This summer I will be teaching a class called Speculative Weaving at Ox-bow. I am so excited!

Also excited because they used my work for the cover of the course catalogue!

Here is more about the class...

Speculative Weaving, August 12-18, 2018

Weaving has often been associated with themes of time, rhythm, meditation, and materiality and for this workshop we weave small studies in response to these prompts. Students will be encouraged to consider the act of weaving as an end in itself, conceptualizing process, while also learning technical skills including tablet weaving, inkle weaving, finger weaving and pattern drafting. Woven studies will be developed on small portable looms and from there students will consider how they might invent new looms structures, weave into site-specific locations and create interactive projects. Concepts and theories will be introduced through readings, slide presentations and discussions that will provide the direction and inspiration for each student to develop their own inquiries and inventions.

Nov 25, 2023

Seed by Seed, Ho-Chuck Banner on Bascom Hall

I was part of a team which created special banners to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the University of Wisconsin. I worked with doctoral student @mollipauliot (Ho-Chunk) and Art Dept Professor @stephen_hilyard to create images
based on Ho-Chunk beading.

Molli and I first came together around a shared interest in the language and structures of textiles, basketry, and natural fibers. Using these shared interests, we created a design for the banners that celebrate the technical skill of the handmade. This abstract visual language is at the heart of textile forms and innovation, which is possible when we apply this knowledge to create solution-based designs and beautiful objects. Hilyard created a software workflow involving polygonal modeling and instancing to create a 3D digital model of the 160,000 beads in the banner. The final image was digitally rendered from this model. Developing ideas for honoring the Ho-Chunk Nation and the university’s commitment to Our Shared Future, this design team recognizes the past while focusing on future community building between these two forces.

The banner design project incorporates Our Shared Future concepts as a learning opportunity while including Ho-Chunk design, the sacredness of this land, and community building between the university and Ho-Chunk Nation.

Our Shared Future is a process, not a land acknowledgement or something to recite. It is a collective act of moving forward together from ignorance to awareness; an educational framework for posing questions; and an opportunity to celebrate Ho-Chunk people,
as well as learn about the hard truths of our histories with them.
It is a challenge to educate ourselves and each other, and create a better future together.
 #textiles  #hochunk #nativeamerican #beadwork @uwmadison

Hello Loom Wins Wisconsin Innovation Award

Hello Loom is a small business that designs tools and tutorials to engage people in the process and pleasures of weaving. The portable and efficient design of the laser cut looms makes getting started fast and fun with endless potentials of learning traditional skills and prototyping new weavings. The design is efficient, focusing on refined features such as the wooden needles, comb and integrated display stand.

Marianne Fairbanks

News

Teaching at Ox-Bow!