Launching new classes
Launching New Classes
I’m always excited when it is time to launch new classes; however this is probably the most stressful time of the year for me!
It’s hard figuring out what everyone wants to learn. Even harder to coordinate the schedules of myself and 17 other instructors into 32 workshops spanning November 2023 to May 2024. This doesn’t even consider the Summer Blue in the Mountains Workshops.
But I think I’ve got it all figured out. Some returning instructors will ask for specific timeframes. I just fit my classes in around the guest instructors.
This year we have 9 returning instructors and 9 new instructors. I currently have 32 Workshops on the Schedule. I think there is a GREAT SELECTION and hopefully something for everyone. (Shibori, Batik, Stitching, Joomchi, Surface Design, Ecaustics, Natural Dyes, Indigo Dye and Discharge, Quilt Arts, Embroidery, Wet Cyanotype, Blockprinting, Paperarts, Eco and Botanical print, Katazome and much more)
But don’t think that just because an instructor is returning that they are offering the same class. Instructors work hard to provide new material with every new class and even if you take the same class again, I promise you will learn something new. Check the new schedule to see what is being offered by the returning instructors; Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Doshi, Gasali Adeyemo, Lisa Binkley, Jiyoung Chung, Amy Nguyen, Kerr Grabowski , Lorraine Glessner and Elin Noble.
People often ask me how I select a new instructor. Let me tell you, it’s a process. I spend hours browsing over different instructors’ websites and reading class reviews from other venues. Some instructors are recommended to me by students who have attended in the past and others are recommended by other instructors. A few email and ask to be included, then submit proposals!
Amanda Thatch is a new instructor who comes with high recommendations from a retiring Artist Instructor. When Catharine Ellis told me this would be her last year teaching, I asked her who she would recommend teaching Natural Dyes. She quickly responded, “Amanda Thatch.”
Amanda is a textile, book, and paper artist from Detroit Michigan. She received her MFA in Design Studies/Textiles at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021 and a BFA in Sculpture from Washington University in St. Louis in 2004. Amanda is interested in exploring artmaking and language use as linked, embodied practices; her work focuses on the crossovers between words and weaving as both structure and material. Amanda learned to weave while a Core Fellow at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina, where she later served as the studio coordinator for textiles and drawing/painting. She has spent time as a resident artist at Art Farm in Nebraska, an intern at Women’s Studio Workshop in Upstate New York, an Allesee Fellow aboard Artrain USA, and a Research Fellow at Winterthur Library in Delaware. She has taught and assisted textile classes at Arrowmont School of Crafts, Penland, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and John C. Campbell Folk School, and has worked intensively with Catharine. We are excited to welcome Amanda aboard!
Carole Ann Grotrain, Mary Hark, Sue Spargo, Suzanne Mosley, Jeanne Brady, Claudia Lee, Susan Stover and Kim Bowory are all joining us this year with brand NEW Workshops, and they are all equally talented and qualified to teach. I welcome all of them into the studio and look forward to meeting every single one of them!
Finding a great instructor is not as easy as finding a plumber or an electrician! There are so many things to factor in when selecting.
All instructors at The Aya Fiber Studio are vetted. All are authorities in their particular genre and well respected in the fiberart community. I strive to bring in the VERY BEST I can find! so far, I think I have suceeded!
After several emails back and forth, I typically arrange a zoom interview with the artist. It is important that our personalities click. After all, the instructor is representing the Aya Fiber Studio and their personality can make or break a class and the studio reputation.
Then of course we have to schedule around their exisiting schedules, hurricane season and holidays.
This year has been especially stressful. I have had to totally rethink this model make a new pricing structure to incorporate inflating costs!
Since my current class prices were all based on 2021 prices, this affect the studio badly; this past entire year has been a bust! Higher hotel and flight costs meant the costs to bring instructors in were much higher than estimated! And class fees are calculated only by teacher expenses. In the past I would take the costs to bring the instructor ( flight, hotel, food, shuttle and teaching fees) and divide it by minimum enrollment (6) to get the class fee. If 7 or even 8 enrolled, it covered studio overhead and if the class filled: we might even make a little profit.
But 2023 workshops had extremely low enrollments, many workshops were rescheduled, and some were even cancelled. Unfortunately, these same travel costs were also affecting traveling students. Some students dropped out of the LIVE class and if the instructor was teaching online, they registered for the online class. As a result, classes were MUCH SMALLER! Some barely made enrollments!
