50th Anniversary-2025

Anniversary Tea Party

Our celebration began with 60 members gathering for atea party.Several of the original members joined us for this celebration, which was a real highlight. A fabulous lunch of festive sandwiches, sweet treats, and teas was served. Afterward, our members showed off some of their favorite creations from the past 50 years. So much talent in this group!

2025: A Year of Celebration

2025 marked 50 years of creativity, community, and a shared passion for all things fiber in the Zumbro River Fiber Arts Guild.  We hoped to increase appreciation for the fiber arts in SE Minnesota and showcase the work of our members- both past and present, while celebrating the past 50 years and laying a foundation for the next 50. We received generous support from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester Art Center, History Center of Olmsted County, Frandsen Bank, Sigma Xi, and the Joe Powers Fund, which, combined with Guild resources, allowed us to stage the anniversary activities documented below.  The events were made possible by guild members, including the planning committee, who held 2+ years of meetings.  Each member of the planning committee chaired a working committee organizing the event(s) they led.  Nearly every guild member contributed pieces to one or more of the exhibits.  It was a tremendous group effort.

First Outreach Project

Shibori-dying was the first of several outreach projects celebrating our anniversary year. On January 15, it was all smiles and laughter as we helped fold, clip, and indigo- dye cotton bandanas with 50 or so clients at Ability Building Community.

Rochester Art Center Exhibit

Our exhibit, “Celebrating Fiber Arts,” was on display at the  Rochester Art Center from April 2025 to March 2026.  The exhibit featured the rich and diverse world of fiber arts through members’ work.  Framed and scroll-mounted works in the Entry Gallery highlighted the beauty and function of fiber in everyday life.  An atrium installation created by guild members featured a multi-story fiber waterfall, along with hoops filled with fiber art on each balcony overlooking the river.  More than 29,000 people visited the Art Center in 2025.  Our exhibit began in the hallway leading to the galleries and continued into the event space, so that many in SE Minnesota could experience the breadth of fiber arts and their beauty. Read more…

Family Fun Day

A Family Fun Day was held at the Rochester Art Center on April 27.  Guild members provided displays, make-it-take-its, story time, and lots of love.   Activities included making fleece flowers, dyeing hankies with tissue paper, sewing a stuffed creature, weaving on a mini loom, spool knitting, and making a quilt square.  There were knitting and spinning demonstrations. 850 people visited the Art Center that day, with many children participating in multiple activities and staying all afternoon.  See more pictures..

Program at Mayo Clinic

The program “Better Health at Our Fingertips” was presented at the Leighton Auditorium of the Mayo Clinic on April 15, 2025. Attended by approximately 60 people, this public lecture was done in collaboration with the Mayo Chapter of Sigma Xi.  Dr. Scott Breitinger, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Joseph-Di Caprio, MD, a pediatric physician and author of A Stitch in Time that Soothes Minds published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Kathryn McAlister, a retired psychotherapist and fiber artist, discussed the health benefits of the fiber arts.  Member Marcia Krieger moderated the discussion. Read more here and watch the video.

History Center of Olmsted County Exhibits

Our guild began fifty years ago with a meeting at the Rochester History Center. As a part of our anniversary celebration, we returned to these roots with exhibits and demonstrations from May to December 2025. A permanent exhibit featured the stories of nine guild members over the past 50 years.  Associated displays included their work and that of other guild members, showcasing the variety of fiber art that our group creates.  A second room hosted a rotating exhibit telling the story of one fiber art and featuring a member known for their work with that technique. One Saturday a month, the featured focus group gave demonstrations and encouraged the public to get hands-on and create something. The opening reception for the exhibition on May 8 dove deeper into the stories of fiber artists in the Guild.  Marcia Goodmanson, who organized the exhibit, spoke about the Guild’s history, including its relationship with the History Center of Olmsted County, and shared her twin interests in fiber arts and history.  Most of the artists featured in both the permanent and rotating exhibits elaborated on their experiences with fiber arts for the 60 attendees. 

The History Center of Olmsted County: A Year of Rotating Exhibits and Demonstration Days

May: The Weaver’s Focus Group members demonstrated how to use different looms. On May 17, guests were encouraged to try their hand at weaving.

June: On June 14, (Worldwide Knit in Public Day!) Carolyn Barsness and Gayle Holter demonstrated their circular sock machines. Several members of the knitting focus groups gathered to knit on existing projects and help the public with various make-and-take projects.

July: The Surface Design/Dyer’s Focus group hosted a hands-on event for the public on June 19.  Indigo Dye Day at the History Center welcomed 40 participants. Adults and children alike were excited and had fun as they awaited their project: dyeing a scarf in indigo. It was such a fun day.

