Textiles Workshops at Penland
Penland offers 1 to 8-week workshops taught by visiting instructors in our well-equipped studios. Class topics include tapestry weaving, sewing, knitting, quilting, surface design, natural dyes, shibori, basketry, and more. Workshops are open to serious students of all levels unless specified in course description; beginners welcome.
Register for Workshops
Workshops are open to serious students of all levels unless specified in course description; beginners welcome.
Summer scholarship information; summer scholarship application deadline is February 15.
Please read this note about our session schedules.
Textiles Spring Concentration
March 5 – April 28, 2023 (8 Weeks)
Celia Pym
Visible Mending: Damage and Repair
This workshop will explore textile repair: how and why to do it. Students will develop skills for making visible repairs with hand-stitched darning, embroidery, and patching. We’ll play with ideas, color, and materials, and explore narratives, damage and decision making, the qualities of tenderness and care in mending, and mending’s relationship with fashion and the environment. Students will work on their own garments and those of others. A playful attitude and openness to ideas is central to this workshop. All levels. Third-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist; teaching: Royal College of Art (London), London College of Fashion; exhibitions: Herald St (London), Firstsite (UK), Harewood Biennial: Radical Acts (UK), Trading Museum (Paris), Victoria and Albert Dundee (Scotland); collections: Crafts Council UK, Nouveau Musée National de Monaco.
Textiles – Spring Short Session
April 30 – May 5, 2023 (4 studio days)
Kim Mirus
Threading Heddles and Throwing Shuttles
From winding warps to throwing shuttles, we’ll explore all the exciting aspects of weaving on floor looms. We’ll set up a variety of looms with options ranging in complexity, and everyone will use them to experiment with woven structures using four- and eight-shaft patterns. Then each student will choose one of the looms and use it to weave more samples or a self-directed piece of their own design. Everyone will leave with a collection of samples and small woven pieces as well as the skills and confidence to weave independently. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio.
Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor walk-up studio that has partial access by a stair lift.
Studio artist; teaching: Haystack (ME), The Crucible (CA), K-12 public schools (CA), Penland; residencies: The Arctic Circle (Svalbard), MASS MoCA (MA), SÍM (Iceland), Penland Winter Residency (NC), ReCreative Denver (CO), Arrowmont Pentaculum (TN), Hambidge Center (GA), Icelandic Textiles Center; exhibitions: Wolpert Gallery (TN), ReCreative Denver (CO), 808 Projects (CO), SÍM Gallery (Iceland).
BOOKS & PAPER SUMMER SESSION 1
MAY 28–JUNE 2, 2023
Lotta Helleberg
Clothbound: Textiles in Book Form
This fabric-inspired book arts class will focus on structures and techniques especially suitable for textile inclusions, such as Japanese stab bindings, medieval limp bindings, and scrolls. We will explore how traditional fiber techniques—including stitching, patchwork, and weaving—can be used to create unique and tactile book components. We will also learn to stabilize textiles with interfacing, mull, and wax. Simple mark making, staining, and relief printing will be used to customize our work. With daily demonstrations and hands-on instruction, students will create several books, which, depending on each student’s skill level, may range from blank journals with fabric covers to more elaborate artist books. All levels. Books studio.
Book and fiber artist; teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Fibre Arts Australia, Langwe Ateljé (Sweden), Virginia Center for the Book; exhibitions: Festival of Quilts (UK), Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (OH), Kyoto Shibori Museum (Japan), Sandy Gallery (OR), Wayne Art Center (PA); publications: Little Book of Book Making by Charlotte Rivers, Slow Stitch, Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art, by Claire Wellesley-Smith.
BOOKS & PAPER SUMMER SESSION 1
MAY 28–JUNE 2, 2023
Steph Rue
Korean Paper + Textiles
This workshop will explore the intersection of handmade Korean paper (hanji) and textile. Starting with raw dak (mulberry) fiber, we’ll make hanji using a modified Korean sheetforming method and then manipulate our handmade sheets in a variety of ways, including natural dyeing, felting, spinning into thread, and stitching like fabric. We’ll also cover methods for constructing a paper bojagi (patchwork textile) using scraps and samples generated during the workshop. There will be daily demonstrations and some lectures, but most of the workshop will be dedicated to experimentation and play. All levels. Papermaking studio.
