connective thread: June 2011

Play
curated by Joetta Maue
May 13-June 24, 2011

Artist workshops and Artist Talk details Below

Artist Talk: Monday, June 13, 7pm RSVP

Join Ricki Dwyer, Julia Elsas, EunKyung Lee, Joetta Maue, Candice Thompson, Vadis Turner, and Katya Usvitsky to discuss their work in PLAY and what it means to them.

Playing with Fiber
4 week workshop with Joetta Maue
Wed 6:30-9:30PM, June 8 - June 29

Celebrate fiber and all of its wonderful facets through this 4-session class where instead of focusing on an end product we focus on how taking risks and giving ourselves the freedom to "just play" opens up possibilities in our creative practice.

Each week we will focus on something a little different including:

-Needle point stitches and learning about how far we can push them or how we can combine them to make unique and fun textures or apply them to unexpected objects- these textures can become a signature look or a canvas to build with. - Applique and how we can use found fabrics and objects to create dimensional collages through the most basic technique of attachment. Learn to take risks and do the unexpected. And how we can make anything work with fiber. - Yarn and its many uses through crochet and knitting sculpturally - Liquid- Play with painting fiber, watering it down, using stains like coffee and tea and combining this with other techniques to create truly layered pieces of art. Allow the natural tendency of the fabric to bleed to be a gift instead of a burden. This class is all about having fun, pushing technique, and letting yourself think outside of the box. Students are strongly encouraged to bring materials to class such as found object, found fabrics, text, small items, buttons, whatever inspire you!

For more info or to sign up contact the center at info@textileartscenter or (718) 369- 0222.

4 hour Play workshop with 6 visiting artists:

Day of Fiber Workshops:

June 12, 1-5PM REGISTER

The Day of Fiber Workshops will consist of the following programs. The cost of entrance will be $20 to participate in as many or few workshops as you'd like!

Introduction to Sculptural Crochet -- led by Candice Thompson

Crochet is the process of using a hook to pull loops through other loops to create fabric. Each stitch can be conceived of as a pixel or building block; the variation of size and number of stitches lending a distinct three-dimensional form. Only one stitch is dealt with at a time, making it easy to adjust along the way and experiment without a formal pattern.

In this workshop you will learn to use the basic building blocks of crochet-- chaining, single crochet, and double crochet-- to create various three-dimensional shapes and sculptures of

your choosing. No experience with crochet is necessary and all levels are welcome. Come with a project in mind or simply a desire to play and improvise.

Size Matters: Playing with Knitting Scale -- led by Katya Usvitsky

A workshop that explores both alternative materials and scale in knitting, to get students thinking about knitting as an art process, not just a utilitarian one. While still using traditional techniques, students will be challenged to create with handmade knitting tools. As a starting point, I will supply giant (upwards of 1.5” wide) knitting needles and non-traditional ‘yarn’. The exploration of all the possibilities contained within the basic stitch will be the most exciting part, and the class will not necessarily be focused on creating a final or functional product.

Students will be encouraged to bring materials they are interested in experimenting with, but are not required to bring anything.

Playing with Plastics -- led by Carol Sogard

Workshop participants will learn about:

The environmental impacts of plastics and the limitations involved with recycling plastics.
Ideas for reuse of plastics and other materials with an environmental impact.
How to heat fuse plastic through the use of an iron and then utilizing this new durable material to create a variety of products: pillows, toys, bags etc...

One-Shot Screen Printing -- led by Mira Gelley

Create a patterned screen printed piece of fabric using one shot screens: Create quick screens using tape and/or freezer paper and print a loose pattern onto a piece of fabric. Build up the pattern by altering your original screen (pulling off tape, adding tape) and printing on top of or next to other forms. This is not meant to be a precise or planned pattern. Rather, forms are created quickly and new forms are made to interact with existing ones.

Needle Felting -- led by Mariangela Tan & Justin Alan Volpe

All the basics of needle felting, showing how you can make characters to play with!

Telephone, the Exquisite Corpse and Free-Style Embroidery -- led by Jan Johnson

Telephone is a game where a sentence is whispered into one player's ear, and then that player whispers again what was heard into the next player's ear, and so forth the sentence continues around to all the players until the last player receives the message. The last player then states aloud what was heard. The result can be quite different from what was really said and often quite funny and strange. This game and the Surrealist drawing technique of the exquisite corpse are similar and brought together here in a workshop that teaches free-style embroidery stitches and carbon-transfer patterning. Each participant will work on the same "sampler" drawing, each unaware of what the others have drawn in thread except for a line or two that is left visible for the next player to attach the second part to the first part. This process will continue until all the players have finished a drawing made with an embroidery stitch or a combination of stitches. After the last player has completed their part, the "drawing" will then be unmasked to reveal the composite sampler.

Wet and Wild Felting -- led by Ricki Dwyer

Felting workshop with a wide variety of weird materials to felt into and with. Different colored wool, straight off the animal as well as carded roving, wire, yarn, industrial felt, wire mesh, fabric, coins, beads, etc. Participants will be taught how to wet felt as an interactive process, getting their hands and feet wet to agitate the material. Will be conducive to all ages. They will produce a piece of felt by the end of the day, but the emphasis would be on experimenting with different materials, and a variety of forms to felt on top of to shape their piece if they choose to do so.

For more info or to sign up contact the center at info@textileartscenter or (718) 369- 0222.

Exhibiting artists:
Bren Ahearn, Paula do Prado, Ricki Dwyer, Di Ellis, Julia Elsas, Mallory Feltz, Linda Frost, Mira Gelley, Kathy Halper, Maggy Rozycki Hiltner, Jan Johnson, Eunkyung Lee, Tyler Mackie, Mary March, Joetta Maue, Amanda McCavour, Sophia Narrett, Robert Reed, Lydia Reinhold, Magali Rizzo, Julie Roch-Cuerrier, Daniaelle Simonsen, Carol Sogard, Kathryn Greenwood Swanson, Mariangela Tan & Justin Alan Volpe, Candice Thompson, Vadis Turner, Katya Usvitsky, Kathy Weaver.

CATALOGUE AVAILABLE SOON.

Textile Arts Center is located at 505 Carroll St, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
http://www.textileartscenter.com/
Gallery hours are
Mon - Friday: 10AM - 6PM
Sat - Sun : 11AM - 5PM