FEBRUARY, 2025

To our valued members & interested parties,

As the Treasurer of The Española Valley Fiber Arts Center, I would like to update you on where our organization currently stands financially.  As you may know, we were in dire financial straits in 2020 after the resignation of the full board and the COVID-19 pandemic. After the centers brief shut down, we reopened and retained only one employee, while everything else at this time was done by volunteers.

For the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, EVFAC had only one employee to take care of the retail (with part-time clerks on and off) while the board worked on achieving financial stability.

Since then, EVFAC has hired a part-time manager who now has become Director. EVFAC also has a great part-time clerk and employs two independent contractors on a regular basis: education/media coordinator and bookkeeper. The center also needs to occasionally employ other independent contractors. EVFAC is now paying all our employees a reasonable wage and providing a pension plan, and have now reached a larger professional point of growth. 

A main area of growth is the expansion of our youth education programming, representing a significant investment in our community's future. This important growth phase requires an additional $30,000 in funding per year. In the future EVFAC is hoping to be able to get increased educational grants, but many of these require a track record of three years. EVFAC is currently in the process of building this three-year track record for our Youth Education Programming. For this current phase we need to do some fundraising and make a call to our membership for help.

EVFAC has not asked a lot of you over these post COVID years and appreciate all the donations and time you have offered.

There will be a fundraising meeting potluck at Noon on March 22nd. Please attend to help brainstorm, and perhaps volunteer to organize some fundraising events & pleas.

The center currently has 277 members and more than 3000 contacts on our email list. If everyone who receives this letter donated $10 today we will be able to proceed on our path of growth, as well as make further improvements to our facilities and offer affordable classes to our local fiber arts community.

Please click the button below if you would like to make a donation today.

AN EVFAC PROGRESS REPORT

Back in 2020, during this rebuilding period, the newly formed board sent out a survey to our entire email list to get a picture of what was important to our membership and community. Here is a performance report, based on the community survey we conducted.

SUPPORTING TRADITIONAL ARTS

• Participation in Colcha Exhibit/seminar at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.
• Demonstrations of Rio Grande weaving and Colcha embroidery at the International Folk Art Market
• Two rounds of apprenticeship programs, providing immediate employment weaving Rio Grande textiles
• Regular classes in Rio grande weaving, Navajo Weaving, Colcha Embroidery and Natural Dyeing
• Coordination of classes and lectures with the Horizons Navajo textile show at The Museum of Indian Arts

LOCAL FIBER SHED

• Sheep shearing and fleece skirting two times a year at Los Luceros
• Fleece sales of above fleece, and the fleece of local shepherds
• Leftover fleece to Mora Mill for processing into yarn and roving
• Churro week to promote and educate about the Navajo/Churro Lifeway, including classes, lectures, field trips, lamb dinner
• Offering the sale of locally produced yarn, roving, dyestuffs and kits

COMMUNITY

• Reinstated Spinning Adventures and added two new groups: UnFinished Objects (UFO) group and Rigid Heddle Support group
• Our Director has started to maintain a regular newsletter
• Starting a lecture series
• Increased participation at the yearly holiday party 
• Increased membership, most of whom renew every year 

SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT

• Continuing to provide supplies and equipment and are the sole New Mexico dealer for Kromski. Yarn and small equipment continue to be challenges as suppliers keep disappearing. Since the main source for Rio Grande weaving yarn has gone out of business, we are working with the local weaving shops to provide another source of yarn.
• Having made improvements on our dye kitchen with ventilation, an industrial gas stove, and upgrade to a better water heater
• Built a new silkscreen studio
• Cleaned and reorganized all areas
• Finished upgrading the lighting at the center
• Installed a new HVAC system (mini splits) and are in the process of installing solar electricity

MARKETING/FALL FIBER FIESTA

• Continuing to sponsor Fall Fiber Fiesta, which has grown in participation every year
• Re-instituted the Artist of the Month program 
• Continuing with member artist consignment sales
• Continuing with ongoing fleece sales

EDUCATION

• Started offering classes in Feb 2021 and have continually increased a diverse array of fiber arts education almost every weekend
• Continued to run a free weekly fiber arts program for Adults with learning disabilities
• Created a Rio Grande Weaving Apprenticeship program
• Created a free youth summer camp, collaborating with Northern Youth Project
• Created an apprenticeship in rigid heddle weaving for public school teachers who will receive training and rigid heddle looms for their classes
• EVFAC is now offering youth education classes with minimal or no fees
• Instituted a financial aid program for students who can not pay full tuition 

The Española Valley Fiber Arts Center

-Enriching and sustaining all fiber art traditions in Northern New Mexico -