Kathy Draves
Kathy Draves has been making lace on and off since the mid-1990s. She has dabbled in many different styles but particularly enjoys the point ground laces. In 2018 Kathy curated an exhibit of lace items in the collection of the Huntington Historical Society in Long Island NY which was well received by the public, and demonstrated bobbin lacemaking at several events held at the venue in conjunction with the exhibition.
Elena Kanagy-Loux was raised by Mennonites in Tokyo, where she was surrounded by traditional craft and DIY fashion. After receiving her BFA in Textile Design from FIT, she won a grant which funded a four-month trip to study lacemaking across Europe. Upon returning to NYC, she co-founded the Brooklyn Lace Guild, and began teaching bobbin lace classes at the Textile Arts Center. She recently completed her MA in Costume Studies at NYU where she wrote her thesis on modern lacemaking culture. Currently she is a lace specialist and consultant for institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ekaterina Picone
Ekaterina Picone has been making Russian lace for over 18 years. She learned the craft by undergoing an intensive 2-year course and earned a certificate of the highest level, a second degree lacemaker.
"I see lacemaking as a form of therapy: you are creating something beautiful and complex, meanwhile you activating all the healing points on your hands, which also stimulate creativity. I teach lacemaking to the seniors, because it's a fun way for them to exercise the fingers. I enjoy teaching teenagers as well, because it boosts their creativity and allows to have some rest from the digital world. During the work, the wooden bobbins make a sound that I can compare with the sound of the waives, soothing and comforting."
Devon Thein
Devon Thein has been making bobbin lace since 1971. She has published over 50 articles about lace history, lacemaking, and the lace community. For two decades she has been a lace volunteer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, responsible for re-cataloguing their 5,000-piece lace collection. She is the guest curator for a show, Lace, not Lace: Contemporary Fiber Art from Lacemaking Techniques which will open Sept. 23, 2018 at the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, NJ.
Chelsea Wagner
Chelsea Wagner is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in textiles, plants, and performance. Her diverse projects range from objects to costumes to site-specific installations to trespass theater events. She has an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and runs a botanical design and garden studio, JUNIPR.
More member bios are coming soon!