Curriculum

Strategic Crafting

An examination contemporary fiber and textile craft processes as a tool for social change.  Through skill sharing, lectures, readings and discussions, students will explore existing systems of fiber and textile craft hand production: rope making, crochet, weaving, and embroidery. These technical skills coupled with methodologies of performances of labor, public actions, collaboration and display, students will generate projects, which consider ways of re-coding materials, systems and mechanisms of fiber and textile craft.

In preparation: 

• Social Fabric Lecture Series: Stephanie Syjuco, Christy Matson, Combat Paper – SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT
• Readings: See Blog for PDF’s (Materials with a Memory, and Sewn Notions) http://csulaart156.wordpress.com/pdfs-readings/  Still researching others.
• Start materials collections:  old t-shirts, plastic bags, VHS Tapes, anything that can be cut into strips

Coarse Calendar

Week 1: Friday Feb 22, 3:15-5 pm

Introduction / short artist talk / student introduce themselves followed by collaborative rope making exercise based on the Rope Walk

• Resources:

Rope Making Links

Artist: CamLab  http://camlabia.blogspot.com/

• Materials: t-shirts, 1 dowel 1” x 12” for each student.

CSULA Student Assistant: Christin, Lidia

Week 2:  March 1, 3:15-5 pm:  Public Weaving.

Students will be introduced to simple woven structures, and then collaboratively consider objects and spaces in the classroom and on campus which can be used as a loom.

• Resources:
  Cardboad weaving:

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-weave-on-a-cardboard-loom/

Artist:  Travis Meinhoff http://actionweaver.com/
Frau Fiber – Joshua Tree Music Festival Collaborative Weaving

Tanya Aguiniga

http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/los-angeles/tanya-aguiniga-            performance-crafting-beverly-hills.html

• Materials:  yarn, plastic bags, old t-shirts, Dvd tapes, filmstrips, etc.

CSULA Student Assistant: Christin

Week 3: Friday March 8: Field Trip and Activity.  11:00 Lunch, 12:00 -1 Tour, 1:30-3:30 activity.  Craft and Folk Art Museum and La Brea Park.

 

 

FYI Friday, March 8 & Saturday, March 9: Artist Lindsay Degen will create a “knitting factory” in the Museum Shop window to demonstrate the amount of time it takes to make garments by hand.  Lindsay will begin the performance wearing a nude bathing suit, putting on each piece of clothing as its knit, and slowly transforming herself before the viewers’ eyes.

After Field Trip back to…

Crochet Skin:  student will learn basic principles of crochet, and implement this skill to generate masks and wearables.

• Resources:
  Artist: Olek  http://agataolek.com/
• Materials:
  Yarn  – http://www.dickblick.com/products/caron-one-pound-acrylic-yarn/ (variety of bright colors)
  Crochet Hooks – http://www.dickblick.com/products/bamboo-crochet-hooks/

CSULA Student Assistant:  Christin

Week 4: March 15, 3:15-5 pm: Stitched Protests:  students will learn basic embroidery stitches, which will be used to produce personal protests patches.

• Resources:

Book:  http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Embroidery-Stitches-Instructions/dp/0762106581
Artist:

Jennie Hart  http://jennyhart.net/#8c6/flickr

• Materials:  Muslin – ½ yard per student (fabric district), Embroidery Thread (variety of colors), Needles

CSULA Student Assistant:  Christin, Amy

Week 5:  Friday March 22, 3:15-5 pm: Final project concepts and ideas presentations to the class, include installation ideas.

Week 6: Friday April 12, Time TBA: Installation Plan  Meetings with Carole.

Week 8:  Saturday April 19, 11-5 installation at Museum. 

            Saturday April 20, 4-6 pm Opening Reception