We're seeking proposals from fiber artists who would like to present at one of SAQA's 2026 Textile Talks.
Textile Talks run for one hour. Artists will be asked to present a 40-minute talk live via Zoom followed by Q&A, or a 50-minute pre-recorded video. Live talks may contain pre-recorded elements. We encourage you to be creative when considering the format of your talk. Think about how you can use the virtual format to tell YOUR artistic story in an engaging way.
What we're looking for:
- Artists with a strong body of work or point of view.
- Artists who are using textiles or the quilt medium in interesting, new, or unique ways.
- Artists who are documenting their work with strong visuals (photos or videos).
- Artists with a story to tell.
We encourage you to watch a past Textile Talk before submitting your application if you are not familiar with the program.
What selected artists will need to do:
- Prepare your talk and send us the materials.
- Attend a 1-hour practice session (if presenting live) or send a ready-to-air pre-recorded video.
- Promote your Textile Talk through social media, e-news, etc.
Textile Talks are presented live on Zoom each Wednesday at 2PM ET(New York Time). They are recorded and shared on YouTube. On average, 400-500 people attend live and 1,700 watch on YouTube. Selected speakers will be paid a small honorarium.
Deadline for submissions: August 31, 2025
Notifications: September 30, 2025
Please contact textiletalks@saqa.art with any questions.
About Textile Talks: Textile Talks is a free weekly series presented by Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), Quilt Alliance, Surface Design Association, and International Quilt Museum. We cover all areas of fiber and quilt art. Textile Talks takes place on Zoom each Wednesday from 2-3PM ET. All Textile Talks are recorded and posted on YouTube. This program began in April 2020 and has now produced over 250 episodes.
