Kina B. Joshua
Fiber, Mixed Media

My artistic journey is a celebration of the vibrant cultures that shape Louisiana, rooted deeply in the rhythms and resilience of my upbringing in the Lower 9th Ward. Growing up in a community where creativity thrived, I witnessed art seamlessly woven into daily life—a magical blend of elders’ wisdom and youthful imagination. My work reflects this spirit, serving as a vessel to interlace the stories of my family, my community, and this land with the organic beauty of nature. It is a living tribute to our traditions and heritage.

In my neighborhood, resourcefulness was an art form. I saw my community transform what was available into what was needed, an ingenuity that shaped my creative spirit. As a child, I crafted mud pies adorned with berries, gathered pecans from our yard, and collaged furniture with leaves, magazines, and fabric scraps. I was often captivated by the creativity surrounding me, from watching local artisans craft intricate beadwork to seeing my Mawmaw sew Sunday dresses. These moments of inspiration led me to create clothes for my dolls, blending vibrant fabrics and beads into unique designs. Sitting at my grandmother’s feet as she shared family stories, I not only developed a love for sewing but also gained the foundational skills that would later spark my leather crafting journey.

The lush surroundings of my environment became my muse, guiding my hands to blend colors, textures, and patterns into harmonious compositions. Every element in my work is thoughtfully chosen to echo Louisiana’s rich, diverse narrative. Influenced by the joyous energy of second lines and the bold colors that embody our celebrations. My creations transform collective history into wearable art that beats with the pulse of New Orleans culture.

Through my work, I invite others to experience a tactile and visual feast—a symphony of textures and stories that honors the past while imagining a bright future. It is a journey of storytelling, a celebration of resilience, and a vibrant ode to the enduring spirit of Louisiana.

Simone McCrocklin
Fiber

In studying microscopic imagery, I try to find poetic meaning in everyday organisms, which often are framed in a way that would go unnoticed in their original context. I also incorporate my Cajun heritage with sewing and creating textiles with more intricate meaning than what is seen on the surface. The pieces are unique in their texture, color, and how the light passes through the threads to cast shadows on the wall. The fibers in the microscopic structure are woven together much like fabric, and sometimes when looking at images, it is difficult to tell the two apart. I display my pieces in a multi-layered method to involve the viewer in a way that is sometimes physical; I believe in the idea of function following form in work. The final results illustrate the intricacy of the organic mesh that makes up our South Louisiana landscape.

I hope to shed light on the beauty of nature on a cellular level. Many microscopic images genuinely reflect the source and show how nature stays true to its purpose even at its core. There is beauty in the most simple and the primarily unseen world we live in; it just takes the vision to share it with the world.

Jenny Melanson
Fiber

I have been working with fiber since childhood, beginning with needlepoint in grade school and then adopting knitting, weaving, and free-hand embroidery. Though I love my rigid-heddle and tapestry looms, my favorite craft remains needlepoint.

I particularly enjoy the problem-solving required to translate a mental snapshot into stitches. Those snapshots are often inspired by my frequent drives on the backroads between Cade and Crowley and by visits to my sister in New Orleans.

Sheila Morissette
Fiber

All through my life I have been fascinated with the discovery of how things are made and have always strived to explore this curiosity.  I have worked as an artist in numerous mediums, most notably as a potter for 18 years.  Design and fine craftsmanship continue to motivate my ongoing learning.  My husband and I made a big life decision in 2013 to move down south from Vancouver, Canada and the change of scenery and climate inspired me to drastically change directions and focus in my creative endeavors.  I reintroduced myself to fiber arts partially based on the practicality of working in a smaller space and realistically being able to pack up whatever I create into a smaller overall footprint (and happily much lighter to boot).  But I fell in love with Nuno Felting and its’ similar tactile qualities that I enjoyed as a potter.  The making of felt is also very physical and process driven which I enjoy.

My materials consist of fine merino wool and silk habotai that I color using acid dyes.  Nuno felting is a technique in which loose wool fibers are gently coaxed to migrate through silk fabric at which point they are felted onto and through the silk by means of rubbing, rolling and fulling with soapy water.  As the wool eventually shrinks during this laborious felting process, the silk puckers and creates a lovely ruching texture and an entirely new fabric.   It is always thrilling and magical to savor this transformation.  I enjoy training my hands to have the memory to do the work while my mind can be free to wander and daydream. My influences of nature continue to lead me towards the joyous exploration of surface texture and tactile wonderment.  The work reminds me of the precious lichens that decoratively cover the rock bluffs and dangle from the trees at our west coast cabin.  

With increasing homogenous style in the world, creating one of a kind objects fulfills a need.    Fostering my desire for the handmade, I strive to create functional scarves, shawls, accessories, cushions and lap blankets using luxurious materials that are extremely soft and airy, enveloping us each to express our personal tastes, allowing us to distinguish our individuality and celebrate our differences.  The surprise of color and pattern formed by using dying techniques that can only lead to randomness paired with the felting technique that is repeatable, create an overall consistency in the individual works but also unique decorative fingerprints where no two could ever be the same.

Susan Marling
Fiber

Art is best when worn – a guiding philosophy in creating each hand-marbled art garment.