Studio artist; teaching: Mills College (CA), San Francisco Center for the Book (CA), Focus on Book Arts (OR); fellowships: Fulbright Research Grant (Korea), Kala Art Institute Parent Artist Residency (CA); collections: Yale University (CT), Mills College (CA), Tufts University (MA), Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (WA).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 1
MAY 28–JUNE 2, 2023
Gasali Adeyemo
Traditional Yoruba Dyeing Techniques with Indigo
Learn traditional Yoruba adire eleko (starch resist) and tie-dye techniques. Experiment with intricate patterns while learning the history and meanings behind the traditional designs. You will learn how to prepare an indigo vat and cassava paste resist. As you dye your finished pieces in deep blue indigo, you will also learn the history and importance of indigo dye in Yoruba culture. All levels. Third-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist and educator; teaching: Nike Center for Arts and Culture (Nigeria), World Batik Conference, Snow Farm (MA), Campbell Folk School (NC), University of Iowa, Aya Fiber Studio (FL), Peters Valley (NJ), Touchstone (PA), Austin School of Fiber Art (TX), University of Central Arkansas; work exhibited internationally.
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 1
MAY 28–JUNE 2, 2023
Sarita Westrup
Sculptural Basketry
In this experimental basketry workshop, students will learn methods for building nonfunctional forms from reed, wire, and waxed linen. Techniques will include twining, starting various basket bottoms, and twining backward to create curves. We’ll modify the surfaces of our sculptural baskets using thin-set mortar, powdered graphite, spray paints, and watered-down acrylic paints. Bring your curious and experimental self and leave with a foundation of sculptural basketry skills. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist; teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Oil and Cotton (Dallas), Penland (NC); fellowship: American Craft Emerging Artist Cohort 2022; residency: Arts Fort Worth (TX); exhibitions: Blue Spiral 1 (NC), DGAC Gallery (TX), Nasher Sculpture Museum (Dallas), Latino Cultural Center (Dallas), Box 13 Art Space (Houston), publications: American Craft, Surface Design.
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 2
JUNE 4–16, 2023
Charllotte Kwon and Tim McLaughlin
The Inkmaker’s Pen
Students will learn to prepare a variety of inks from classic ink-making traditions, including iron gall, dye-based, and pigmented inks. We’ll create colorful lake pigments from natural dyes and use them alone and in combinations. Students will also learn to extract colorants from plants and work with foraged materials. We’ll use these inks to discover the basics of pointed pen (flex) writing with dip nibs and to experiment with reed and quill pens and work with brushes and washes. Some time will be spent considering works on paper, sketchbooks, journals, and the role of writing in artistic expression as we explore the incredible potential of pen and ink for developing a personal hand. All levels. Third-floor studio.
Note: the studio fee for this workshop is estimated at $250-300 per student.
Charllotte: founder of Maiwa School of Textiles (Vancouver, Canada) and owner of Maiwa Handprints; co-producer of four documentary films and a number of print publications; has traveled the world, studying, teaching, and working with artists using traditional techniques in India, Peru, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Canada; honorary doctorate from University of Fraser Valley (BC); Robert Jekyll Award for Leadership in Craft (Canada).
Tim: artist, writer, photographer, and a founding director of Maiwa School of Textiles where he teaches ink making, chemistry, and the history of natural dyes; has kept journals for 40 years as a long-term project in book arts; has also been active in experimental radio, hypertext fiction, graphic design, book production, and documentary film.
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 2
JUNE 4–16, 2023
Joy Boutrup and Catharine Ellis
Intersecting Processes: Weaving and Natural Dyeing
During this weaving and dyeing workshop, students will experiment freely with fibers, weave structures, and natural dyes. We’ll use appropriate processes for mordanting and dyeing both protein and cellulose fibers, while also investigating the possibilities of cross dyeing. We’ll explore the use of resists such as ikat, woven shibori, and traditional shibori. Our color palette will consist of classical dyes—including indigo, weld, madder, and cochineal—known for their lightfast qualities and longevity. Students can expect to complete a collection of samples and a finished piece, if desired. Our focus will be on learning, experimentation, and idea development. Intermediate/advanced level: students should be able to warp a loom and weave independently. Second-floor textiles studio.
Note: The studio fee for this workshop is estimated at $200.
