Textiles – Spring Concentration
March 2 – April 25, 2025 (8 Weeks)

Zak Foster
Narrative Quilt-Making

This workshop will focus on the storytelling qualities of quilts. Using a series of narrative prompts designed to draw out personal stories, beginning to advanced students will be guided through the process of making experimental quilts. Instruction will be geared toward hand-sewing techniques such as stitches, appliqué, embroidery, quilting, and finishing (sewing machines will also be available). Other topics will include color relationships, elements of composition, and visual storytelling concepts. We will work with repurposed cloth; thrift shop trips are on the itinerary. A willingness to mess up will be a definite plus. All levels. Upper textiles studio.

Note: This workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible with a stair lift. 

Studio artist who draws on southern textile traditions using repurposed fabrics with an approach to design that is intuitive and improvisational; teaching: Tatter Blue Library (NYC), Sawtooth Center (NC), Madeline Island School of the Arts (WI); work featured in New York Times, Vogue, People, Paper, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, High Snobiety, and other publications. 

zakfoster.com | @zakfoster.quilts

Note: Here is a set of videos Zak made demonstrating seven basic hand-sewing techniques. Check them out if you have time. If you need a review during the workshop, Zak will be happy to go over them again.

Regular enrollment begins November 15.

Textiles – Spring Short Session
April 27 – May 2, 2025 (4 studio days)

Nick DeFord
Text(tiles): The Stitched Word

The words text and textile share the same origin in the Latin “textere” meaning “to weave.” In this workshop students will weave together textile techniques and text to create meaningful embroideries that celebrate the stitch and the written word. The workshop will cover basic and complex embroidery stitches that will be used for design, appliqué, collage, and embellishment on both fabric and paper. Exercises and projects will encourage students to consider meaning as they incorporate idioms, poetics, fiction, and the visual word. Students of all skill levels welcome, including writers who are interested in exploring visual art. Upper textiles studio.

Note: This workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift. 

Artist, educator, administrator; teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Penland, University of Tennessee; exhibitions: Knoxville Museum of Art (TN), Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Vanderbilt University (TN), Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (MD); Rauschenberg Residency (FL); juror: American Tapestry Biennial 13, Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort.

nickdeford.com | @nick_deford

Regular enrollment begins November 15.

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 1
MAY 25-30, 2025 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Lars Shimabukuro
Seeing Double 

This workshop will introduce students to doubleweave, which is weaving two layers of cloth on the loom at the same time. Students will begin by designing and winding the warp. We will then cover dressing the loom, threading, and treadle tie-ups. We will weave samples to see the different ways the doublecloth can interact: separate layers, doublewidth, tubes, blocks, and pick-up. We will discuss the sculptural possibilities of the doubleweave structure as well as its benefits in functional work. Students will leave with a foundation in all parts of the weaving process, from designing a project to finishing techniques. Our focus will be on sampling and experimentation. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Mixed and trans artist whose work expands ideas of homelands, family, and memory to include the queer landscapes that raised them; teaching: Peters Valley (NJ), Campbell Folk School (NC), Arrowmont (TN); residencies: Haystack Open Studio (ME), Arrowmont Pentaculum (TN), Morgan Papermaking Conservatory (Cleveland), Tomma Rum (Sweden), Penland Core Fellowship; exhibitions: Penland Gallery, The Refinery (NC), Woman Made Gallery (IL), Folk Art Center (NC), Praxis Fiber Workshop Gallery (OH), CICA Museum (Korea). 

lars-shimabukuro.com | @landlockedfishcake

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 1
MAY 25-30, 2025 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Tim Eads
Tufting Your World

Students in this workshop will use power tufting machines and wool yarn to create a rug or wall hanging. The workshop will cover the basics of tufting along with advanced techniques, including ways to hang or display your work and other methods to get the work off the floor. We will also have time for carving and finishing to give your projects that extra touch. And we will learn about the rich history of rug making and give credit to the women who laid the groundwork for this craft. Bring an open mind and a willingness to learn. All levels. Flex studio. 

