Jurors for Complexity 2026 will be Lynn Smetko, Laurie Carlson Steger, and Pauline Verbeek.
Lynn Smetko
Lynn Smetko has extensive experience with both weaving and Complex Weavers. Through many years of developing her art and engaging with and learning from leaders in the field, she has acquired an in-depth technical knowledge of advanced weaving concepts. She has served on the CW Board as president, 1st vice president, secretary, and editor of the Complex Weavers Journal. As editor she worked closely with many authors on a wide variety of topics and was pivotal in transitioning the publication from black and white to color, something she felt essential for sharing all aspects of complex weaving. Lynn has presented we
aving programs on design and structure at CW Seminars and for many state and local guilds. Her articles and works have appeared in the CW Journal, Eight Shafts: Beyond the Beginning, Weavers, and other publications.
Currently Lynn is concentrating on the design process and using photo-editing and weaving software to produce pictorial weaves. She is purposeful about every aspect of weave design, and by that process works to create a cohesive and compelling piece. She loves pushing the limits of her computer-assisted loom, and together they have created many award-winning works. Lynn resides in Southlake, Texas. Her website is lynnsmetkodesigns.com
Laurie Carlson Steger
Laurie Carlson Steger began weaving at Bay of Fundy Craft School in 1960’s as a child. She also studied at the Worcester Center for Crafts in the 1970’s and at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, earning a BFA in Textile Design and MFA in Artisanry/Fibers. With Fiberart as the main emphasis, she reflects on concepts of light and natural atmospheres with her weavings and collages. Her work with fiber optic materials led to consulting in the field of smart textile applications during the 1990’s. Laurie works on the TC-2 Thread Controller, jacquard loom as well as 4-H, 8H and small tapestry looms.
She taught Textile Science at Boston area colleges, and led workshops/lectures at numerous weaving guilds including New England Weaving Seminar, Textile Society of America, HGA Convergence, Complex Weavers and is the current Dean of Weavers’ Guild of Boston. She is an exhibiting member of South End Wovens studio in the SoWa (south of Washington St.) artist district of Boston, MA.
Laurie lives in South Dartmouth, MA with her husband and two dogs. She also enjoys golf, baking pies and traveling. www.lauriecarlsonsteger.com , @ lightweaver11_laurie_steger
Pauline Verbeek
PAULINE VERBEEK is a Professor and Chair of the Fiber Department at The Kansas City Art Institute. A native of the Netherlands, she received her BFA in Fine Art from the Maryland Institute and her MFA in textile design from the University of Kansas. Her creative research involves all areas of constructed textiles but is primarily focused on weaving. She is one of the leaders in the use of new technologies in hand weaving and has also conducted research using industrial looms in The Netherlands and the US. Her industrially woven work crosses boundaries between Fine Art and applied textiles and is directed toward structurally textured fabrics. Her work has been exhibited extensively in both national and international venues including France, Austria, Germany, Japan, Korea and Australia.
