Fall 2025 newsletter

Michelle Purchase Studio November 7, 2025 FALL 2025 newsletter View this email in your browser

4 colour screen-printed anaglyph 3D Poster hand printed on Manilla paper Keep a look out for these posters with 3-D glasses hanging around town

Join the Swoop Kick-Off Weekend Be part of something beautiful! Agnes Niewiadomski and I are creating a new community art installation for the Mill Courtland Community Centre (MCCC) in Kitchener and we need your help to bring Swoop, our community willow-weaving project, to life! Join us for our Kick-Off Weekend, with free hands-on workshops next weekend at 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace in downtown Kitchener. 🕕 Friday, November 14 – Evening workshop 🌞 Saturday, November 15 – Morning & Afternoon workshops Together, we’ll weave elegant willow birds that celebrate creativity, connection, and community spirit. No experience needed, just come ready to create and have fun! ✨ Spaces are limited — register now on Eventbrite! More workshops will follow at community centres in the new year, but this is your chance to be part of the very beginning. Follow our progress on Instagram GLOBE STUDIOS ART SHOW I’ll be opening my studio doors for the Fall Globe Studios Art Show and Sale — Globe’s biggest event of the year, featuring over 60 local artists! You’ll find me in Studio 14, at the far east end of the building. Whether you’re an art lover, a curious newcomer, or simply looking for inspiration, this show is a welcoming celebration of imagination, community, and the creative talent that thrives right here in Kitchener. Since June, I’ve been working with emerging printmaker Carrick Miles through the City of Kitchener’s Mentorship Matchup Program. Carrick will be exhibiting their new prints at Globe, come say hello and check out their work! Event details: 🗓 Friday, November 21 – 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. 🗓 Saturday, November 22 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 📍 Globe Studios, 141 Whitney Place, Kitchener 🚲 Parking can be limited — consider walking, biking, or taking public transit. If driving, use the Courtland Public School lot off Peter Street or nearby street parking (and avoid the bottleneck in front of the building). Come see a new series of boat, flower, and treehouse themed  monoprints I created this spring using block prints on washi. THE JAPANESE PAPER PLACE Annual Washi Artists’ Sale returns to the Japanese Paper Place in Etobicoke on Saturday, November 29th! 🎉 This event supports artists who are dedicated washi users. These handmade papers are made with Japanese-grown fibres and methods that have been practised continuously for over 1000 years. I will be selling my work along with my dear friend Tammy Ratcliff and over 20 other talented artists. Sat, Nov 29, 2025,  10am - 4pm (Doors at 10am) at The Japanese Paper Place 103 The East Mall, Unit 1, Toronto Free Admission THE VERADIS GARDEN The official launch and welcome to Veradis Garden took place on October 25th. In just six months, the garden has flourished thanks to the love and dedication of dozens of friends, neighbours, community members, and partners who spent countless hours preparing the soil, building structures, weaving willow, planting, weeding, and watering. During the opening celebration, we planted spring bulbs and gathered seeds from obedient plants, nasturtiums, mountain mint, zinnias, and spotted horse mint. Community members shared homemade treats and a large jug of delicious warm herbal tea. I led a garden tour and spoke about its design - a sinuous walkway that invites visitors on a sensory journey through a central passageway, the willow arbor. This arbor acts as a portal, symbolizing renewal, change, and transformation. The woven willow fences curve around the path like an embrace, representing community support and care. I also shared stories about some of the garden’s more unusual and fascinating plants; those with distinctive scents, curious sounds, or unexpectedly rich textures. The project was produced with the Old Town Berlin Neighbourhood Association, and the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, with funding from Love My Hood, and direction from willow weaving artist Agnes Niewiadomski. Follow the Veradis Garden project on Instagram.

spring 2025 newsletter

Michelle Purchase Studio April 17, 2025 Spring 2025 newsletter View this email in your browser

Open Studios on May 3, 2025

OPEN STUDIO I would like to invite you to my spring Studio Open House.  Globe Studios May 3rd from 10am-4pm Studio 14 (the very eastern end of the building) 141 Whitney Place, Kitchener I will have art on display and for sale, and I will be doing a print demonstration. I will have stations set up so that visitors can try pulling their own small print.   Other Globe Studios resident artists and arts organizations will be hosting demonstrations, workshops, collaborative events and learning opportunities. Check out the Globe Instagram page to see what else is happening inside the Globe Studios building. Most will also have artwork for sale, just in time for Mother's Day. Jane’s Walk will also be happening that weekend. Globe studios is located along the banks of Schneider Creek - so consider doing both!  There is also a handmade market happening at Catalyst, a short bike ride from Globe along the iron horse trail - so it's a busy day.  PELHAM ART FESTIVAL I am going back to my hometown for Mother's Day weekend to spend time with my mom while I participate in the Pelham Art Festival. The festival takes place in the Accipiter Arena at the Meridian Community Centre, located in the Village of Fonthill, Town of Pelham.   This is the 38th year of the festival which has always supported local libraries (including Maple Acre branch, where I went regularly as a child) and provides scholarships for local students (including my former high school E.L. Crossley). Admission is $15 on Friday, $7 on Saturday and Sunday. MENTORSHIP MATCHUP The City of Kitchener 44 Gaukel Arts is running the artist mentorship matchup program again. As part of this program I am offering a mentorship in my studio from late summer-fall. If you have a printmaking interest, or project idea you should consider applying. Deadline is May 4th. PUBLIC ART COMMISSION Agnes Niewiadomski and I are thrilled that our proposed public artwork for the Mill Courtland Community Centre (MCCC) has been approved.  This was a three-stage jury process and public survey that started last spring, and won't be complete until the end of 2026. Our art installation will contain over 100 woven willow swallows all hand made by members of the local community over the next 12 months.  Be on the lookout for a willow weaving workshop happening soon. We would love to teach you to weave a bird from locally foraged willow sticks. Our first workshop will be on May 21 at Square Peg when Bird Friendly Kitchener occupies the space for the month of May.  GUELPH'S ART ON THE STREET I will be participating in this year's Art on the Street taking place June 21st 2025, 10am to 5pm. Rain or Shine! Quebec Street, Guelph ON. This is a free and family friendly event open to art lovers of all ages! THE VERADIS GARDEN For the past 18 months we have been planning a community garden to honour the memory of my daughter's best friend Vera. The garden will incorporate a variety of plants that Vera loved all selected for their sensory qualities, seasonal interest, wildlife benefit, and creative craft potential. A sculpture constructed with cedar stakes and locally foraged wild willow will serve as a gathering space for the neighbourhood. The space will appeal to the senses, grounding and nourishing visitors by fostering a connection with nature, art, and each other.  During its creation and after its installation, this sensory garden will serve as a place where people come together, connect, enjoy, and explore.  The project has finally started and in partnership with the Old Town Berlin Neighbourhood Association, and the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, with funding from Love My Hood, and direction from willow weaving artist Agnes Niewiadomski, we have finally started. We have already woven a living arbor, started the decorative fence, and planting will happen soon. Vera's mom Jessica has been a powerhouse of strength, and she has spearheaded this entire project. I have been overwhelmed by the flood of support from the community, and tons of volunteers who have shown up to help. I think it's going to be beautiful. Follow the Veradis Garden project on Instagram.