2023 Fall Highlights: Craft in Schools Field Trips

What a whirlwind fall we had at Craft in Schools! We couldn’t have run nearly a dozen fieldtrips and class visits without our main textile/multimedia artist, California Fibers organizers, & fellow educator Cameron Taylor Brown. Brown is a long time educator, Textile Arts Los Angeles board member, and founder of the textile resource center ArtsGarage. We were also joined by Ashley Blalock from our Fall group exhibition, as we connected with Palms Middle School’s student-run Crochet Club. The backdrop for this season of dynamic programming included beautiful tapestries, textile, and multimedia installations from artists of the renown California Fibers Collective as featured in our Influences/Influencers: California Fibers exhibition.

portrait of Cameron Taylor-Brown
Cameron Taylor-Brown
Craft in America, Cameron Taylor-Brown, Reflections/North Lake #2, Eastern Sierra, CA
Cameron Taylor-Brown, Reflections/North Lake #2, Eastern Sierra, CA, 2023 Photo: Madison Metro

From September to December, Cameron Taylor Brown and I (Sam) engaged, and taught over 200 students across five schools the art of creating one’s own loom, collage-weaving, and embroidery. Many of our lessons explored the global-tradition of weaving textiles, how garments, sustainable practices, and how multimedia art typically relegated to the realm of femininity have shaped many industries and social change movements the world over. Students shared their questions, insights, and related craft art to their own meaning making and cultural sense of belonging through our gallery visits, partner activities, and hands-on projects.

four middle schoolers in matching pants and grey hoodies chat about fiber art hung up in the craft center
Joseph Le Conte middleschoolers chat about Cameron Taylor-Brown’s tapestries
over 6 cardboard looms with colorful paper collage and yarn weavings on a table
Van Nuys student begin their multimedia collage-weavings
colorful cardboard looms with metallic paper collage and black and pink woven layers
Close-up example of student learning artist Cameron Taylor-Brown’s weaving with paper collage technique
a few high school students are deep in thought, chatting with each other as they sit and weave their collage and yarn designs together
Fairfax high schoolers design and weave their multimedia tapestries
classroom photo of Cameron Taylor Brown showing 4th grade students her woven tapestries
Rosewood 4th graders learn about Cameron Taylor-Brown’s weaving journey and her tapestries
Craft table with various colorful yarn weavings, cardboard looms and a few students' arms in the frame
Fairfax weaving-collage students designing their collage tapestries

It was wonderful encouraging and witnessing students’ design and methodical weaving skills grow in each session. Many of the middle schoolers even learned first-hand how to “warp” a piece of cardboard firmly enough to create a d.i.y. loom, proving once again that creating art doesn’t have to feel inaccessible or wasteful. Special thanks to the following schools, teachers, and chaperone collaborators at: Rosewood Elementary, Joseph Le Conte Middle School, Palms Middle School, Fairfax High School, and Van Nuys High School.

For more information about our Craft in Schools program or teaching artist opportunities, please contact (me) Sam@craftinamerica.org or center@craftinamerica.org

8 colorful cardboard looms with various paper collage and colorful yarn weavings
Multimedia collage-weavings from the ever-creative Fairfax Highschoolers