In 2025, the Zumbro River Fiber Arts Guild will be celebrating 50 years of sharing the love for fiber, building skills to further our capacity for personal expression, and exploring creative ideas together. Members of the guild have a long history of sharing their broad interests in fiber arts. The guild started with an interest in spinning and weaving. Over the years guild members have attended and conducted workshops including hosting the Minnesota Federation of Weavers three times. Interests have gradually expanded into many additional areas of the Fiber Arts.
In recent years, increasing emphasis has been placed on offering our members opportunities to expand their personal repertoire by introducing them to diverse Fiber Arts techniques. This exposure has sparked new interests and increased individual creativity through sharing. Our members have welcomed newcomers to the Fiber Arts and enriched the communities in which they live.
Today, our members range from beginners to experts in spinning, weaving, dyeing, knitting, crocheting, felting, rug hooking, sewing, embroidery, surface design, and upcycling. Our mission to promote the appreciation of Fiber Arts and provide Fiber Arts education is fulfilled every time we gather. We share personal encouragement, skill expansion, and creative inspiration with everyone who steps into our midst.
Our 50th anniversary marks this achievement, celebrates the people, skills, work, and art of all involved, and initiates the next five decades of support for fiber arts and artists in the region. As we look to the future, we seek to expand our focus beyond supporting our own work by developing new capacity to pass on what we know to others and encouraging the wider community to be aware of and to explore the fiber arts.