A passion for textile art

Ana Diosdado, 29, a Sheridan graduate has work in the World of Threads Festival.

STORY BY SATYARTH MISHRA

Many artists struggle to get a foot in the industry. Few become successful and a few opt for other careers.

It was a dream come true for Ana Diosdado, 29, a Sheridan graduate, to show her textile art in the World of Threads Festival in Oakville at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community & Cultural Centre, which runs until Nov. 30.

“I created a piece called Communication Breakdown for the World of Threads Festival. It is about the way we translate our emotions into words,”’ she says.

The festival was an opportunity for 97 artists from 10 countries to show 255 works of art.

Diosdado, was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, where she did a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. Her obsession with fabric and patterns brought her to Canada in 2010 and she pursued a diploma in Crafts & Design – Textiles at Sheridan in 2013.

“It was a great experience with Sheridan. Sheridan’s textile program was good. I worked there as a textile studio monitor assistant,” says Diosdado.

Being a textile artist is different from any other field because you need to have more patience and persistence to get your pieces selected for clients, companies and exhibitions, she says.

“It is like starting your own business. You have to invest money in material and fabric you buy from the market,” she says.

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“It’s a lot of work. You have to know about minor things. It’s not just about creating an artwork. There is also a technical side of it, and you have to pay for the studio that you are renting and using the space for monitoring your art pieces.”

Before participating in the festival, Diosdado volunteered and worked in many art exhibitions in Canada and overseas.

“I volunteered in Craft and New Economy, OCAD, Toronto, Textile Museum, Kai Chan: A Spider’s Logic, Toronto, Clay and Paper Theatre, Day of Delight in Toronto and many other places,” she says.

Projections of connective outbursts

“I helped to create a website to get in touch with students and artists, and we have shared a lot of information on the sheridan’s textiles program facebook page and website, about the exhibitions and art shows.”

Diosdado explains that her struggle as an artist while being an international student in Canada was not easy. Like many other international students she worked in retail outlets including Staples.

“I was an international student from Mexico and I had limitation on my off-campus work,” says Diosdado. “Textile is not a field that can get you a job easily after you graduate. It is different. If you want to be an artist, you really need to have a passion for that.”

Diosdado now works as a graphic designer and print operator at the Toronto graphic design company Rollout.

“Communication Breakdown” was presented in The World of Threads Festival.