{"id":456,"date":"2020-03-10T14:19:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T14:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/?page_id=456"},"modified":"2026-04-12T22:56:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T22:56:43","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Amanda Rataj is an artist, weaver, and arts educator based in Ontario with a BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design University. She is a Contract Lecturer in Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Fashion, and an art educator at the Art Gallery of Ontario. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I work with traditional weaving techniques to explore abstract ideas such as place, colour, and form. My craft practice can be broken down into three key areas: material, pattern, and practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use natural materials like wool, cotton, and linen to create textiles that engage with regional textile systems and craft heritage. Choosing these fibres creates a distinct materiality that engages both the eyes and the hand, and has allowed me to build relationships with local farmers and producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through pattern, my work often engages with marks and shapes like squares, lines, and grids. Using tools like colour and repetition allows me to ask creative questions from my materials and make work that actively responds to my environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, my practice is outwardly focused on education, especially towards amateur makers. I regularly teach workshops at the Art Gallery of Burlington and publish my textile design online and with Gist Yarn and Fibre (Boston, USA) and V\u00c4V Magasinet (Sweden). In fall 2026, I will be publishing my first weaving book with Gather Press in Edmonton, Stripe Lab<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Handweaver<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Recent exhibitions include Soft Curve, Hard Line<\/em>, DesignTO Festival (2026), Generation<\/em>, Craft Ontario Gallery (2023), Mass Wasting<\/em>, Craft Ontario Gallery (2020), Craft \u201919<\/em>, Craft Ontario Gallery (2019), Crosscurrents: Canada in the Making<\/em>, The Textile Museum of Canada (2018\/19), and Nothing is Newer Than Tradition<\/em>, the Art Gallery of Burlington (2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve also given artist lectures, including: Conscious Consumption: Focus on Local Linen<\/em> at the Textile Museum of Canada (2018), at the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Central Regional Seminar (2018), and Ideas Forum: Living Well<\/em>, Toronto (2017).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

If you’d like to learn more about my practice, there are a few online profiles on my practice including: Workshop Magazine<\/a> (2021), Warp and Weft’s Field Notes series<\/a> (2020), A Butterfly in my Hair <\/a>(2020), and The Gathered Gallery<\/a> (2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For commission requests, questions about weaving patterns, or anything else,
please contact me by email at amandaratajtextiles (a t) gmail (d o t) com<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to find out what I’m currently up to is through my monthly newsletter: https:\/\/amandarataj.substack.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

I teach private and group weaving lessons on a range of topics, from beginner rigid heddle to floor loom weaving. If you’d like to learn more about your loom and how to weave, please be in touch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

My textile design work is available as downloadable PDF patterns for home weavers to use – you can purchase them through my web shop<\/a>. You can find the free and paid patterns on the Gist Yarn<\/a> website, as well as an extensive series of articles I’ve written on weaving techniques and topics. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amanda Rataj is an artist, weaver, and arts educator based in Ontario with a BFA from the Ontario College of… Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-456","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","shapla-grid-item"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3195,"href":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456\/revisions\/3195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amandarataj.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}