Weaving Water Workshops Archive
Go to Weaving Water for general information about the project.
2021-2022
Weaving Water Workshop #1: HAPAZOME & SHIBORI
With Artist Sarah Nassif // October 16, 2021 // MWMO in person
THEMES
How we are connected to water and how textiles are connected to water.
PROJECTS
Fun in the sun with hapazome (indigo leaf pounding) and indigo dye.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #2: Magic of Natural Dyes & Wet Felting
With Guest Artist Ceci Lewis // November 13, 2021 // MWMO in person
THEMES
How fiber become fabric using water - -the felting process.
Indigo and natural dyes and the beauty of color and pattern.
PROJECTS
Felting wool “water droplets”
Shibori and indigo dyeing
SAORI weaving al fresco!
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #3: Stitch & Flow: Dreamweaving Stories from the Mississippi River Black Experience
With Guest Artist Amoke Kubat // January 22, 2022 // Via Zoom (Recording Here)
THEMES
First person stories of the Mississippi River Black Experience.
Hand-sewing a dream pillow dyed with indigo and filled with relaxing herbs and flax seeds.
PROJECTS
Storysharing while stitching. We made dream pillows filled with relaxing herbs and flax seeds and listened to first person stories and poetry about the Mississippi River Black Experience.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #4: Storymaking with Auntie Beverly
With Guest Artist Beverly Cottman // February 26, 2022 // Recording Here
THEMES
How Stories Are Made & Shared. Traditional cultural tales about water were shared, and we considered our personal experiences with water as a jumping off point for storytelling.
Simple bookbinding.
PROJECTS
How do you share your voice in a story? Auntie Beverly inspired us to pick up the blank page and go for it. We stitched our own blank books to capture stories in.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #5: Make & Take 1-2-3 Indigo Vat
With Guest Artist Judy Saye-Willis // March 26, 2022
THEMES
Indigo farming and building the organic 1-2-3 indigo vat
The special chemistry of indigo that is unique from other dyes. How water holds oxygen.
PROJECTS
We built and used a 1-2-3 indigo vat
Stitched shibori
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #6: Wax-Resist Techniques & Indigo Dyeing
With Guest Artist Emily Donovan // April 23, 2022 // In person
THEMES
Layering color and shade using wax resist and batik techniques.
Thinking about accumulations and layers of experience.
PROJECTS
With beeswax from the Minnesota Bee Lab as well as soy wax, we made designs on cloth before dipping them into the deep blue indigo vat.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #7: Opening of Personal Watersheds Show
With Artist Sarah Nassif // June 16, 2022 // In person
THEMES
Celebration of the community work created over the year and the connections that were born.The Weaving Water Workshop is an ongoing installation open to the public. Visitors can participate in weaving, spinning, stitching and viewing the Personal Watersheds exhibit of weavings and a video installation.
PROJECTS
Felting the Vagus Nerve! Community members participated in hand felting to create a vagus nerve wall hanging.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #8: MWMO Green Team
With Artist Sarah Nassif // July 26, 2022 // In person
THEMES
How handwork traditions like weaving, sewing and dyeing with indigo are related to human creativity, community connections and caring for the environment. Youth engagement.
PROJECTS
Organic indigo dyeing of fabric strips, weaving, stitching on the big blue quilt.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #9: MWMO Staff
With Artist Sarah Nassif // August 16, 2022 // MWMO In person
THEMES
How creatively thinking about your work helps inspire innovation and new connections. Lunch and learn session.
PROJECTS
Organic indigo dyeing of fabric strips using simple shibori and itajime folding and binding.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #10: Audubon Farmers Market
With Artist Sarah Nassif // September 15, 2022 // Minneapolis
THEMES
Drop by to weave on the SAORI loom and dip dye fabric in the organic indigo vat. Learn how water is an important part of our clothing!
PROJECTS
Organic indigo dyeing of fabric strips using simple shibori and itajime folding and binding.
Weaving on the SAORI loom.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #12: Minnesota Water Resources Conference
With Artist Sarah Nassif // October 18, 2022 // River Centre, St. Paul
THEMES
How community engaged art can become a bridge to new audiences. Panel talk and indigo dyeing activity for 150 water resources professionals.
PROJECTS
Organic indigo dyeing of fabric squares using simple shibori and itajime folding and binding. Temporary installation in the window showed the beautiful blue and white designs.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #13: Blue & YOU: Celebrating what we've made in fiber & indigo and making the waterside treasure pouch
With Artist Sarah Nassif // November 19, 2022 // MWMO in person
THEMES
Show and share of things made by Weaving Water Workshop participants. Reflect on personal relationships with the River while stitching and dyeing.
PROJECTS
Hand stitch small pouches for collecting special stones, shells or other items. Dip dye pouches in organic indigo vat.
2023
Weaving Water Workshop #14: Fibersheds & Watersheds
With Guest Artist Maddy Bartsch of Three Rivers Fibershed // January 28, 2023 // MWMO in person
THEMES
Where does fiber come from? And how does it become thread and yarn, and later transform into fabric and other things we use? Where does water enter the story? Maddy Bartsch, co-founder of Three Rivers Fibershed, part of an international movement, shares about her work supporting local fiber systems and sustainable textiles.
PROJECTS
Learn to hand spin wool into yarn. Dip your yarn in an organic indigo vat.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #15: YEA! Youth Environmental Activists
With Artist Sarah Nassif // March 20, 2023 // MWMO in person
THEMES
How can community based art be used to attract audiences to learn more and become invested in caring for the environment?
PROJECTS
Create blue and white patterns with organic indigo using simple shibori and itajime folding and binding on plain bandanas.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #16: Why Knot?
With Artist Sarah Nassif // March 20, 2023 // Mudluk Studio
THEMES
Community workshop to create macramé plant holders and dip dye them in organic indigo vat. Celebrate the community connections to the Mississippi River just a mile a way.
PROJECTS
Macramé plant holders.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #17: River Vat!
With Artist Sarah Nassif // May 24, 2023 // Fireweed Community Woodshop
THEMES
The woodshop is located just across the street from the Mississippi River. How does our connection to the River fuel our creativity?
PROJECTS
Play with the organic indigo vat — dip wood projects and small items brought from home.
LINKS
Weaving Water Workshop #18: Solace at the Palace
With Artist Sarah Nassif // June 11, 2023 // Longfellow Neighborhood, Minneapolis
THEMES
Learn how fiber become fabric and how indigo dye and weaving are amazing technologies developed by almost every culture around the world. We are creative and amazing humans, and we can solve challenging problems.
PROJECTS
Drop by booth at community festival for hands on fun with weaving, spinning and dyeing with indigo
LINKS