I admired Joyce for her constant drive to discover what else she could design and weave. Having Joyce as a mentor and friend for 30 years made all the difference as I’ve made my way in the weaving world. I met Joyce while a student at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN while working on a program of local artisans for a video production class. The minute I walked into her studio, I was hooked … on getting to know this dynamic, creative woman and eventually on weaving itself!
Joyce Harter began weaving in 1971 while she was an art teacher in New Jersey. Her husband was a Lutheran pastor, and her first commissions were stoles for him. For the first three years she experimented with various weaving methods, but when she discovered the Theo Moorman technique in 1974, she knew that this method of weaving would permit her to weave symbols into cloth.
Under the business name Joyce Harter, Weavers she ran a successful liturgical weaving studio for 26 years. Joyce designed over 600 stoles, 300 sets of paraments, and 100 wall hangings, funeral palls and chasuables. She worked with a team of subcontractors to produce the works still in use in churches across the United States and several foreign countries. Joyce also developed educational tape slide programs to teach about Christian symbols and the seasons of the church year. Joyce sold her business in 1993 to Barbara Berg.
Joyce gave seminars and workshops throughout the United States and wrote numerous magazine articles.
In 1998 she and Lucy Brusic wrote a book on ecclesiastical work, Weaving for Worship: Handweaving for Churches and Synagogues. It showcases the work of over 70 artist/weavers in the United States.
After retiring from her liturgical weaving business and teaching weaving, Joyce produced and sold a closet full of handwoven clothing using the Moorman and other techniques. She wove important life stories into wall hangings.
“It is important to me to weave in the very best way I am capable of. I believe very strongly in good craftsmanship and design in what you produce. The very act of weaving material for a garment, a wall hanging, linens, or blankets from quality yarn becomes a showpiece of you. The thrill of threading a loom and producing something worthwhile from those yarns is what makes my life sing. Fabrics have always held a fascination for me and the joy of being able to produce them has been very rewarding. Weaving has taught me to not give up on a project, to work on it until something good can come of it.” –Joyce Harter
Joyce Harter’s Major exhibits:
- InterChurch Center, New York
- Lutheran Brotherhood Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
- St. Thomas Moore University, Bowling Green, OH
- Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN
- HGA liturgical exhibit at National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.
