Soft Lab Workshops begin July 2

Artist Olivia Clanton’s summer residency program with Art in the Loop, Soft Lab, is a place to explore improvisational making and collaborative creating through quilting and weaving workshops. Through multiple workshops, Clanton hopes to encourage people to use methods of ‘slow-craft’ by breaking down people’s inhibitions about making art and showing the value of objects made by individuals.

Clanton is holding four workshops in July, all workshops will be held in the Commerce Bank Building, 1000 Walnut, down the hall from The Box Gallery.

Monday, July 2, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Show & Tell Discovery: Special Threads

In this first workshop, participants are encouraged to bring old quilts, embroidered jackets, mysterious weavings, etc. and together the significance, personal histories, and family connections of these objects will be shared.

Monday, July 9, 11:00 am – 1:00  pm, The Impossible Loom: How to build it

For Olivia’s second workshop, Soft Lab will transform into a builder’s universe, all participants will have the ability to construct a useful loom out of found and re-purposed materials.  From 11am-12pm the workshop will focus on the technical details of construction. Please bring any materials to contribute, solid and linear materials are best. If you have nothing to bring, do not let that stop you from participating in the workshop, as some materials will be provided and your neighbor can share.

For the second hour of the workshop, the group will work together to design and build a workable loom from the found materials. This will be installed in the window at Soft Lab and accessible during open hours for others to learn from. Come to one session, or come to both!

Monday, July 23, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Piecing: A Part of the Whole

For the third Soft Lab installment, Olivia will guide participants to create their own quilt block in a group setting. Each block will become part of a larger quilt top. Participants are not limited to one block and may determine the size, color, and texture of their block.

Monday, July 30, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Piecing: A Part of the Whole, continued

The fourth and final installment of artist-in-residence Olivia Clanton’s Soft Lab is a continuation of the third workshop in which participants created their own unique quilt block. This final session will focus on creating more blocks and incorporating them into the larger quilt as a whole. It is not necessary to attend the third session to attend this session.

You can find more information about Olivia, Soft Lab, and Art in the Loop by clicking here or visiting the Art in the Loop Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/artintheloop/events/