As part of the Fiberart International educational outreach, 90 students in grades 8-11 from Pittsburgh Obama school, an International Baccalaureate World School, participated in a residency with fiber artist LaVerne Kemp as the International community infusion project.
The residency merged the students’ study of Japanese language, craft forms and traditions with contemporary fiber art. Katsuko Shellhammer, from the Japan Society of Pennsylvania gave a lecture about Boro fabrics, dying and sashiko stitching and how it relates to Japan’s history and the current trends in the fashion industry especially with denim jeans.
During the 20 day residency, students learned various Japanese textile techniques such as Shibori fabric preparation, Indigo dying and Sashiko stitching.
Students turned their fabrics into a pillow project.
Thank you Laverne for an amazing residency!
We are very grateful to our funders: The Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, the PA Council for the Arts, and Pittsburgh Center of Arts and Media – Artists in Schools and Communities Program the immersive program linked traditional textile techniques to contemporary expression.
