Spring semester is drawing to a close; the students in Sustainable Textiles presented their research this past week reviewing their individual and group projects in a clear, thoughtful, and illustrated hour-long talk. They have covered a lot of territory over the past few months – researching fiber characteristics, critiquing/rating our own studio practices and providing solutions, consulting with regional sustainable textile businesses and exploring natural dyeing.  I applaud them for their perseverance and pluck, leading the way as the Textiles program sets its sights on sustainability at the core of its curriculum.

For three of the Sustainable Textiles students, today is graduation.  They have each translated sustainable principles into their studio work and portfolios and we wish them well in their future pursuits! The photo above shows the details of one student’s (Zhaoyong) thesis: four beautifully constructed garments highlighting the possibilities of the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag. From right to left: plastic bags layered and stitched to make faux chenille, handwoven with other trim scraps, and made into floral embellishments! Bravo and many thanks to you all.