February 21 - March 28, 2003

The Memphis Potters' Guild, originally known as Workshops, Inc., was begun by Cissy Jones and Patti Lecfman in February of 1976. In the Fall of 1978 the group received a charter from the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Potter's Guild, after which they fashioned themselves. Several of the charter members are still active: Pat Billmeir, Holly Jenkins, and Jackie Ware; current president Agnes Stark and Mimi Dann joined soon afterward. The Guild began holding an annual holiday show and sale in the workshop itself, which evolved into the biannual shows the Guild presently offers.

The Memphis Guild of Handloom Weavers was founded in 1947 with thirteen charter members - students in Viola Joyce Quigley class at the Memphis Cllege of Art. Since its founding, the Guild has hosted a variety of local exhiibitions, including those at the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery and the Memphis College of Art, and it continues to sponsor workshops by well known weavers (such as Peter Collingwood, Hal Painter Edna Blackburn, Noel Bennett, Jim Brown, Heather Winslow, and Madelyn van der Hoogt). From 1979 to 1990 the Guild held fiver major juried exhibits titled "The Path of the Weaver", featuring works by regional fiber artists. The focus of the Guild, as it has been over the past fifty years, continues to be sharing, learning, and education.

Both of these Guilds are well known in Memphis for the quality of the work and exhibits they present. Christian Brothers University is pleased to sponsor this exhibition in their honor.

Learn more about the Memphis Potters' Guild at http://www.thememphispottersguild.com/.

Learn more about the Memphis Guild of Handloom Weavers at http://memphisfiberarts.org/weave/.