In-Person Workshops
ATA organizes annual in-person tapestry weaving workshops at various locations around the country. We try to alternate our instructors by hosting a domestic-based instructor one year and an overseas instructor the next. In-person workshops tend to be held over a period of 3-4 days. Some locations include a venue for participants to reside during the duration of the workshop. In the past, ATA has partnered with Arromont School of Arts & Crafts, Handweavers Guild of America, and privately organized venues. In addition to our regular workshops, ATA also holds online workshops, which can be viewed here.
2026 Workshop with Louise Martin
Woven Tapestry: Beyond Convention
LA Tactile Lab, Los Angeles, Oct. 14-16, 2026, 9-5 pm each day
Deadline to Register: October 1, 2026
Extending tapestry technique in search of new and dynamic expression. During the workshop, we will discover what can happen when the conventional limits and uses of warp and weft are exceeded. What happens if warps are not all of the same material, weight, or spacing, if they are grouped, added to, pulled, and left exposed? We will be working quickly, freely, and directly onto the loom, seeking to question and to explore. Students will be asked to bring their knowledge and love of tapestry technique, of handling warp and weft, and be ready to apply them with a fresh mind, to work spontaneously, quickly, and intuitively.
The workshop will be based around a series of exercises, designed and set up to allow students to work directly into weave, reacting to the materials given without prior design work. We will be aiming to discover what can happen, for example, when usual warp-weft relationships are radically altered or what might be gained by working with materials not ordinarily considered ‘textile’, or by using yarn in entirely other ways. We will aim to challenge the previous limits to our creative practice; question the essence, nature, and otherwise unexplored expressive potential of weave; learn to allow hand and mind to run free, observing rather than controlling the results; and ignite sparks that may inform or transform future work.
The course is suitable for intermediate/advanced students.
Registration Fees
ATA Members: $450
Non-ATA Members: $500
Travel & Lodging
Participants will need to organize their own travel, lodging, and meals for this event. If you are interested in sharing a room with another participant, please email us at director(at)americantapestryalliance.org, and we will include this information in our event communication. Classes will be held at the L.A. Tactile Lab, 407 E Pico Blvd #808, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Class hours are from 9-5 pm each day with a break for lunch.
