Sow to Sew Symposium

The Sow to Sew Symposium and related exhibition “Sustain-abilities: Craft at the Edge of the Earth” will conclude the Sow to Sew Project in September 2026.

Presented as an immersive showcase spanning the three years of the project (2023-2026), the interlinked public presentations, curated by Amanda Blake, revisit and expand upon the conversations surrounding sustainability in craft initiated throughout the project. Together, the events highlight past and present project participants, their material explorations and meaning making, tracing the complex network of relationships sown during this sustained activity.

The symposium offers an opportunity to learn about the impact of community projects during the morning roundtable discussion, and to hear how local designers bring sustainable fashion and jewelry to the marketplace in the afternoon, followed by crafting workshops. The exhibition, conceptualized as part display, part map, part workshop, highlights how NSCAD’s participating students and faculty approached the creation, research and technologies of craft from outside their dominant centres of production, attesting that sustainability is as much about skill sharing as it is about resource sharing.

Though these public presentations mark the project’s conclusion, the hope is that the sustain-abilities gained and shared will continue to evolve and benefit the broader NSCAD community far into their futures.