 different Member Organizations. Utilized by 4,400 patrons annually, it is the largest circulating library dedicated to the fiber arts in North America and has been named "the best textile library in the United States."

National Artist Advisory Council

 * Carolyn Halliday
 * Carolyn L. Mazloomi
 * Mary Giles
 * Pat Hickman
 * Tracy Krumm

Affiliated guilds

 * American Needlepoint Guild – Minnesota Chapter
 * American Sewing Guild – Minneapolis/St Paul Chapter
 * Artists’ Circle
 * Crochet Twin Cities – Minneapolis-St Paul Chapter of the Crochet Guild of America
 * Ladyslipper NeedleArts Society
 * Lakes and Prairies Smockers – Smocking Arts Guild of America
 * Machine Knitting Guild of Minnesota
 * Midwest Machine Knitters’ Collaborative
 * Minneapolis Modern Quilt Guild
 * Minnesota Basket Weaver’s Guild
 * Minnesota Contemporary Quilters
 * Minnesota Feltmakers’ Guild
 * Minnesota Knitters’ Guild
 * Minnesota Lace Society
 * Minnesota Quilters
 * Minnesota State Button Society
 * Needlework Guild of Minnesota
 * Pioneer Spinners & Fiber Artists
 * Polymer Clay Guild
 * Saint Paul Needleworkers, Embroidery Guild of America
 * Transition Chippewa Valley Local Fiber Initiative
 * Upper Midwest Bead Society
 * Wearable Arts Midwest
 * Weavers Guild of Minnesota
 * Youth Fiber Art Guild