Photo: Board President Mary Leen at the Loom.

The Common Thread, a fiber art gallery in downtown Silver City, is not just another gallery. It is run by the non-profit, Southwest Women's Fiber Arts Collective (SWFAC), as a means for rural women in New Mexico to earn income.

SWFAC achieves its mission by providing classes to members and the community in fiber arts and business skills, and operates The Common Thread. More than 60 fiber artists from all over New Mexico show and sell their work there. "Women from Magdalena, Truth or Consequences, Rodeo and Kingston sell at the gallery, and this is, for many, the only outlet they have to earn income from the sale of their work," Board President Mary Leen said.

The organization and the gallery are operated by volunteers. "We sell an amazing variety of fiber art," she said. "Hand knits, weavings, rugs, quilts and many scarves and hats this time of year. There are items for children, jewelry and wall hangings. All the items are high quality, hand made, and juried into the gallery. We have a surprising number of items that cost under $20, too. It is a place where you can go to buy holiday gifts and know that the revenue goes to the person who made the item you purchased."

In addition to the gallery, SWFAC sponsors two fundraising events that focus on fiber arts and provide an additional venue for fiber artists. Held in alternating years, the Tapestry of Talent fashion show which was just held last September, and the next Silver City Fiber Arts Festival which will be held November 8th and 9th, 2013.

The SW Women's Fiber Arts Collective, is a non-profit that provides the means to learn and earn an income from the fiber arts. For more information about SWFAC, please go to www.fiberartscollective.org or stop by in person at The Common Thread gallery at 107 W. Broadway. Call 575-538-5733 for hours.