Artist, designer, entrepreneur; co-founder and CEO of Tuft the World; teaching: Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia), Moore College of Art and Design (Philadelphia), Penland; exhibitions: Delaware Art Museum, Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Woodmere Museum of Art (Philadelphia); representation: Pentimenti Gallery (Philadelphia). 

thisistimeads.com | tufttheworld.com | ttweditions.com | @tuft_the_world

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 2
JUNE 1-13, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Rena Wood
Exploring Abstract Embroidery

This is a workshop for those who have never stitched and for experienced stitchers who want to find new inspiration. Students will learn about various styles of hand stitching and the tools and techniques used to create intuitive embroidered work. As students develop a collection of stitched samples, we will experiment with a variety of materials and discuss design elements, color gradations, and mark-making through stitching. The workshop will include demonstrations, personalized guidance, and plenty of time to explore new ideas and develop your own visual language with a needle and thread. Bring an open mind and an interest in the slow process of hand stitching. All levels. Third-floor textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Associate professor at Tennessee Tech University/Appalachian Center for Craft (TN); previously visiting professor at Bloomsburg University (PA) and Skidmore College (NY); residencies: Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (TX), Arrowmont (TN), Craft Alliance (MO); Tennessee Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in Craft; recent solo exhibitions: Dairy Barn Art Center (OH), Sarratt Gallery at Vanderbilt University (TN), Leedy Voulkos Art Center (MO).

renawood.com | @woodrena

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 2
JUNE 1-13, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Peggy Hart
The Blanket

Think of the blanket as a functional rectangle that can hold any design, from traditional to unconventional. We’ll consider material, weave structure, color, and construction as we create blanket designs. The workshop is designed to encourage you to take on the large project you have been dreaming of. We will use traditional blanket construction techniques, seaming sections to achieve desired width. Beginning to advanced weavers will sample weave structures and design, weave, and finish a blanket. We will use primarily natural fibers- cotton and wool- with an opportunity to explore properties of different wools and wool yarns. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Production weaver; teaching: Penland, Harrisville Designs (NH); publication: Wool: Unraveling an American Story of Artists and Innovation (Schiffer).

blanketweave.com | @blanketweave

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 3
JUNE 15-27, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Danielle Bush and Sophena Kwon
Print and Paint with Natural Dyes

The ability to deliver rich, saturated natural dyes through the use of brushes, blocks, stencils, and silkscreens is a powerful skill that opens a world of possibilities. This workshop will lead students through the direct application of thickened dyes, thickened indigo, thickened mordants, and resists along with the dramatic ferrous/tannin combinations that get blacks to anchor all the other colors. Using all the classic natural dyes and tannins, we will extract dyes from raw materials, and students will learn to work with mordants and dyes separately and together. We will teach color mixing, developing palettes, and how to create multiple colors on the same cloth. Many thickeners will be used to achieve the consistencies needed to realize your designs. Students will leave with many pieces of finished cloth for future reference and a solid understanding of natural dyes and their applications. All levels. Third-floor textiles studio. 

Note: this workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Danielle: Textile artist working exclusively with natural dyes; fabric designer for Maiwa (Vancouver, BC), develops natural dye workshops and teaching materials for Maiwa School of Textiles (online).

Sophena: Lead clothing designer for Maiwa (Vancouver, BC); develops natural dye workshops for Maiwa School of Textiles (online); teaching: Maiwa, Penland, Shakerag (TN), Tinkuy Textile Conference (Peru), Mood Indigo at Seattle Art Museum, La Rochelle Natural Dye Conference (France). 

