CA), Jonatan E. Jurkowski (PL), Maja Gecic (SRB), and Beatrijs Sterk (NL).

This event included a Baltic style catered lunch and closing cocktails with a viewing of the group exhibition Nature, Being & Technology and Egils Rozenbergs’ exhibition Signs of the Time.

Symposium Speakers

Vita Plume

Vita Plume (LV/CA) was born in Montreal to Latvian refugees, holds an MFA from NSCAD University. Her practice explores Latvian heritage and textile traditions, and her work has been exhibited internationally. A committed educator, she has taught at NSCAD, Concordia University, and North Carolina State University. Plume served as President of the Textile Society of America (2016–2018) and currently resides in Jemseg, New Brunswick, where she serves on the board of Queens County Heritage.
https://www.vitaplume.com

Maja Gecić

Maja Gecić (SRB) is a visual artist and designer focused on textile and installation art. Her work, rooted in the symbolism of everyday materials and personal experience, has been exhibited internationally and is included in private and public collections, including the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade and the Fiskars public art collection in Finland. Gecić holds degrees from the Belgrade University of Arts and Aalto University (Finland), where she also lectured before returning to Serbia. Since 2012, she has been a full-time lecturer at the College of Textile Design, Technology in Belgrade.

Kadi Pajupuu

Kadi Pajupuu (EE) is an Estonian textile artist and educator, known for inventing the rail reed, a new type of weaving tool. As a professor at Pallas University of Applied Sciences, she has exhibited internationally and contributed to the development of MultiWeave, a method inspired by 3D printing. This technique, which builds textile structures layer by layer, offers endless possibilities for creating 3D surfaces and objects. Since 2015, Pajupuu’s inventions have gained attention, with weavers worldwide experimenting with her designs. https://kadipuu.ee/

Yunting Li

Yunting Li (CA/CN) is an award-winning textile artist based in Toronto, celebrated for her innovative abstract ribbon embroidery. Drawing on over seventeen years of interdisciplinary experience in graphic design, fashion design, and personal styling, her practice combines the art of ribbon folding with the precision of needlework to create geometric abstraction. Her acclaimed work serves as a visual journal of self-discovery and is inspired by the ancient costumes and culture of Chinese ethnic groups, such as the Miao people. Yunting earned the Professional Development Award at the Artist Project and actively supports the creative community through mentorship.
https://www.yuntingstudio.com/

Jonatan E. Jurkowski

Jonatan E. Jurkowski (PL) graduated with distinction in paper and textile art from W. Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Lódz, Poland, in 2022. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the Art Academy in Szczecin, focusing on textile art and design with a social and participatory focus. His work has been exhibited in Poland, Germany, Latvia, Colombia, and South Korea, and is held in public collections including the Book Art Museum and Paper Museum in Poland, as well as in private collections.
https://www.instagram.com/jonatan.e.jurkowski

Jacobo Alonso

Jacobo Alonso (MX) holds a Bachelor Degree of Computer Systems and Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts, Mexico. From 2014 to 2015 He studied at the University of Rennes 2 France. Beneficiary of the Young Creators FONCA program 2016-2017 in the discipline of Sculpture, Member of the National System of Art Creators 2020-2023 in Sculpture. He has exhibited internationally and has been recognised for his unique textile art using machine technology to express a range of textile and fibre characteristics.
https://www.jacoboalonso.mx/

Fuzzy Mall Art

Fuzzy Mall Art (CA/US) is a self-taught artist from Pittsburgh, PA, now based in Canada, known for his shift from painting to textile-based portraiture. His life-sized, frame-free figures transform fleeting digital moments into heirloom-like works. Mall’s art has been exhibited at institutions like the New England Quilt Museum and Fort Collins Museum of Art, and he has received awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Craft Ontario.
https://www.quiltedportrait.net