Catharine: studio artist, educator; teaching: Haywood Community College (NC), Convergence (TN), Sanborn Mills Farm (NH), Eugene Textiles Center (OR), Campbell Folk School (NC), Penland; exhibitions: Blue Spiral I (NC), Fuller Craft Museum (MA), Penland Gallery; author of Woven Shibori (Interweave Press), co-author of The Art and Science of Natural Dyes (Schiffer).
Joy: textile engineer, chemist, teacher at Designskolen Kolding (Denmark); co-author of The Art and Science of Natural Dyes (Schiffer).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 3
JUNE 18–30, 2023
Jovencio de la Paz
Pixel, Thread, Weave
In this workshop students will explore weaving and textile design through a detailed overview of pattern making and drafting. We’ll use drafting software to create a wide variety of weave structures, including color and weave, deflected double-cloth, and overshot. Students will find that these traditional structures can yield vibrant and contemporary designs through color manipulation, yarn choice, texture, and experimental warp and weft materials. We’ll also explore the important historical connection between computers and the loom, testing the relationships and perceived boundaries between the digital and the handmade. Students may make samplers, finished textiles for apparel or interior design, or other experimental projects. Some basic floor-loom experience will be helpful, but this workshop is open to all levels. Second-floor textiles studio.
Note: Students should bring a computer if they can; contact the studio operations manager if you are enrolled and are unable to bring a computer. studio_operations@penland.org
Associate professor and curricular coordinator for fibers at University of Oregon; United States Artist Fellowship; exhibitions: Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), R & Company (NYC), Museum of Craft and Folk Art (Los Angeles); representation: Chris Sharpe Gallery (Lost Angeles).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 4
JULY 2–14
Ismini Samanidou
You Can Go Anywhere from Anywhere
This workshop will focus on experimenting with materials and processes using paper manipulation, mark making, drawing, photography, and layering/interweaving threads using on- and off-loom techniques. We’ll explore how found materials can provide the basis for pattern and surface and think about how time affects these. We’ll aim to develop a range of permanent and ephemeral works and allow ourselves to really play and engage with each process, working in a spontaneous and experimental way. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist; teaching: Central Saint Martins (UK), Royal College of Art (UK), Royal Academy (UK), Haslach Textile Centre (Austria); collections: Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), Crafts Council (UK); exhibitions: Weaving and We (China), Moins Sartoux (France), Hauser and Wirth (UK); a film of Ismini weaving has been part of an Anni Albers retrospective at Tate Modern (UK), K20 (Germany), and Museum of Modern Art (NYC).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 4
JULY 2–14
Ann Tilley
Pants: Design, Draft, Construct
This workshop will explore pants-making as a way to introduce and deepen the skills needed for making custom apparel at home. Topics will include clothing design and inspiration, working from existing paper patterns (and making our own), and many aspects of garment construction. During the first week, we’ll walk step-by-step through custom jeans. Then we’ll sew with knits and engage with choose-your-own-adventure final projects to reinforce skills developed during the workshop. The goal is to demystify pants patterns, encourage customization, and empower students to make clothing for themselves. Some experience on a sewing machine will be helpful, however, advanced techniques taught in a beginner-friendly format means this workshop is open to all levels. Third-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist, freelance technical clothing designer; teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Campbell Folk School (NC), Forge Makerspace (NC), and several independent fabric shops; multiple individual artist grants through ArtsGreensboro (NC); exhibitions: Greenhill Winter Show (NC), Arrowmont Gallery (TN).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 5
JULY 16–28, 2023
Alyssa Salomon
Print What You Sew
Print happiness by the yard! Using simple, eco-friendly methods, students will produce their own screenprinted fabric and turn some into easy textile projects: tea towels, tote bags, smocks, etc. We’ll develop formal repeat patterns as well as improvisational designs using cut paper, mark-making, technology, and forms from nature. We’ll mix custom ink colors, learn to screenprint, and then print and print and print. This workshop is for those interested in textiles and surface design whether the intent is to continue screenprinting, to use print-on-demand services, or just to have a great time with design inspiration. Basic sewing skills will be useful, but this workshop is open to all levels.
Notes: This workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that has partial access by a stair lift. The studio fee for this workshop is estimated at $225-275 per student.
Studio artist working as Blue Skies Workroom; teaching: Virginia Commonwealth University, Visual Arts Center of Richmond; representation: Penland Gallery, Candela Gallery (VA), Contemporary Craft (Pittsburgh), Artful Home (collaboration with Good Quilt Company); projects/awards/residencies: Form and Function Box (Alma’s Gallery), Pyramid Atlantic Denbo Fellowship, Made in Virginia Award, Artist in Residence at VCU School of Business.