As part of their work with Maiwa, Danielle and Sophena travel annually to India to work in a sewing and design studio, collaborate with artisans, develop product design, help establish good, sustainable natural dyeing techniques, color palettes, and quality.

maiwa.com | @maiwaschooloftextiles | @maiwa_naturaldyes

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 3
JUNE 15-27, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Sabrina Sachiko (Sachi) Niebler
Kami-ito and Shifu: From Paper to Cloth

Following a time-honored Japanese tradition, we will explore the multi-step process of turning paper into thread (kami-ito) and then weave it into cloth (shifu). This is a process-based workshop where much time will be spent immersed in the beautiful act of making paper thread: folding, cutting, rolling, separating, spinning, boiling, and skeining. From there we will prepare the looms and weave our paper threads into shifu. Students will come away with some finished shifu in the form of noren (a small curtain), a wall hanging, or usable piece of cloth. Those with some weaving experience may choose to make finer thread or a larger project. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio. 

Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Studio artist; teaching: Parker Street Studios (BC), Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (BC), University of Victoria (BC); exhibitions: Centre d’art de La Sarre (Quebec), Salon des métiers d’art de Montréal (Quebec), Centre National d’exposition (Quebec), Centre Matéria (Quebec), Musée des Métiers d’Art du Québec, Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (BC), Alberta University of the Arts.

sabrinasachiko.com | @sabrinasachiko

Observe Sachi’s process HERE… and also HERE.

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 4
JUNE 29-July 11, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Kristin Arzt
Natural Indigo Dyeing and Clay Resist

This workshop will explore the use of thickened clay paste resist with indigo dye to make unique patterns on fabric. We will cover all the basics of dyeing with natural indigo, including vat care, upkeep, and maintenance. Students will mix their own clay paste and explore surface design techniques, such as block printing, screen printing, painting, and more, to create beautiful resist patterns. Drawing from the clay-rich soil around Penland, we will also cover foraging and processing wild clay. Students will make samples and finished pieces as we cover the techniques needed to begin an indigo practice or expand an existing one. A general interest in the natural world and natural materials is all you need for this workshop. All levels. Third-floor textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Studio artist; teaching: Campbell Folk School (NC), Asheville Art Museum (NC), The Crucible (CA), Center for Craft (NC), Green Matters Natural Dye Company (PA), Frederick Arts Council (MD), Kala Art Institute (CA), Local Cloth (NC), Handcraft Studio School (CA); juror for the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (NC), former head of textiles at The Crucible (CA), former board member at Local Cloth (NC). 

kristinarzt.com | @kristin.arzt

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 4
JUNE 29-July 11, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Erin M. Riley
Tapestry on a Floor Loom

Weaving a tapestry is a journey of the mind and body. Every move is deliberate and considered. In this workshop we will work through color, line, gesture, and abstraction with yarn as our vehicle. Students will explore how tapestry techniques can be employed on a floor loom to realize their vision in whatever manner they decide. We will cover weft-faced techniques, drawing cartoons, hatching, shading, color blending, and how to set up a loom. Students will complete one sampler/sketch and one final piece all on one warp. Familiarity with weaving will be helpful, but this workshop is open to all levels. Second-floor textiles studio. 

Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Studio artist: teaching: Textile Art Center (NYC), Penland; residencies: McDowell (NH), Bemis Center (NE), Yaddo (NY), Museum of Arts and Design (NYC); exhibitions: Mass Art Museum, UTA Artist Space (Los Angeles), Plains Art Museum (ND), Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (CT); representation: P.P.O.W Gallery (NYC). 

erinmriley.com | @erinmriley

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 5
JULY 13-25, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Hadley Clark
Garment as Personal Archive

This is a concept-focused sewing workshop for students of all levels. Aided by technical demonstrations and ongoing conceptual discussions, students will imbue new layers of meaning, biography, color, and memory into textile-based, soft, personal goods, such as woven garments and domestic cloth. Instruction will include machine-sewing, fine garment finishings, hand-sewing techniques, and turning paper patterns into garments. Our goal will be to physicalize and record intentional acts of personal growth and renewal as wearable and experimental garments. All levels. Third-floor textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Studio artist focusing on handmade wearables and floor-based sculptural pieces drawing from her belief in the vitality of material reuse; teaching: Maine College of Art & Design, Kansas City Art Institute; residencies: Haystack (ME), Texere (Oaxaca, MX); work featured in W Magazine, Women’s Wear Daily, Nylon, and others.

