What is the nature of the attention experienced through craft? To consider this question, this course takes as its starting thread the practice of sewing and weaving. These practices are often associated with the creation of utilitarian objects, but in this course, we will explore an alternative understanding for craft: its potential as a sanctuary for attention.
We will build a shared definition of craft epistemology as we learn (or continue to practice) stitching and weaving skills. We’ll develop textile techniques not in order to complete a polished finished product, but in order to experience the vitality of the process, consider the labor congealed within the objects around us, and cultivate a flexible form of attention to occupy the lulls where it is most vulnerable to exploitation.
This course welcomes everyone — from those who are completely new to craft to those with a wealth of experience — to participate in a non-hierarchical knowledge exchange. By inhabiting the attentional sanctuary that is the stitching circle, where we will hold a seminar conversation as we work, we will weave our attentions across the interstitial spaces between communication, thought, and action.
Led by Kathleen Quaintance, textile teacher and PhD candidate in history of art at Yale University.