October at EVFAC

October 2025

October Artist of the Month:

Ann Shafer

We have a special Artist of the Month story for you this October. If you’ve hung around in our brick-and-mortar shop, you’ve likely witnessed bags, bins, looms, and other various parts arriving by the armful. Nearly half of our store’s inventory is donated by community members—some local and some from afar—who choose EVFAC as the new home for their gently used fiber tools and materials.

Sometimes, people who are moving or downsizing pass along their entire studio. Other times, families bring in a maker’s supplies at their loved one’s request or after their passing. Each donation feels like stepping into someone’s creative legacy of exploration and practice. It can be emotional to sort through these collections and wonder where each oddity came from, what it helped create, or what it was meant to become. This generous cycle is a unique part of EVFAC and a powerful way we stay connected to our community.

Scroll on to read more about Ann in the Artist of the Month section.

At EVFAC

October’s Groups

✨Saturday, October 11th - 12-3pm Spinning Adventures. All spindles and fibers welcome!

✨ Sunday, October 19th - 12-3pm Rigid Heddle Support Group. All little looms welcome! THIS MONTH - the group celebrates its 1 year anniversary! Come by and enjoy some treats, good company, and of course — weaving!

✨ Sunday October 26th from 1pm-4pm - The Crochet Club! meets the 4th Sunday of each month.

ALL MEMBERS MEETING: Saturday 10/25

ALL MEMBERS ANNUAL MEETING

Saturday October 25th

1-3PM

* Potluck at Noon *

Please note the CORRECT time here!

YOUTH FIBER STUDIO : School’s back in session!

We launched our Peñasco program this past week with the 5th and 6th grade art classes! We will be there every Wednesday from 8am—2pm through December 10. At the end of the month, we’ll add a mixed high school class.

The program builds on the Traveling Fiber Trunk curriculum—an incredible resource created by EVFAC members and former staff—to offer a 6 to 12‑week enrichment classes that support area teachers who often teach multiple subjects and see several grade levels in a single day. We’re updating the curriculum to include mixed‑media slideshows, physical samples, lesson plans rooted in New Mexico’s sheep‑to‑loom heritage fiber practices; and we’re inviting local practitioners and artisans to give in‑class presentations and demonstrations.

Our goal is to strengthen students’ fine motor skills, dexterity, visual thinking, and emotional regulation through the soothing, repetitive processes required by most fiber arts. They are creating finished pieces of art while being immersed in the rich cultural history they are a part of in this region.

We started with small metal frame looms; this week, both classes finished warping with a cotton warp, and the 5th graders began weaving. In a couple of weeks, we’ll introduce the rigid‑heddle loom, along with additional weaving styles and fibers.

YOUTH FIBER STUDIO: Special Education in Los Lunas

Kathy Schneider, a special education teacher in Los Lunas, completed our Rigid Heddle Teacher Training in February. She now has several students weaving on rigid‑heddle looms, including one student who has truly embraced the practice. This student finished a piece this summer to give to her sister, and is already preparing to start the next. She is completely blind.

Among its core goals, Youth Fiber Studio gives young people opportunities to connect with their hands, materials, and the act of creation, while grounding their learning in the region’s cultural history and fiber traditions.

Artist of the Month:

Ann Shafer

Ann Shafer, a longtime resident of Los Alamos, NM, has been deeply involved in the local and national fiber arts community for decades. A devoted loom weaver, beadweaver, knitter, painter (oils and pencils), and dyer, Ann is thoughtfully transitioning to a quieter chapter and downsizing her studio. She taught in her home studio and across the Southwest, and was featured as a guest artist for Convergence over many years. A former EVFAC board member, Ann has graciously donated her fiber arts equipment, supplies, and completed works to EVFAC.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Ann and her family for this honor. Throughout October, select pieces from Ann’s textile studio collection—tapestries, weavings, and jewelry—along with works she has created, will be on view.

Around Town

Sunday October 12th

SHEEP SHEARING

THIS SUNDAY AT LOS LUCEROS

Arrive at 11am to help skirt the fleece!

** Previously we said 9am - but please note the change to 11am! **

RSVP to RSVP@riograndenha.org if you plan to attend!

When the shearing and skirting are finished, stay for a pizza party to celebrate the first firing of the site’s new horno!

After the shearing, join us in our fleece processing class — there’s still some spots left, sign up today!

Learn to process a fleece with Carol Nieukirk!

Join us on October 14th and 15th for our processing workshops. You may sign up to join Carol for either one or two of the days, but of course, to learn the most from Carol, a 2 day fleece processing workshop is recommended! You can select the one or two day class when you fill out the class registration below.

In this workshop students will wash, pick and card Navajo-Churro fleece to ready it for spinning or felting. You will be learning the full circle of the wool making process, from sheep to yarn, here at EVFAC.

This class will be taught by local fiber artist Carol Nieukirk.

The historic Scottish Rite Temple in downtown Santa Fe.

Now in its 13th year, our Fall Fiber Fiesta has made its home at Santa Fe’s historic Scottish Rite Temple every year, and we’re deeply grateful to host our event in such an elegant setting. With its distinctive Moorish architecture and beautifully appointed indoor and outdoor spaces, the Temple elevates every gathering. It’s a one‑of‑a‑kind venue that brings unforgettable style to weddings, concerts, and fundraisers. Check them out if you’re hosting a large event, or just for a tour!

_________________

As a 501(c)3 organization, EVFAC strives to balance professional, living-wage compensation for our teaching artists with affordable class prices, scholarships, and free youth programs that serve our local community. Through grants and crucial member-donor support, we maintain this vital balance. Your continued generosity makes our mission possible.

Donate today!

DONATE