Posts tagged Fiber
Weaving + Preservation of Memory

In this workshop, participants will use frame looms to weave and explore color, form, and materiality by using brought or found objects and how they mark time and space. In addition to weaving with found materials, participants will learn how to weave on a frame loom using woven structures such as plain weave, slit tapestry weave, and rya. Participants are encouraged to bring materials from home and additional materials will be provided. Exclusive for beginners.

Bryana Bibbs (she/her) is an artist based in Chicago, IL who works with textiles, painting, and community-based practices. Bibbs founded “The We Were Never Alone Project – A Weaving Workshop for Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence” and currently serves on the Surface Design Association’s Education Committee.

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Brokenness: The Craft of Garment Repair + Alteration

While no two repairs are alike, similar skills can be applied to various garment and fabric types. Plan to bring a suitcase filled with clothing and textiles in need of care, and learn to assess and execute the hand- or machine-based repair techniques that will keep woven and knitted garments in circulation. This workshop will cover repair, fit, and alterations—reclaiming clothing we love despite a fashion industry that often doesn’t love us back. A basic understanding of sewing machine use will be helpful. All levels welcome.

Alaska artist Amy Meissner (she/her)combines handwork, found objects, and abandoned textiles to reference literal, physical, and emotional labor. She teaches the craft of repair as an act of prolonging, care, and accompaniment of vulnerable objects in transition.

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Natural + Alternative Fiber Weaving and Exploration

Immerse yourself in the freedom and versatility of basket, textile, and fiber weaving. With a focus on sustainability and resourcefulness, learn to weave using a variety of natural and alternative materials, allowing creativity to guide the process. Techniques like plaiting, twining, and coiling will be demonstrated. Possible projects include mini pack baskets, woven sculptures, bowls, and wearable art. Explore weaving with molds, other armature structures, square and round bottom techniques, and scaling the size of your work. This workshop fosters creativity, resourcefulness, and experimentation. All levels welcome.

Sarah Sockbeson (she/her) is an award-winning Penobscot basketmaker and culture-bearing artist, known for her innovative yet traditional brown ash and sweetgrass baskets, rooted in sustainable practices and imaginative materials.

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Weaving Beyond the Binary

This workshop will engage methodologies for open-ended improvisational weaving. Fostering a cooperative understanding that our tools and materials have agency, improvisational loom-thinking opens pathways of possibility that respond to the tectonic grid of the loom. Participants will be encouraged to follow their curiosities and ask questions that lead to unexpected places. Possibilities for this open inquiry may include yarn dye processes, warp painting, multi-cloth, drafting, and tapestry, among others. Rather than presenting a singular way of working, participants will develop intimacy with the loom, and in so doing, find their own means of weaving beyond the binary. Some floor loom weaving experience is recommended. All levels welcome.

Transdisciplinary weaver John Paul Morabito (they/them) is an artist and educator who engages the expanded field of tapestry as a medium to embody an ecstatic queer visuality.

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Sampling: Experimentation through Material Play

Sampling: Experimentation through Material Play
This workshop will engage sample-making as a practice of playful experimentation and critical inquiry. Starting with hand weaving techniques on portable tapestry looms and moving to floor looms to explore more complex patterning, participants will create collections of swatches that explore the possibilities within a single loom set-up or material question. Sampling will be supported by guiding prompts, written reflection, and documentation. Participants will be invited to learn from each other through skill sharing and group discussions. All levels welcome.

Etta Sandry (she/her, they/them) is an artist, educator, and facilitator situated in the expanded material practices field between craft, contemporary art, and creative research.

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Lantern Procession + Parade

Processions and parades are ancient collective performance practices that build community, metabolize big feelings, and mark time! In this workshop, we will collaboratively build an illuminated procession inspired by the temporal nature of our summer community. We will work with basket reed, wire, paper, fabric, and responsibly foraged materials to craft lanterns and wearables. Play with movement and narrative ideas will animate our processional performance. The session will include facilitated community-building activities, tips for hosting art builds, and opportunities for co-facilitation. All levels welcome.

Valeska Populoh (she/her) is an artist, performer, educator, and cultural organizer. She works mostly in Baltimore, MD and the Chesapeake Bay bioregion, unceded land of the Piscataway Conoy and other Chesapeake First Families.

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Drafting Weave Creation

This workshop will focus on experimental weave creation and manipulation through paper drafting and on-loom sampling. Various traditional weave patterns will be discussed and broken down into their basic components to enable participants to create their own variations. Participants will explore techniques for modifying existing drafts, create their own weaves from scratch, and use sample warps to realize their weave creations and experiment on-loom. This workshop is intended for individuals who are new to drafting and have at least a basic understanding and experience with weaving and loom setup.

Alyson Ainsworth (she/her) is a New York City-based artist and designer who specializes in developing complex weave structures with nontraditional materials.

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