Boundary crossings: Understanding the nature of women's experiences within contemporary fiber guilds

This ethnographic research explores the nature of one contemporary community fiber art guild. My nine-month participation within this distinctive art world guided my major research question: "What is and has been the nature of women's experience within Arts, Etc., as a distinctive arts community?". To answer this question, I relied upon interviews, field experiences, and document review.; The personal experiences of the six informants, in life and learning settings, determined the nature of their interactions within the guild. How they defined community was contingent on the introspection of their own personal narratives and resulting, self-identities. The reviewed literature and methodology emphasizes women's subjective voice, social construction of knowledge, and interpersonal languages.; Emergent findings contribute to current research on community-based art education (CBAE), historical trends within feminism, and feminist and existentialist art therapeutic models. The concepts of feminist aesthetic criticism and narratives are also explored in relation to informants' art work and personal histories. The findings suggest that women's artworlds can be based solely on an affinity for the art form, not political or social ideologies. Additionally, informal fiber art activities in family settings comprise significant learning experiences that re-emerge later in adulthood and influence preferred didactic styles.