This fast-moving fun class explores a spontaneous approach to a traditional quilting favorite with an emphasis on contemporary design. Participants will learn a new way to piece quilt blocks together and ways to create unique arrangements of blocks. Using rotary cutting and machine piecing they will create pillow tops or start a quilt top. A great way to use up scraps from other projects. Pieces will not be quilted during the class, but quilting options will be discussed.
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Fabric Printing
(Requires washable table tops and access to hot water and a sink.)
This hands on, fast paced workshop offers a free approach to fabric design using stencils, found objects and simple tools. This is a workshop for those who enjoy experimentation and working with fabric, or those who feel they would benefit from a new mode of design. Using textile pigments, participants will learn several low-tech and improvisational approaches to fabric printing. Participants will move through a series of exercises to immerse themselves in the printing techniques and then move to a print tote bag or tea towel.
Japanese Tie-Dye
(For facilities with hot water/dye capacity, sink access, and washable tabletops.)
This workshop teaches the fundamentals of fabric pattern dyeing using an updated version of the ancient Japanese tradition of Shibori (tie-dye). We will be using fiber reactive dyes in an immersion process. Participants will produce several samples and a silk scarf. This high-energy workshop yields great immediate results. Completed fabrics are suitable for quilting, home decorating, and use in one-of-a-kind wearables.
“Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me: Slow Looking at Art”
Ever find yourself spending more time reading the label about a work of art than looking at the artwork itself? This happens to all of us, especially when we are curious about the artist, the artwork, and its meaning. But there are benefits to slowing down our eyes and our minds to fully take in what is in front of us and to having an experience with an artwork that is unique to the viewer and the piece, unique to you. This program focuses on a small number of artworks and provides looking exercises to give us time to pause, rest our eyes and thoughts, and consider a work of art in a visual and contemplative manner.
“Choice, Chance, and Ants: This is Art?”
This lecture focuses on themes and movements in modern and contemporary art such as Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Fluxus, and performance art, specifically examining the role of choice and chance as a means for creating artwork. We will discuss how and why artists use selection versus arbitrariness in their artistic creations and consider the benefits and drawbacks of such approaches to art making.
Say What? The Use of Text in Modern and Contemporary Art
This talk introduces artists, artworks and relevant themes and movements in modern and contemporary art that incorporate text. We will begin by reviewing the historical relationship between art and text, including Egyptian hieroglyphics, medieval manuscripts, and Asian calligraphy. Then we’ll focus on twentieth- and twenty-first-century artists who engage in wordplay, popular culture, as well as societal and biographical references.
How Does an Exhibition Happen?
Walking into a beautiful exhibition of fine art can present the illusion that it was effortlessly curated and produced out of thin air. Yet countless hours of planning, negotiations, shipping, writing, promotion, and more, take place before a single artwork is hung on the wall and lit properly – all of which require expert skill and equipment. The work continues after the installation, with events, tours, ticketing, etc., and finally, returning all the artworks to their original “homes.” This talk presents the who, what, when, and how of exhibition development and production in small scale galleries and large museums. An optional field trip to the VMFA to consider various exhibitions and installations of the permanent collection is possible upon request.
Art of the Commonwealth: Paintings of, by, and for Virginians
From its founding to today, Virginia has played host and backdrop to emerging and established artists who successfully define the creativity, innovation, and beauty of the state. This presentation jumps through eras and mediums to provide an overview of Virginia’s contributions to the art world, shedding light on the talented visual artists and their works all connected to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
At First Blush: The Use of Pink in Art
The color pink – in all its many hues – is often included in an artists’ palette. This visual presentation highlights the use of pink and its effectiveness to punctuate, enhance, and emphasize within a multitude of mediums.
Dwellings: The Interiors of Pierre Bonnard
Nabi artist Pierre Bonnard, revered for his brushwork and style, created an extensive portfolio of interior scenes infused with color and light. Move through these painted places and spaces, from a table set for dinner to an open window overlooking the landscape, and a studio prepped for creativity to an intimate domestic dwelling.