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 5
JULY 16–28, 2023
Sasha Baskin
Drawing with Bobbin Lace
Beginning with the basics of the “cross” and the “twist,” we’ll explore the limitless potential of bobbin lace as a pictorial medium. Through the careful construction of these standard, off-the-loom weavings, we’ll discover line, tone, texture, and pattern and begin to design our own creations. Students will learn to read bobbin lace patterns and to make their own bobbin lace value scales, patterning, and designs. Students may choose to work intuitively to create abstract explorations of texture and pattern or they might deconstruct images into value and shade to create analog pixel images in lace! This work requires close-distance vision; please come prepared. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio.
Studio Artist; teaching: Maryland Institute College of Art, Johns Hopkins University (MD), Stevenson University (MD), Campbell Folk School (NC); residencies: Arrowmont (TN), Jacquard Center (NC), Penland Winter Residency; lectures: George Mason University (VA), College Art Association (NY); exhibitions: Blue Spiral I (NC), Loyola University (MD), San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles (CA), Visual Arts Center (TX).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 6
JULY 30–AUGUST 11, 2023
Paolo Arao
Behind the Seams
This workshop will explore possibilities for sharing personal stories through cloth. We’ll incorporate methods of ideation—including drawing and collage—into planning for finished pieces. Working with their own textiles, fabric scraps, or second-hand clothing, students will use color, pattern, and texture to convey meaning in constructed textiles (made with or without a sewing machine). Projects may take the form of fabric collages, flags, banners, or small quilts. In addition to demonstrations and discussions, we’ll have ample time for experimentation and to work on both individual and collaborative processes. Sewing machine skills will be helpful, but this workshop is open to all levels. Third-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist; teaching: Oxbow (MI), NYC Crit Club, Fashion Institute of Technology (NYC), Fordham University (NYC); recent solo exhibitions: The Columbus Museum (GA), Morgan Lehman Gallery (NYC); residencies: Haystack (ME), Vermont Studio Center, Art Omi (NY), Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (IA), Skowhegan (ME).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 6
JULY 30–AUGUST 11, 2023
Marianne Fairbanks and Sofia Hagstrom Møller
Color and Blocks
Students in this workshop will learn (or review) the fundamentals of weaving, including project planning, measuring, winding warps, dressing looms, calculating sett, and drafting on paper and the computer. We’ll explore yarn dyeing in gradients on cellulose fibers with reactive dyes. Hand-dyed colors in the yarn will lay the foundation for the block structures we’ll design and the nuances of color interaction in warp and weft. Each student will draft—on paper and digitally—specific combinations of block weaves in which groups of warp and weft threads produce two different-looking interlacements. Starting with these fundamentals, we’ll explore weaving as a medium capable of expressing ideas through pattern, color, structure, and material. Each person will be encouraged to use this material to address their individual aesthetic interests. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio.
Marianne: associate professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison; residency: Danish Artists Workshop; exhibitions: Officinet (Copenhagen), Copenhagen Contemporary, RAM Gallery (Oslo), Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft (Sweden), Museum of Arts and Design (NYC).
mariannefairbanks.com | @mariannefairbanks
Sofia: studio artist; teaching: Funen Art Academy (Denmark), Skals håndarbejdsseminarium (Denmark), Rødding højskole (Denmark), Greve Weavingshool (Denmark), Kea (Copenhagen); exhibitions: Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery (WI), Officinet (Copenhagen).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 7
AUGUST 13–18, 2023
Nneka Jones
Storytelling Through Eyes
In this embroidery workshop, we’ll explore the art of evoking emotions through the use of color, particularly focusing on the image of the human eye. Taking a nontraditional approach to embroidery, students will learn new methods for creating a realistic eye using a simple color palette and basic stitches. A step-by-step guide will simplify the embroidery process using a painterly approach. Students will learn how to analyze a photo, color block, and blend color to bring their story and emotions to life. All levels. Third-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist; work commissioned for Time Magazine cover (September, 2020), guest speaker at 2020 Adobe MAX conference; collections: City of Tampa (FL), Tampa Museum of Art (FL), Florida Craft Art Gallery (FL), Ferman Center for the Arts (FL).
