Textile arts and the crafting of sustainability
The social-ecological practice of textile arts
As a craftsmaker and textile enthusiast, I embrace the significance of craft as both a creative and cultural practice, deeply embedded in history and human experience. For me, textile work is not only an expression of personal vision but also a way to honor and preserve traditional techniques that have been passed down through generations. Craft is a process of slow making, where each stitch, weave, or dyeing technique carries intention, attention, and care, reflecting a mindful relationship with materials and the environment.
Through textile crafts, I aim to transform the everyday act of making into a powerful form of storytelling, where each stitch, pattern, and material carries personal and cultural narratives. By weaving together artistic innovation with the rich, sustainable practices that define the craft, I create works that not only reflect my artistry but also honor the stories embedded in the materials themselves. Craft, in this sense, becomes a language—a way to communicate complex histories, experiences, and values—offering a deeper connection to both the process of creation and the cultural significance of the work.
Textile crafts as a pedagogical approach to sustainability
Textile crafts have long served as a powerful medium for expressing embodied knowledge and fostering sustainability. Through techniques such as weaving, embroidery, and dyeing, I invite my students to reflect on their own cultural traditions but also engage with materials in a deeply tactile and mindful way. As a pedagogical approach to sustainability education, my students engage in textiles practices that are rooted in a connection to place, people and nature, using locally sourced, renewable materials, and promoting skills that encourage both personal creativity and ecological response-ability.
Community-based research on textiles crafts and sustainability
Cultural sustainability is a key component of broader sustainability efforts, intricately linked to ecological, economic, and social dimensions, as culture shapes every aspect of sustainable development. In this context, community-based craft research plays a crucial role in preserving cultural heritage, languages, and artistic traditions, while also fostering innovative approaches to collaboration and exchange across diverse groups. As global systems continue to evolve, movements like Fibreshed, cooperatives, and land-sharing practices are redefining how we produce and consume, offering a model for sustainable, community-oriented economic practices. These grassroots initiatives not only diversify natural fibre markets but also encourage collective political action, highlighting the importance of social-ecological meshworks in local and global fibre systems. My textile craft and art are deeply connected to this broader conversation on sustainability, where I blend traditional techniques and open-source textile technologies with a commitment to local fibre systems. Through participatory, community-driven research and creative textile practices, my social practice engages with place-based knowledge, stories, and memories, exploring how social-ecological relationships between producers, consumers and the land can challenge dominant economic models and reshape our collective approach to sustainability. By intertwining craft, art, and research, I seek to contribute to a holistic understanding of sustainability that embraces cultural preservation, environmental responsibility, and ethical consumption.
I warmly welcome undergraduate and graduate students interested in conducting textile research creation that not only enriches their own craft practice but also contributes to sustainability.
Textile Crafts
Examples of my textile crafts and art practice
Knitting, as both a process and craft, holds significance in its rhythmic, meditative nature, transforming simple materials into intricate patterns and meaningful structures, while fostering a deep connection between maker and material through every stitch.
New Year's Eve
Years ago, I spent New Year's Eve in a cabin nestled in the coastal mountains of British Columbia. In this silk embroidery on Japanese paper, I seek to capture the ethereal light of twinkling snow, both on the ground below and far, far above in the moonlit sky.
My embroidery is an example of a creative practice that merges the act of stitching with self-reflection and experiential knowledge sharing. The visual images that emerge through this practice are not just decorative; they are pathways for revisiting, understanding, and transforming past moments in a way that conveys their qualities and nuances for others to experience.
Emily's Tree
In my interpretation of Emily Carr's tree paintings, I use handspun yarn on a handwoven canvas to explore the dynamic energy and interconnectedness between light, land, and forests. Carr’s use of color evokes a sense of movement and flow, capturing the subtle yet powerful energy that connects trees to the surrounding environment. Through textile, color, and stitch, I delve into my own relationship with trees, seeking to express their luminous presence and the intricate rhythms that bind them to the land. The texture and depth of the yarn mirror the living, breathing qualities of the trees, while the act of weaving itself becomes a way to connect with the trees’ steady, yet ever-shifting, vitality.
Growing flax on campus
By growing flax on campus and involving students in the process of transforming it into linen, I provide a tangible, embodied experience that reveals the physical labor and intricate skills involved in textile production. This socially engaged art practice offers students a deeper understanding of the qualities of natural fibers and the effort required to make textiles from the ground up. I believe that this embodied knowledge cultivates empathy for the people behind the clothing we wear, fostering a more mindful awareness of the often-overlooked impacts of fast fashion.
Rag rug weaving
In my teaching, sustainability is explored through the act of weaving rag rugs using repurposed clothing, transforming old garments into meaningful, functional art. My students collected worn clothes along with the personal stories attached to them, weaving these textiles into rugs that reflect their own connections to the colors and rhythms of our campus. Through this process, students not only engage in creative recycling but also deepen their understanding of sustainability, learning how to honor the history and memories embedded in the materials they work with. Each rug becomes a tapestry of personal narrative and environmental consciousness, illustrating how we can reimagine our relationship with textiles and the places we inhabit.
Campus pigments
By having students create lake pigments from plants growing on campus, mix their own paints, and paint their hands, they engage in a profound process of connection to the land. This practice allows them to experience the colors of the campus in a deeply embodied way, fostering a sense of belonging to the place. Just as ancient cave hand paintings were a form of expressing presence and connection to the landscape, this hands-on activity encourages students to not only learn about the natural pigments of their environment but also to physically imprint themselves on it. Through this embodied knowledge, students forge a deeper, more personal bond with the campus, grounding their sense of place in both artistic expression and the tangible materials of the land itself.
A textile lab
My lab bridges the worlds of textile arts and scientific inquiry, offering a unique space where traditional craft practices coexist with the more conventional desk-based research typically found in a science department. With looms, spinning wheels, cloth, and natural fibers at our fingertips, the lab fosters a hands-on approach that encourages learning by doing and research creation. This integration of tactile, creative processes with scientific exploration allows for a richer, more interdisciplinary understanding of sustainability, material culture, and the role of craft in both knowledge production and innovation.