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On the 12th of September in collaboration with the National Museum of Women in the Arts I hosted a "Meet the Artist" event with Carol Cassidy, the textile designer and weaver from Laos. Different from the first "Meet the Artist" event in February, I asked Carol to give a presentation about her work. I heard Carol speak before and thought she had a wonderful story to tell, one I wanted to have her share with others.

During her presentation Carol talked about her inspiration and journey to becoming a renown weaver. She also talked about the decision to start her studio in Laos, the influence of Lao tradition in her work, the desire to empower women and the need to work with local farmers to restart silk production. The presentation showed the signficant impact Carol has had on the preservation of Lao textile tradition, the increased global awareness of and desire for Lao's finest textiles, and the local weavers' attitude towards their profession.

It was clear from the reaction at the end of the presentation that the audience found Carol's story to be as inspiring as I did when I first heard it. In order to be able to share Carol's story with a wider audience I had her presentation videotaped. It has now been edited and you can view Part 1 below. Parts 2 & 3 can be found at the end of Part 1 in related videos or by clicking on http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtuArteMedia

Once you have viewed the presentation, share your thoughts by posting a comment here or send me an e-mail at dmyers@virtuarte.com.

To see Carol's work go to http://www.virtuarte.com/artist/Carol-Cassidy/products