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SANDIN, Mary Isabel
- Born
- Huntington County, Indiana, 1901
- Died
- Edmonton, Alberta, 1991
- Biography synopsis
- Mary Sandin (nee Foust) played an important role in the production, promotion, and teaching of handweaving in Canada. She studied weaving with Kate Van Cleve at the Garden Studio, Brookline, Massachusetts. In addition to completing a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Alberta, she also taught weaving for the University of Alberta’s Extension Department. She was also an instructor at the Banff School of Fine Arts Summer school from 1942 to 1961. In 1942 she was awarded Master Craftsman by the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts, and in 1954 was the recipient of a prize at the Second Annual Canadian Handweaving exhibition. She worked closely with Ethel Henderson co-editing the "Loom Music" journal published from 1944 to 1965. Along with Henderson (Winnipeg) and Mary Black (Nova Scotia), they co-founded the Guild of Canadian Weavers in 1947. Based on the group the Mary Sandin Weavers, she established the Edmonton Weavers’ Guild in 1953, serving as the first president. Her work was included in Alberta craft exhibitions in the 1960s and the exhibition of Canadian Fine Crafts 1966-67 held at the National Gallery of Canada. The Guild of Canadian Weavers have created a scholarship entitled the Founders Fund in memory of Mary Sandin, Ethel Henderson, and Mary Black.
- Media used
- Textiles
- Weaving
- Education
- University of Alberta
- Memberships
- Guild of Canadian Weavers, 1947
- Edmonton Weavers' Guild, 1953
- File & Archive locations
- National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
- Archives Society of Alberta
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
Writings about- Handweaver & Craftsman 11-121 (1960): 63
- "Applied Art." Banff School of Fine Arts Program Calendar Banff: Banff School of Fine Arts, 1944
http://www.banffcentre.ca/sites/default/files/Performing%20Arts/Program%20Calendar%201944.pdf - "Homespun Bedspread First In Hand Weaving Exhibit." Montreal Gazette 17 April 1951
- "Mrs. I.E. Wize Heads City Handicrafts Guild." Edmonton Journal 23 Nov. 1949: 19
- "Weavers Display At London." The Globe and Mail 8 Feb. 1954: 15
- Alfoldy, Sandra. An Intricate Web(b): American Influences on Professional Craft in Canada 1964-1974 Montreal, Quebec: Concordia University (PhD), 2001
http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/1328/1/NQ59236.pdf - Beriau, Oscar. "Home Weaving in Canada." Canadian Geographical Journal 27.1 (July 1943): 18-29
- Flood, Sandra. Canadian Craft and Museum Practice, 1900-1950 Hull: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2001
- Townshend, Nancy. A History of Art in Alberta, 1905-1970 Calgary, Alberta: Bayeux, 2005
Writings by- Sandin, Mary and Ethel Henderson. The Loop Technique: the Canadian Boutonné and Coverlets N.P: ?, 1958
- Sandin, Mary and Ethel Henderson, eds. Loom Music (1944-1965) Edmonton, Alberta: Mary Sandin, 1944