Kristina Austi

Kristina Austi (LT/NO) was born in Lithuania and is a Bergen-based artist specializing in digital Jacquard weaving, driven by a curiosity about the woven surface. She incorporates digital tools and artificial intelligence, “training” the AI to understand woven patterns without using verbal commands. Austi graduated from Bergen Academy of Art and Design in 2011 and has focused on digital Jacquard weaving since 2013, blending traditional techniques with digital technology. She also works part-time as a textile designer at Innvik AS, a weaving mill in Western Norway.
https://austikristina.com/

Beatrijs Sterk

Beatrijs Sterk (NL) was the publisher of Textile Forum magazine until the end of 2013. She was the secretary general of the European Textile Network (ETN) until May 2015. Since retiring in 2015, she has continued to report on themes of textile creation, education and textile cultural heritage through the textile forum blog, addressing all those interested in textile culture. Making space for guest editors, writing on the recent history of textile art in their country. She continues her journalistic work along with sitting on many juries for international textile & fibre art exhibitions.
https://www.textile-forum-blog.org/

Ieva Krumina

Ieva Krūmiņa (LV) is a textile artist and professor at the Latvian Academy of Fine Arts, earned her MA in 1992. She is a member of the Latvian Textile Artists Association, Latvian Artists’ Union, and American Textile Alliance. Krūmiņa has received an international scholarship to study at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oregon (1995–1996) and has exhibited globally, including in Latvia, South Korea, the USA, UK, Germany, Lithuania, and Poland. Her work has won numerous awards and distinctions.
https://www.instagram.com/krumina.ieva

Ilze Godlevskis

Ilze Godlevskis (LV/CA) is a conceptual textile artist whose soft sculptures explore interconnectivity and the role of textiles in contemporary life. A graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, she deepened her craftsmanship during a three-year apprenticeship with a traditional knitwear master in Milan, Italy. Of Latvian descent and a first-generation Canadian, she has exhibited across Europe, Canada, and the United States, and actively participates in international textile and fibre arts conferences. Her practice investigates interconnectivity and the materialization of intangible ideas through textile construction. She divides her time between Toronto, Milan, and Riga.
https://www.ilzegodlevskis.com/

Nithikul Nimqulrat

Nithikul Nimkulrat is a Toronto-based textile artist, designer, researcher, and educator originally from Bangkok, Thailand. Trained in industrial and textile design, she holds a Doctor of Arts from Aalto University and has taught in Finland, the UK, Estonia, and Canada. Currently a Full Professor at OCAD University, she has received numerous accolades, including the 2022–23 OCAD Award for Distinguished Research. Her work bridges creative practice and academic research, exploring the materiality of textiles in both physical and digital contexts. Nithikul has also played key roles in international design research communities and is an experienced PhD mentor.

Suzanne Carte

Suzanne Carte is an award-winning curator and cultural producer based in Toronto. She is the Senior Curator at the Art Gallery of Burlington, which bridges contemporary art and craft. Formerly Assistant Curator at the Art Gallery of York University, she has over a decade of experience integrating exhibitions with public programming. Her independent curatorial work spans public spaces, artist-run centres, and galleries. She has also held roles at the Blackwood Gallery, Art Gallery of Mississauga, and the Ontario Association of Art Galleries. Her writing has appeared in publications like Magenta Magazine, Art Writ, and Huffington Post. Suzanne holds an MA in Contemporary Art History from Sotheby’s Institute of Art and a BFA from the University of Windsor. She was part of the 2017 Toronto Arts Council Leaders Lab.

Deborah Wang

Deborah Wang (MFA, M.Arch, OAA) is a Taiwanese Canadian architect, curator and designer based in Toronto, with a broad range of experiences in contemporary art, design and architecture that spans over two decades. She has curated numerous exhibitions and public programs for DesignTO (as Artistic Director) and for cultural institutions in Toronto. She serves as a moderator for design talks, a guest critic for design school reviews, and a juror for public art and awards programs. In 2024, Deborah was awarded the Ontario Association of Architect’s Medal of Service.