Conferences
In 2005, Kingston hosted Stepping Stones, the biennial Ontario Handweavers and Spinners conference for the Eastern region. The conference was held at Queen's University with an accompanying juried exhibition at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. The Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners organized the conference, which offered seminars, workshops, and lectures related to a wide variety of fibre arts. Planning was spearheaded by Susi Reinink and Roberta McKinney.
From October 21-24, 2021, the OHS held its biennial conference, Fibres Naturally, online for the first time. Susi Reinink is once more at its helm, and here discusses her role in organizing both the 2005 conference and the challenges and benefits of planning major fibre events during a global pandemic.
The Ontario Handspinning Seminar (a distinct organization from the OHS) holds a spinning conference every year. Elaine Horemans attended the seminars as a new member of the Guild, and was invited to organize the seminars for two consecutive years when they were held in Kingston. Thanks to her, the seminars were successfully arranged, and introduced the new dye station that was constructed in the Guild's studio at the Tett Centre.
When the American Weavers Association's conference was held in Toronto, a group of Guild members traveled together to participate. Esther Grav shares her memory of weaving on a 100-inch loom with other members during the conference as part of a public demonstration: