Common Threads

Reviews

" Common Threads offers inventive means for individuals to reconnect with nature and community through interaction with weeds and wastelands; to come in from the wilderness, as it were, by immersion in it...outlining opportunities for nourishing spirit as well as land through sustainable creative practice."
— India Flint (indiaflint.com)

"Sharon illustrates a role of the artist in society that lives out the spiritual and social metaphors of her craft processes: weaving and spinning elegant projects from the people, plants and politics of her local urban culture. Always resourceful and encouraging, her work presents a framework for communities to explore a re-evaluation of their environment, gain real skills, solve problems and celebrate at the same time. Thank you Sharon."
— Alastair Heseltine, artist and weaver

"With Common Threads Sharon Kallis makes a significant contribution to the growing body of writing on the value of the arts and cultural practices in sustainability. A wonderfully accessible book, effortlessly weaving together complex ideas with multiple voices and aspects of creative practice, the craft of making, the wisdom of local economies and ecologies — all situated within a nexus of community building. Situated in and foregrounding the trajectory of sci-arts collaboration in and around Vancouver, this is a timely and engaging addition to the documentation of Canadian EcoArt practice."
— Beth Carruthers, Artist / Scholar / Curator and Consultant — Culture, Community + Environmental Change, and author, Mapping the Terrain of Contemporary EcoArt Practice and Collaboration

"An extraordinary field guide, compendium and manual for the uninitiated, initiated, discerning citizen artists or creative types of any nature. Nature being the key word, as we are part and parcel of it. Sharon Kallis' volume of research may seem overwhelming at first but dig into it and there are rich rewards. Those who experience reading (and using) this book will be inspired to live and collaborate with others and the environment in ways beneficial to us and the environment. This book provokes a commitment to the process and actualities of improving our communal existence, our individual lives and that of this planet we call home."
— Jayce Salloum, media artist, recipient of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts, 2014

"This is a gem of a book, innovative in the subjects it covers, inspiring in the philosophies it embraces, full of down-to-earth practical "how-to" advice, and a joy to read. Sharon Kallis is a true artist in every sense; she weaves together the projects, the people, the materials, and the images with quiet enthusiasm, respect and skill."
— Nancy J. Turner, Distinguished Professor and Hakai Professor of Ethnoecology, University of Victoria and author, Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge

"In Common Threads , artist Sharon Kallis shows us how to weave together not just plants but people. An exciting marriage of collaborative art and sustainable practices, this one-of-a-kind guide will resonate with educators, community activists, and engaged citizens alike. Brava!"
— Tim Grant, co-editor, Green Teacher magazine, and co-author, Teaching Green: The Elementary Years and Greening School Grounds (greenteacher.com)