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.