August: The Spinners Focus Group spent the afternoon of August 8 demonstrating various spinning wheels and explaining how yarn is made.

September: The Creative Sewing Focus Group enjoyed a beautiful and highly successful exhibit. The gorgeous colors of the items on display were outdone only by the diversity and number of projects. Dresses, jackets, shirts, skirts, pajamas, bags, accessories, and a baby outfit lined the walls and hung from clothing racks. Other items included vintage sewing notions, patterns, and magazines, as well as a new computerized sewing machine alongside an antique machine. Adults and kids alike had an opportunity to sit and sew on September 20.

October: The Felting Focus Group made the October display, with many people showing up to learn how to felt wool on October 18.

November: The Needle Arts Focus Group was featured. On November 15th, the group demonstrated various stitches for the public to try.

December: The Quilting Focus Group finished our year of display with a lovely display of quilts. A beautiful old bed frame was brought out to add interest to the room. Both traditional and contemporary art quilts were shown. On December 6th, the public was invited to design a block and play with fabric. Several placemats were stitched and donated to Wheels on Meals.

Our thanks and appreciation to Chris Delisle from the History Center of Olmsted County for all his help in creating these displays! We could not have done it without you!

More Outreach Projects

On June 10th, ten participants in the ArtAbilities program joined us for our second outreach project to make felted soap and DIY felted soap kits. Each artist was able to take a bar of soap home with them and also make one for the ArtAbilities Art Show and Sale. One artist got the technique down quickly and made 8 bars of felted soap! Artists had fun picking out their favorite colors of roving and were amused that it came from sheep. ArtAbilities, a program of PossAbilities in Rochester, is a creative community where artists with disabilities, staff, and volunteers gather in a supportive space to foster creativity and personal growth.

On September 28, our third outreach activity took place at the National Alliance for Mental Illness Walk in Rochester. We hosted a booth where walk participants could make a name badge with their reason for walking and try weaving on a stick frame. 

  • Fun at ArtAbilities

Our Gala Celebration

On Wednesday, October 15th, 88 members and friends gathered to celebrate. We had a lovely luncheon and champagne toasts.  Cindy Severson presented the Guild’s history, and Cathy Manduca reviewed the anniversary year.  The highlight of this party was the reveal of members’ work, which featured our guild colors: blue and gold.  Click here to see all of the challenge photos!

Mayowood Mansion Exhibit

Many times in the past, our guild has helped to decorate a room for Mayowood’s Christmas Tour. This year was no exception. We decorated a 1940s-themed Christmas tree with red, white, and blue decorations to commemorate the war spirit. 

Making the Guild More Visible

Minnesota Quilters: The Minnesota Quilt Guild invited us to give a presentation about the Guild on the Occasion of our 50th Anniversary to their October meetings on October 2 and 4.  Leslie Hall put together a slide talk and associated trunk show and gave the well-received presentations.  There were approximately 70 or so on the Thursday evening ZOOM and about 45 “In person” at the Saturday morning show.  Everyone enjoyed seeing who we are, how we began, and what we do.

Several of their members are members of our guild and were in attendance.  They loved the “show and tell” of quilts and really had fun looking at the “fiber art in a valise.” It contained examples of many of the fiber arts our guild does. 

Rochester Textile Market: The Guild was invited to set up a table at this local event on November 8.  We fielded many questions about textile arts generated by the abundance of supplies and pieces at the market and encouraged people to start making.  We staffed the booth all day with two shifts of volunteers.

Olmsted County Fair:  On July 26, the Guild hosted a booth at the Olmsted County Fair with spinning and knitting demonstrations, as well as opportunities for fairgoers to weave on a stick.  Many members also had entries in the Creative Arts exhibits.

Minnesota State Fair: Our Guild was featured on August 28th with members staffing the Weavers Guild of MN booth right in front of the doorway in the Creative Arts Building.  A video about the Guild ran all day, members demonstrated weaving and spinning, and information about the Guild was available.  A few members also had pieces in the exhibits, taking several ribbons.

Rochester Textile Market: The Guild was invited to set up a table at this local event on November 8.  We fielded many questions about textile arts generated by the abundance of supplies and pieces at the market and encouraged people to start making.  We staffed the booth all day with two shifts of volunteers.

Textile Center: Thirty of our Challenge items were displayed in November and December at the Textile Center in Minneapolis in an exhibit entitled Blue and Gold-Celebrating 50 Years of the Zumbro River Fiber Art Guild.

Local TV Spots: 

We are grateful for the generous support of the Mayo Clinic, Sigma Xi, Rochester Art Center, Frandsen Bank, and History Center of Olmsted County. Thank you!