Kate Grugan

I met Kate while setting up and running various textile classes and a weavery at the Cecilian Center for Earth Arts and Spirit in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia in 2007. She has been weaving with me off and on since expanding her textile vocabulary and bringing a richness to our community with her kindness and talent. Kate is an amazing teacher and works for the School District of Philadelphia. Each summer, she spends time weaving with and learning from native weavers on her travels to Guatemala. She combines all of her active learning and brings it to a diverse group of students, who English is a second language for. She creates a space for exploration, fuller context, and understanding of language through various weaving skills. She is always looking for another angle to contribute and has recently woven a stack of scarves, seen in the picture, that were donated. With her students' woven work, she transforms the fabric into lavender sachets grown from the school's community garden.

Her diverse techniques and color palette in the many tapestries and beautiful hand woven yardage is remarkable. Kate is an amazing and gifted person in our community and we are always happy when we have her join in for our Textile Thursdays and community events.