COMMUNITY WEAVING PROJECT #1
The Community Weaving Project began in 2012 as a way to have a collaborative, non-monetary interaction with attendees of local vending markets in Greensboro. Using found wood slats & fabric scraps leftover from my fabric-cutting job at the time, the Community Weaving Project also helped fulfill my personal mission of reducing waste & using the materials I already have on hand to create works of art. It was important to me that the project be accessible to people of all socio-economic statuses by having no cost to participate, and using a technique like weaving which allows for multiple variations available to people of all ages and abilities. |
Weaving as an act of combining small pieces of fabric to create a whole work of art can be seen as a metaphor for individuals contributing to society to reach a common goal. The material becomes a conversation documented by patterns of color and texture. In person, proximity around the loom conversation to flow more easily while the hands are busy working. |
The Community Weaving Project is not just about creating the finished work of art, but about creating genuine community connections through a shared creative experience. The weavings are finished by attaching a vintage wooden window acting as a shadow box directly to the wooden frame of the loom. The window again demonstrates creative reuse, and visually breaks up the weaving into smaller compositions of interest. When we look through a window, we sense looking out of one space into another. What types of spaces can we envision in our community by looking at the intersections created in a collaborative work of art? |
Community Weaving Project #1 was completed by participants at Tate Street Festival and The City Market 2012.
COMMUNITY WEAVING PROJECT #2
Community Weaving Project #2 was completed by participants at the Blandwood Mansion's 2013 Ice Cream Social, and The City Market 2013.
COMMUNITY WEAVING PROJECTS #3 and #4
As a component of my six-week artist's residency in the Greensboro Cultural Center, I revived the Community Weaving Project eight years after the last loom was completed. Community Weaving Projects #3 and #4 were created by visitors to the Greensboro Residency for Original Works (GROW) space and Scrap Fest 2021.