Nature surrounds us with her beauty – a wildflower, an ornate butterfly, the intricate markings of a peacock. Marbling is the perfect medium for transforming these snapshots of beauty and creating patterns that capture nature’s movement – from a rippling stream to a gentle breeze rustling the tree leaves. Susan began marbling 22 years ago. Her love of textiles began as a child when she learned how to sew by watching and helping her mother make her clothes. Marbling was the technique that allowed her to merge her passion for color with her love of sewing. Paul is an avid landscape photographer with a keen eye for color and the interaction of patterns in nature. They are avid hikers and spend many hours in nature – it is the source and inspiration for each art garment. Each garment begins as white fabric, paint and thread. The fabric is marbled by floating paints on a thickened liquid in a large tray. The floating paints are raked and combed into patterns and the piece of fabric is laid on the floating pattern. When it is picked up, the floating pattern is now on the fabric. Susan uses these pieces of fabric to design, cut and sew garments that showcase the marbled patterns.

Kate Beck
Fiber

“A stick, a stone, a leaf, a song… the natural world is my inspiration. Shape, color and texture are central considerations; at the heart of my work is the intention of creating what it feels like to be in an enchanted garden. 

My work focuses on the techniques of hand screen printing and lino block prints combined with various surface processes of laying color to the fabric in a painterly way. I work with natural and fiber reactive dyes, textile inks and subtractive pastes on natural fibers such as silk, linen, wool and cotton.

My designs are wearable garments, and all fabrics are hand crafted to create one of a kind pieces.”

“Born and raised in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, it’s where I got my start in making and working with textiles and art in general. I pursued a degree in printmaking and textiles/fiber arts at the University of Washington in Seattle.

I launched my career making shibori pleated scarfs at an art fair in 1989. The independent life of the traveller and maker suited my constitution and creativity. I was soon traversing the country showing my work and bonding with other like minded artists and letting my work develop and grow organically. Life and adventures drew me south to New Orleans where I’ve lived and worked for the past seventeen years in my beautiful studio in the Marigny.”

Marcelle Guidry
Fiber, Clay

I am a self-taught artist from Abbeville, La. Employing patterns, textures and materials found in nature, I create small to medium-sized baskets using the techniques of coiling, wood-burning, weaving and beading. The gourds, pine needles, vines, bark and leaves that I use create a natural pallet for the baskets. My pieces are both functional and decorative. I collect most of the natural objects myself, such as freshwater clam shells from the Vermilion River, pine needles from local trees, and shells and rocks from beaches along the coastal parishes. I am influenced by primitive cultures and crafts, and the many patterns in nature.

Susie Blyskal
Wood, Fiber, Jewelry

Fur mobiles for my kindergarten classroom ceiling; smocked appliqués for our daughter’s school wardrobe; frog, pig, and crawfish clothespin crafts for Girl Scouts; a mobile mummy case for the Egyptian Exhibit at the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum; – there have been many varied outlets for my CREATING!

 A military family childhood and a much-traveled married life have taken me from Washington State to the Philippines and from the University of Miami to Louisiana State University.  My CREATING reflects native and ancient styles enhanced by contemporary and dramatic structures.

Nature has always been very important to me; from the pearl that is my signature bead to the places I like to go for inspiration. Through the years of my CREATING, I have enjoyed the diversity of people as much as the variety of materials and mediums. This all contributes to the one-of-a-kind pieces that I am CREATING.

Cindy Killgore
Fiber

I believe that art is for the artist. My art, like my life, is ever evolving and never finished. It brings me a great deal of satisfaction. It is always a surprise to me that other people like it.

I have been an artist and a crafter for the entirety of my life. My grandmother was my first teacher, but I have been encouraged by many teachers, friends, students, and family along the way. There is never enough time to explore all of the possibilities. I have a degree in Art Education from La. Tech, and I taught for 25 years in Louisiana public schools. Over the years, I have done demonstrations, taught workshops, and exhibited my work in galleries and craft shows. I am a charter member, and a Master Artist in the La. Crafts Guild.

Lynn Langhoff
Fiber

The creative process of weaving is extremely satisfying to me – from yarn selection and designing the weave structure through dressing the yarn on the loom, weaving, and the final finishing of each piece.  I work on multi-harness floor looms using intricate weave structures and fine natural yarns (silk, wool, bamboo, tencel and cotton) to weave contemporary fabrics for decorative accessories and wearables.

To create multi-tone warp for scarves, I either paint permanent fabric dyes on a stretched length of warp yarns with brushes, or dye skeins of yarn, each in several colors.  To achieve unique hues for the yarn, I custom blend primary colors of the dyes.  The yarn is heat set, washed and dried.  After the warp is dry, the weft yarn is custom dyed in a color blend to enrich and complement the warp yarns.  The threading of each warp yarn end and the treadling of the harnesses with the weft yarn determine the interlacement or pattern.  After each woven scarf is removed from the loom, the fringes are hand twisted, and the scarf is washed and pressed to “finish”.

The Natural Collection of scarves includes advancing twill, shadow weave and other intricate structures woven with fine natural yarns (silk, wool, and cotton) and Tencel, in black, white and neutral tones.

My background as an interior designer greatly influences my weaving.  The emphasis on pattern and structure has developed from a sense of order and balance in design work.  The ability to achieve unique color blends comes from many years of developing color palettes for design projects.