by Matt Alperin
by Matt Alperin
My friend and colleague, Cynthia (Tenanes) Krause, died unexpectedly on June 8. She was 51.
At a memorial service attended by over 100 of Cynthia’s family and friends, held in her studio in Amherst, Mass., Cynthia’s husband Daniel spoke movingly of how appropriate it was that we were all gathered on the first day of summer — the start of a new season and time of year that Cynthia loved.
Cynthia Krause I could not help thinking, then and now, how fitting it is that we were at Cynthia’s memorial on the longest day of the year … for the days and weeks since we first heard the sad news have felt much longer and emptier for many of us.
In writing this, I find it hard to provide the true measure of a wonderful, highly complex, fiercely loyal and private person like Cynthia. She would hate a sentimental tribute. Yet, I hope she would, somewhat warily, like all this attention and be pleased to know she mattered to a lot of people.
An influential life
A life-long Massachusetts resident, Cynthia Krause was a 1967 graduate of Northampton High School. She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1971 from the University of Massachusetts, but only after waging a very Cynthia-like campaign to graduate without the required physical education credits.After graduation, Cynthia performed a number of odd jobs, including several successful stints as a local bartender. In the mid-’70s, she agreed to take a weaving course with a friend who did not want to take the class alone. While her friend is now a dental hygienist, for Cynthia, this class was the starting point for an innovative, influential and successful career spanning more than two decades.
Samples of Krause’s colorful weavings. Cynthia received a Master Weaver’s Certificate from the noted Hill Institute in Florence, Italy, and started her own business, Cynthia Krause Weavers, at the same time. She initially sold pillows, rugs and throws at local craft shows, then created her first collection of woven outerwear in 1978.
It’s hard to remember a time when there was hardly any chenille clothing in America, but Cynthia was one of the first weavers in this country to utilize and popularize chenille. Over these past two decades, Cynthia Krause Weavers has become known for Cynthia’s original line of colorful, hand-woven rayon chenille jackets and scarves. Her hallmark ribbon strip, woven into the fabric to add a colorful accent, has been worn by thousands of customers over the years. Clothing stores and craft galleries throughout the country (and Asia, Mexico and Europe) routinely doubled and tripled their orders from Cynthia each year. And, of course, her work became a staple at many retail craft events throughout the country.
Fond memories
Cynthia’s close friend of many years, Anastasia Lee Nute (a respected fiber artist), says, “Cynthia seduced me into weaving by making it look so easy. But then, I realized that you really have to work at it,” remembers Nute. “I was having a really hard time in my business and thinking about quitting when I learned of a loom for sale that I really needed to move forward with my work. I told Cynthia about this and, without hesitation, she said, ‘Call that woman back before she comes to her senses — I’ll lend you the money.’”Cynthia could be gruff, and it was fitting that her very first name for her business, before she came to her senses, was Gashly Thrum and Warp Binder, named after Edward Gorey (a popular book author and illustrator) characters. She was very much a “Gorey person” of great wit and, under that shell, great style and deep feelings.
Donations in Cynthia’s name can be made to: Greyhound Options, 12 Barnes St., Ware, MA 01082, or WFCR (Public Radio), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003. Harriet Rogers, owner of Skera Gallery in Northampton, Mass., explains, “Skera used to be an American craft gallery — we had a few scarves — but fiber wearables was not our orientation. Then, I met Cynthia Krause in a manner that was so Cynthia. It was the year of the San Francisco earthquake, and Cynthia had a large order ready for her major gallery out there. … The gallery was demolished and effectively out of business. Cynthia boxed up the order, gave it to her weavers, and instructed them to ‘go forth and sell — don’t come back with any of it,’” says Rogers. “Skera is now a gallery of handmade clothing, and Krause and I formed a friendship that went way beyond a business relationship. It was a wild ride,” she continues.
“No one had a sense of humor like Cindy Lou. … When she built her new studio, I came to visit. While she was busy elsewhere, I quietly deposited my studio warming present in her fridge; a large rubber rat. I have always regretted not being present when she found it. And so, when I opened the next order from Krause Weavers, it contained, seated garishly atop the chenille, a large, yellow rubber banana slug,” recalls Rogers. “Thereafter, a collection of rubber creatures made the rounds among fiber artists and galleries from Maine to Mexico. One order I received had neatly layered, between the scarves, hundreds of plastic bugs. Another artist, from Maine, inspired by Cynthia, sent a big, red lobster. Ultimately, it became a kind of chain letter with less predictable and far more rewarding results that continue to this day. … Cynthia, I hope you left me the rubber rat. When I look at it, I can laugh knowing that, wherever you are, you are inflicting your sense of humor on everyone there.”
Cynthia is survived by her husband, Daniel; a brother, William Tenanes; her sister, Tina Harding; and three stepbrothers, Peter, Scott and Jay Girard; a stepsister, Naomi Jodoin, and several nieces and nephews.
Cynthia Krause Weavers will continue in business, I am happy to report. It will be guided by her sister, Tina Harding; her long-time business partner, Frank Corso; and her husband, Dan