This in itself has been stressful. I have wondered if this business model will succeed, despite lasting through COVID and operating for over 9 years!
But as they say, “the show must go on!” We managed to think creatively and make it work. The classes that were full, had filled within days of opening last season. Everyone was able to secure better travel costs. Other classes took longer to reach enrollment. Students enrolled, then dropped out. So needless to say, many classes were VERY Small! But everyone LOVED these smaller classes. Both the students and the teachers! There was a lot more 1:1 teacher interaction. Bonds between the students were stronger and deeper friendships were often formed. Textile conversations were more in-depth and evening activities were easier to plan.
As a result, I have decided to embrace this as the “new-normal” and have adjusted my class fees to accommodate smaller class sizing! We also will not be bringing in instructors who offer the same classes online. This will mean we will have less cancellations due to low enrollments and more teacher: student interaction. But, it will also mean that workshop prices for next year are going up like everything else. The cost is still based upon the teachers’ fees and expenses, but this year I am also incorporating the cost to cover the studio overhead into minimum enrollment. Without covering this upfront, I won’t be able to keep the studio open and continue bringing in the same GREAT INSTRUCTORS!
So why come here!
There’s a lot of factors in play when choosing which studio to attend, from the programs offered to studio vibes and location.
The Aya Fiber Studio has all the above, great programming, awesome instructors, beautiful location, and incomparable studio vibe!
This gorgeous, well-appointed studio is in Stuart Florida.
The Atlantic Coast city of Stuart, known as the "Sailfish Capital of the World," is located along Florida’s renowned Treasure Coast, north of Palm Beach and south of Vero Beach.
Along with fishing and other water-intensive pleasures, Downtown Stuart is the cutest little town along the St Lucie River…but it is also home to some of the most beautiful beaches along the Atlantic. Average winter temperatures are in the mid 70’s and the foods are an entirely different subject! If you live in the cold areas of our county, this is a great escape from the wintery cold!
The Stuart Fiber studio opened 9 years ago. Its prestigious reputation continues to this day, and the studio boasts an impressive student-teacher ratio of about 7:1
In our dedicated fiber arts studio, you will have your own space to create and investigate the many dimensions and techniques of fiber arts. Come participate in the hands-on discovery of the science and art of fabric dyeing and fiber arts with some of the world’s most respected fiber artists. You will be learning from renowned experts in the fiber-world! In each class you will work alongside a different artist instructor who brings their unique perspective and expertise within their individual discipline to the studio. Limited enrollment ensures you have access to equipment and time to interact with the instructor and enjoy quality camaraderie with like-minded people. You will be working alongside experts and practicing artists that have exhibited both nationally and internationally that can help build your network.
Our studio is a leader in providing unique and fiber-art programming that provides the best possible hands-on studio experience, we have workshops in Natural Dyeing, Indigo, Shibori, Batik, Surface Design, Quilt Arts, Mixed Media, Stitching (Sashiko, Bojagi) and have recently added some paper arts.
Our recently renovated facilities include a large student worktable’s, a naturally lit classroom open to fresh ocean breezes, a dye kitchen, and an outdoor working area.
The studio is fully equipped with all the equipment needed for dyeing: we have a big assortment of mixing containers, pots, stoves steamers, and a large multi-bay commercial sink. Dry areas include sewing machines and irons, cutting table, sergers, Cricut machines and an intensive fiber art library. There are also fabrics and supplies for sale.
Come create in a spectacular natural environment, supported by dedicated instructors and a welcoming community of local, regional, and international fiber artists and designers! Our intimate fiber workshops are the perfect opportunity to learn a new technique or skill, and with a low-class size, you'll have plenty of one-on-one attention from our experienced instructors.
PLUS, we have GREAT WEATHER- When it is cold and snowy in the North, we have beautiful sunny days in the 70’s and 80’s!
We are looking forward to meeting you!
New class registrations will OPEN April 15th. There will be a “short” early bird sign up, so be sure to put this date on your calendar. Early registrations help a lot in getting great accommodations and better airfares!
Browse Through Our list of Upcoming Workshops that are listed by date or check the Event Calendar to see when the class is scheduled! Call your fiber-friends and start planning your Fiber-cation!
We Have Quite A Selection This Year and hope to see you in the studio!
https://www.ayafiberstudio.com/coming-workshops-and-events
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