Dear TSA Members,
This is my last letter as President of TSA, and it has been an honor to serve in this position over the past 2 years. I am deeply grateful for the experience of working with so many of you and for being a part of TSA as it grows and changes. At every step of this journey, I have felt supported and part of a true community.
While we couldn’t be together this year in Boston, we had a wonderful and wide-reaching online Symposium in October. I am so appreciative to Pam Parmal and Lauren Whitley and all of the Boston Symposium Team for their work, their flexible thinking, and their excitement about bringing this year’s symposium online. We appreciate all who attended this year and all who also took the time to give us feedback. The feedback on that event has been incredibly positive. While we love being able to get together in person, the opportunities the online symposium presented cannot be denied. We had almost 800 people from all over the world register for the Symposium and every concurrent session was packed with eager listeners.
It was a wonderful time for us to come together as a textile community and share our research, our art, our creative and critical thinking, and our work and dedication to the community. Much of the research presented showed a true commitment to moving the field of textiles in the positive direction of inclusion and equity.
I am delighted to announce that we are continuing our planning for an in-person gathering in Boston from September 9-11, 2021.
We are cautiously optimistic about this possibility and still have much planning ahead of us. In our planning, we are committed to making this event a special time of togetherness for those who are able to join us in Boston. However, we have learned a lot from the online symposium and are equally dedicated to finding ways to include those of you who cannot make it to Boston in September. For more information about this event, please keep an eye on our website and announcement emails in the spring and early summer of 2021.
All TSA events, and especially our Symposium, are made possible because of generous grants and individual donations. I want to thank Elena Phipps who has been instrumental over the past decade in helping TSA successfully receive grants that support our programming. Much thanks to our generous 17th biennial TSA symposium foundation supporters:
The Cotsen Foundation
The Robert and Ardis James Foundation
The Lenore G. Tawney Foundation
And thank you to Jordana Munk Martin, Lynn Pollard, Elena Phipps, all individual donors, and TSA members for your support. Your support allows TSA to be the exciting organization it is.
Thank you also to everyone who participated in our Year-End Fundraising Campaign. It is wonderful to see so much support for this amazing organization. We have some exciting projects in the works, and your donations help us grow and provide scholarships to a wide range of members. I know times are tough for many but if you haven’t yet made your annual donation and would like to do so, you can visit TSA’s online at: https://textilesocietyofamerica.org/contribute/#!form/Donation
Finally, I want to welcome Melinda Watt as TSA’s new President. Her thoughtfulness, dedication, and desire to make TSA a better organization is extraordinary, and I know she will do a wonderful job. I am deeply grateful for TSA’s Executive Director Caroline Charuk and all of the Board Member’s thoughtful, respectful, and compassionate thinking and work over the past 2 years. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this important journey.
With much respect and gratitude,
Lisa L. Kriner, TSA President, 2018-2020
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