hadleyclark.com | @hadleyaclark

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 5
JULY 13-25, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Sarita Westrup
Sculptural Baskets

In this experimental basketry workshop, students will learn methods for building nonfunctional forms with reed, wire, waxed linen, and anything they bring with them. We will focus on techniques such as twining, looping, and knotted netting. Thin-set mortar will be use treed, mortar, paint, cochineal inko build textural surfaces on these forms. Additional treatments like powdered graphite, spray paints, and watered-down acrylic paints will further modify the surfaces of our sculptural baskets. Come with an open and curious mind and let’s have fun. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Studio artist; teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Campbell Folk School (NC), Penland (NC); Nasher Artist Grant, Center for Craft Teaching Cohort Grant; residencies: Penland Resident Artist Program, Arts Fort Worth (TX); exhibitions: Chautauqua Institution (NY), Penland Gallery; representation: Cluley Projects (TX)

saritawestrup.art | @saritawestrup

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

DRAWING/PAINTING – SUMMER SESSION 6
JULY 27-AUGUST 8, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Christina Shmigel
Diving into Authenticity

This workshop is designed for makers in any medium who are searching to identify and deepen their authentic creative expression. Through an evolving sequence of playful, experiential explorations, deep listening, and group reflection, you’ll investigate what gives purpose, pleasure, and meaning in your work. Working outside your familiar materials and methods in ways that let you get out of your own way, you’ll be surprised by how this workshop enriches your practice. This workshop is for all skill levels, but will be most beneficial to those with an established studio practice. Drawing and painting studio.

Studio artist, educator; former associate professor of sculpture at Webster University (St. Louis); former Penland Resident Artist; exhibitions: Ukrainian Museum (NYC), Ukrainian Institute for Modern Art (Chicago), St Louis Art Museum, Laumeier Sculpture Park (St. Louis), Duolun Museum of Contemporary Art (China). 

shmigel.com | @cshmigel

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 6
JULY 27-AUGUST 8, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
Kim Eichler-Messmer
Slow Color, Slow Stitch

This workshop will explore the mark-making potential of natural dyes in combination with slow stitching. Direct application techniques, including clay resist and indigo, mordant painting, dye paints, and discharge, will allow us to create complex, multi-colored textiles. Slow stitching practices, such as appliqué, embroidery, and sashiko, will add texture and dimension to our pieces. We will explore the possibilities of repeat patterns, improvisational mark-making, and planned compositions. Throughout the workshop we will practice patience, perseverance, and thoughtfulness. Expect to finish a series of small works, with an emphasis on process, experimentation, and learning. Experience with dyeing and/or hand-sewing will be helpful but this workshop is open to all levels. Third-floor textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Associate professor at Kansas City Art Institute (MO); other teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Botanical Colors, Slow Stitching (ME), QuiltCon; exhibitions: Quilt National (OH), QuiltCon, Penland Gallery, Wayne Art Center (PA), Schweinfurth Art Center (NY); author of Modern Color: An Illustrated Guide to Dyeing Fabric for Modern Quilts. 

kimemquilts.com | @kimemquilts

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 6
JULY 27-AUGUST 8, 2025 (11 STUDIO DAYS)
María Dávila and Eduardo Portillo
Weaving Ideas

This workshop will explore how textiles can communicate ideas. Fundamental questions will show the paths to follow in order to develop your textile project. Through experimenting with diverse weaving techniques and materials on floor looms, we´ll get closer to their potentials and limitations. Individual projects may take the form of weaving samples, sketches, or objects. Our goal is to lay the groundwork for creative research that students may continue at home. This workshop will frame questions; answers will come with practice and time. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio. 

Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Collaborating studio artists; Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship; residencies: Albers Foundation (CT), Praxis Fiber Workshop (Cleveland), glass residency at Toledo Museum of Art (OH); exhibitions: Whitworth Art Gallery (UK), Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum (NYC), Textile Museum (DC), TAC Foundation (Caracas), Long House Reserve (NY), Art Institute of Chicago, Albuquerque Museum (NM), Denver Botanical Garden (CO).

@mariadavilayeduardoportillo

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

CROSS-MEDIA – SUMMER SESSION 7

AUGUST 10-15, 2025 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
IlaSahai Prouty
The Art of Experience: Facilitation Skills for Community-Based Art 

In this workshop we will explore how experience itself can be an art form and learn tools for building successful community-based art experiences. Using activity structures and concepts from the fields of experiential education and art as social practice, we’ll create art experiences for groups and individuals. Take this workshop if you work with groups and individuals making art, if you teach and want to deepen your practice, or if you plan to work with art in community settings. Strengthen your understanding of how to lead successful group art experiences and reflect on how facilitating art experiences is an art form in and of itself. We will work with a range of accessible materials and explore how they might function in community-based art. All levels. Books studio.

Professor of art at Appalachian State University, teaching courses such as “Cultivating Creativity through Visual Art and Art for Social Change”; author and facilitator for Project Adventure, Inc, a nonprofit organization focused on disseminating experiential education techniques; co-author of experiential activity books; former Penland core fellow and resident artist; board member for Crafting the Future. 

ilasahaiprouty.com | @prootproot

November 15 – December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 7

AUGUST 10-15, 2025 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Nastassja E. Swift
Soft Sculptures: an Introduction to Needle Felting

In this playful, exploratory workshop, students will use the process of needle felting to create their own soft sculpture. We will focus on building and connecting shapes, when to use the different needle gauges, layering and blending different wool colors, and creating smaller embellished details that will come together to form an intricate wool sculpture by the end of the workshop. This will cover the basics of felting, and each student will have the opportunity to push the material as far as desired. All levels. Third-floor textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Studio artist; residencies: Wassaic Project (NY), The Contemporary Arts Network (VA), MASS MoCA (MA), Vermont Studio Center (VT); fellowships: Center for Craft Artist Research Fellowship (NC), Virginia Museum of Fine Art Artist Fellowship, Virginia Commission for the Arts Fellowship; awards: Dr. Doris Derby Award (Atlanta), Art Matters Artist2Artist Award (NYC); recent exhibitions: Reginald F. Lewis Museum (MD), Boston University Art Galleries (MA), Carl Freedman Gallery (UK), Quirk Gallery (VA).

nastassjaswift.com | @nastassjaebony  

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens

TEXTILES – SUMMER SESSION 7

AUGUST 10-15, 2025 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Angela Eastman
Vessels of Place: Basketweaving with Foraged Materials

Learn to harvest, process, and weave with the fibers that grow on Penland’s campus.The mature vines of wisteria, kudzu, bittersweet, honeysuckle, and other plants can be processed into material for creating strong and beautiful baskets. We will discuss both traditional weaving techniques and more sculptural designs as we work with this plentiful material. We will use our Penland-harvested vines in combination with pre-harvested material to explore a variety of basketry techniques. Students can expect to leave with several small samples and at least one completed basket. All levels. Second-floor textiles studio. 

Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift.

Studio artist; teaching: Campbell Folk School (NC), North Bennet Street School (MA), Cranbrook Art Museum (MI), Woodcrest Farm and Forge (NC); residencies: Penland Core Fellowship, Haystack Open Studio (ME), Campbell Folk School (NC), Hambidge Center (GA), MASS MoCA (MA), Vermont Studio Center (VT), Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild (NY), Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (OR), Talking Dolls (MI), Ragdale Foundation (IL), and SIM (Iceland), Nes (Iceland). 

flagmountain.studio | @flagmountain.studio

November 15-December 16: Scholarship applications accepted
February 3: Regular enrollment opens