Materials Lab Workshop: Weaving with Texture, with Emily Auchincloss [AT CAPACITY]

This event is at capacity.

This event requires registration; see further details below.

Weaving involves a delightful, sensual tactility, which is especially abundant in pile weaving. Pile fabrics have tufts or loops of fibers that stand up from the base of the fabric—think chenille, velvet, terry cloth, or pile carpets.

In this workshop, we will start with a tour of Imagine Me and You: Dutch and Flemish Encounters with the Islamic World, 1450–1750, led by Talitha Maria G. Schepers, the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Curatorial Fellow, to study the Turkish pile carpets and rich velvet and silk textiles of the Ottoman Empire. We will then proceed to the Materials Lab to practice the mindful art of weaving, led by fiber artist and educator Emily Auchincloss. We will learn about the fibers and dyestuffs used to make Turkish carpets and textiles and the basic techniques of plain weave, simple pile knotting, and finishing. Everyone will create their own small woven wall hanging out of hand-dyed silk, wool, and mohair fiber. Beginners are warmly welcome.

All materials and tools are included in the workshop fee. You will be supplied with a small loom and weaving tools kit to take home.

The hands-on workshop will take place in the Materials Lab on the Lower Level. Note this is a daylong workshop, with a one-hour break from 1 to 2pm.

$15 workshop fee. Registration is required and space is limited; registration will open on this form, beginning on Wednesday, July 3, at 10am. Workshop fee must be paid to confirm registration. Minimum age of 14; no previous experience required.

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The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance.