9493 - On Weaving, Knitting, or Mending: History, Power, and Practice in Fiber Arts
Course Description
How do technique, materiality, and meaning entwine in fiber art? In this course, you will make, and reflect on your practice of making, while engaging others’ theories, research, and narratives of making. We’ll harness the energies of stitchery to encourage self-reflection and empathy as modes of art historical study. We will use critical and embodied practices to understand why we and others work in fiber arts and what might be expressed through them. We will read critical texts on fiber arts, listen to the voices of fiber artists, and practice fiber art making ourselves*. In combining practice, self-reflection, reading, listening, and dialog, we will come to new understandings of the histories, cultures, and power of fiber art making and of our own, perhaps emergent, art practices.
Possible topics include intergenerational connections through crafting; self-expression; explorations of the sources, meanings, and social elements of materials; community and activist making; making as therapy, ritual, celebration, carework, or mourning; embodiment as a way of knowing; and the toll of crafting on the body.
*The course title builds on Anni Albers’ On Weaving. While this is not a class that teaches technical fiber art techniques, it might be an opportunity for you to learn to knit from online tutorials, join a local stitching group, quilt with a loved one, or dedicate time to a practice you are already experienced in!
Learner Outcomes
Following completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Exhibit historical and cultural knowledge of multiple fiber art techniques, materials, and artists
- Understand how techniques and materials can have diverse cultural and personal meanings
- Closely observe and analyze material objects for evidence of their maker’s experiences
- Integrate self-reflection in addition to primary and secondary sources into a research project
Notes
For RISD Students:
RISD Continuing Education (CE) credit is treated as transfer credit by RISD’s undergraduate degree programs. If approved, satisfactory completion of this course with a ‘C’ or better can count as 3 transfer credits toward Theory and History of Art and Design (THAD) elective requirements. Complete the Prior Approval for Liberal Arts Credit form in etrieve before completing the online course registration.
Students from institutions other than RISD:
Students seeking academic credits are urged to contact their home institution to arrange prior approval before registering. Policies on transfer credit vary by institution and by program, and it is at the discretion of your home institution to determine what credits it will accept and how they might meet individual academic requirements. For additional information about RISD Summer Intensives and Transfer Credit Policies, visit our webpage.
Prerequisites
Students must be an adult age 18 or older to participate.
Instructors
- Amanda Thompson