c3:initiative is pleased to present Community Cloth, an interactive weaving project brought to you by Kyla Mucci of Pastoral Textiles. There is disconnect between the clothes we wear, the soft surfaces we sit upon and their makers. Community Cloth gives an in-depth look into how the textiles we use are made and how this process is available using resources grown in our backyards. Mucci will be hand weaving a textile made from hand dyed Oregon wool produced during a plant dye workshop at c3:initiative. The public is invited to come and observe as well as participate in Open Weave sessions with the artist for the duration of the project.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Strongly influenced by a blue-collar work ethic and southern cotton fields surrounding her youth, Kyla Mucci is a textile designer who passionately works towards bringing the Made in America label back. In 2011, she moved from Northwest Florida to Portland to document the viability of making sustainable wool garments in the Northwest region of the US. She initiated the process from start to finish: from raising sheep, processing wool, spinning and weaving, to natural dyeing and garment design.
Kyla’s work to create a sustainable system for textile and clothing production continues through collaborations with Northwest fashion designers, her work at ProjectGrow, and teaching workshops in the Portland area. Her goal is to educate through creating material with meaning, and to initiate skepticism/investigation into the origins and conditions of where our clothing is manufactured. Mucci is a recent graduate of the MFA in Applied Craft & Design program in Portland, Oregon offered jointly with Pacific Northwest College of Art and Oregon College of Art & Craft.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Design Week Portland Open House
Drinks + Eats + Fun!
Thursday, October 10, 4:00 to 7:00 PM
Artist Talk
Friday, October 11, 7:00 PM
Open Weave Hours:
Tuesday - Friday, 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday - Sunday, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Dye Workshop
In conjunction with c3:initiative, Kyla Mucci of Pastoral Textiles is pleased to announce a natural dye workshop, Community Cloth. Bronze Fennel, Walnut, Pear, St. John’s Wort, Queen Anne’s Lace, Smoke Bush, and Rhubarb: these represent a fraction of hidden dye plants in the Portland landscape. In this 4 hour workshop, the time tested practice of natural dyeing is discussed and demonstrated in a relevant manner to our daily lives. Students will learn to extract dye from plants and trees grown within the St. Johns Community and apply them to Oregon wool yarn. We will use both plant and mineral mordants to create an outstanding palette of possibility on both yarn and fabric. The dyed yarn will be hand woven into a textile for a larger project to be included in Design Week Portland October 10th.
Saturday, September 14, 11am - 4pm
Class fee: $45
Registration Form
No previous dye/textile experience needed.