Colloquium and Members Meeting | October 8 | 11 AM–3 PM EDT
The Textile Society of America is pleased to announce that Maddy Bartsch, co-founder and president of the Three Rivers Fibershed, will join the speaker lineup for (re)Generation: Fibers of Resilience & Renewal, TSA’s virtual Fall 2026 Colloquium taking place on October 8, 2026 (convert to your time zone).
Named for the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix rivers, Three Rivers Fibershed works to develop strong, community-centered textile systems within a 175-mile radius of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The organization connects farmers and mills, artists and makers, consumers, and others across the regional fiber community while supporting greater stewardship, soil health, and local responsibility for the life cycle of textiles.
Stories from a 10-Year-Old Fibershed
TRF became an affiliate of the Fibershed movement in 2016. In this presentation, Maddy will share stories from the past decade of collaboration, experimentation, and learning while building a local textile system in the Upper Midwest.
Maddy Bartsch is a natural dye farmer, educator, and organizer of decentralized textile economies based in St. Paul. Their work has included projects such as the Minnesota Hemp Wool Project, the TRF Regional Fiber Sourcebook, the National Mill Inventory Survey, and work as a Yarn Incubator for Fibershed. Maddy also serves as Community Connector for the Cannon River chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association and has worked with Minnesota Women in Conservation.
Following the presentation, Betsy Konop, Executive Director of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, will lead a Q&A with Maddy, inviting participants to explore the opportunities and challenges of building resilient, place-based textile systems.
This conversation speaks directly to the questions at the heart of (re)Generation: How can we build textile systems rooted in reciprocity, community care, environmental stewardship, and collective responsibility? What can we learn from communities that have spent years doing this work?
Join TSA virtually on October 8, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM EDT. Registration is open.
Support access to (re)Generation
Sponsorships help TSA keep this gathering affordable and expand participation across our textile community. To learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact hello@textilesocietyofamerica.org.
Classroom options are available
- Basic Classroom: $45 One shared link for in-class viewing, plus one shared post-event recording link.
- Premium Classroom: $75 for Individual access for up to 30 students, plus post-event recordings for all.
Registration Fee Waivers for students and emerging professionals are now available. Click here to learn more.