TEXTILES SUMMER SESSION 7
AUGUST 13–18, 2023
Tali Weinberg
Material Matters
This beginning workshop will take a playful, improvisational approach to weaving. Students will learn to wind a multi-colored warp, dress a floor loom, and be introduced to the fundamental skills and tools of the medium. Through hands-on experimentation, we’ll explore how color, material, structure, and density interact to allow for infinite design possibilities, even when limited to relatively simple patterning. Demonstrations will cover balanced, weft-faced, and warp-faced weaves while introducing relevant color theory, fiber properties, and the incorporation of alternative materials. Students will go home with a series of small pieces or samples packed with information for future projects. Beginning level. Second-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist; teaching: California College of the Arts, Textile Arts Center (NYC), Penland; Illinois Artist Fellowship, Serenbe Fellowship, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Museum of Arts and Design Residency (NYC); exhibitions: Dreamsong (MN), Praxis (OH), Center for Craft (NC), 108 Contemporary (OK); collections: Berkeley Art Museum (CA), Georgia Museum of Art; publications: New York Times, onEarth Magazine, Surface Design Journal, Fiber Art Now, Ecotone.
TEXTILES FALL SHORT SESSION
SEPTEMBER 24 – 29, 2023 (four studio days)
Stephanie Santana
Printmaking on Textiles
In this workshop, we’ll transform fabric through relief printing, monoprinting, and screenprinting. With a focus on self-directed experimentation and play, students will develop their own motifs and textures by carving rubber blocks, manipulating paint on gelatin plates, and creating stenciled artwork for screenprinting. Students will leave with a small portfolio of textile studies for reference or to incorporate into other projects. All levels: beginners encouraged. Third-floor textiles studio.
Studio artist; founding member of Black Women of Print; teaching: Fabric Workshop and Museum (Philadelphia); recent exhibition: “A Contemporary Black Matriarchal Lineage in Printmaking” at Highpoint Center for Printmaking (Minneapolis); collections: Metropolitan Museum (NYC), Getty Research Institute (Los Angeles), Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Smith College Museum of Art (MA).
stephaniesantana.com | @stephanie___santana
We are currently accepting scholarship applications for this workshop.
Regular enrollment will begin on May 1.
TEXTILES FALL CONCENTRATION
October 1 – November 10, 2023 (six weeks)
Eleanor Anderson
Stitch, Bead, Print
This workshop will touch on a wide range of fiber techniques, including sewing, embroidery, appliqué, piecework, beading, dyeing, and printing on fabric. We’ll also cover some structural techniques such as braided rugs and coil baskets. During the first half of the workshop, students will experiment with these techniques and create samples. This will be followed by projects that may draw on everything covered up to that point. Our practice will also be enriched by local field trips. This workshop will cater to beginning and experienced artists; everyone is encouraged to bring an open mind and a playful spirit of curiosity. All levels.
Studio artist; workshop teaching: Penland, Pocosin Arts (NC); visiting professor: Colorado College, Cleveland Institute of Art, College for Creative Studies (Detroit); residencies: Penland Core Fellowship, Textile Arts Center (NYC), Women’s Studio Workshop (NY), The Tides Institute (ME), Haystack (ME), Praxis Fiber Workshop (Cleveland); Surface Design Association Outstanding Student Award; featured in American Craft.
eleanoranderson.com | @eleanor_anderson_studio
We are currently accepting scholarship applications for this workshop.
Regular enrollment will begin on May 1.
PHOTO FALL WEEKEND SESSION
October 20–22, 2023
Betsy DeWitt
Chemistry and Cloth
This workshop will meld the worlds of photography and textiles by using the cyanotype process to make prints on cloth. We’ll generate images using photograms (a cameraless process) and digital negatives, mix cyanotype chemistry, coat the fabric, then expose and develop our images. Once we have our blue beauties on fabric, we’ll cover simple sewing, embroidery, and fabric manipulation techniques to alter and embellish them. This workshop will give students a photo process and textile techniques they can practice in their own homes. All levels. Photography studio.
Former photo/drawing and painting studio coordinator at Penland; exhibitions: Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (NC), Asheville Area Arts Council (NC), Vermont Center for Photography, Soho Photo Gallery (NYC), Rebus Works (NC), Leeds Gallery at Earlham College (IN), St. Andrews Art Gallery (TN).
Enrollment for this workshop will begin on May 1.
