A GoFundMe campaign for Sunshine Coast fibre-arts studio and gallery FibreWorks has raised more than half its goal of $25,000.
As of press time, the effort had just surpassed $12,500, just over a week after it began on Nov.14.
The unique arts centre, founded in 2006, is spread among a series of large yurts on Highway 101 just north of Madeira Park.
“When I took over FibreWorks in 2017, I had dreams of expanding programming and enriching opportunities for our fibre-arts community, which meant transitioning into a non-profit,” executive director Alexis Bach said in an interview. “Due to COVID in 2020, I knew that had to come earlier than initially planned.”
FibreWorks made the transition to non-profit last April. Unlike privately owned businesses, non-profit societies can apply for grants from government and other funding agencies. But there’s a catch.
“As a brand new not-for-profit, we cannot get access to all of the funding that is available until we’ve had at least one, full financial year,” managing director Nell Burns explained. That means FibreWorks can apply for small project grants, but more robust grants for larger-scale programming and operational funding require one to two years of financial records.
“When we looked over this last year’s financials, we went, ‘Oh, we’re not going to make it until next April,’” Bach said. “That’s when the GoFundMe decision happened.”
The fundraiser seeks to raise money to cover operating costs and basic supplies for programming for the upcoming year until the further funding is available. “GoFundMe is the one [fundraising method] that people are most comfortable with, and it reaches quite a wide audience,” Burns noted.
Open from April to mid-December, FibreWorks typically mounts up to six five-week exhibitions and conducts six one- or two-day workshops. The studio and gallery, in partnership with Olds College in Alberta, also hosts master weaver and master spinner certificate programs.
FibreWorks is currently staging Coast Fibre, its annual members show and winter market, open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., until Dec. 12.
“Not all of our members work specifically in fibre,” said Bach. “So, we opened it up and have work done in a variety of mediums. We have oil paintings, we have photography, we have mixed media. And we have fibre pieces as well, too – handmade wares for seasonal shopping.”
To check out the fundraising campaign, go to gofundme.com and search for FibreWorks.
