3-Hour Workshop

Date: Saturday, April 30, 2022

Time: 10am-1pm

Description: Interested in weaving? Not sure which type of loom you might use, where to begin? Does a loom look too complicated? (Promise, it’s not!!!)

This workshop will provide an introduction to the basic components of a woven cloth and will delve into the function – and the various parts – of a loom, the primary tool required for weaving. Several different types of looms – frame looms, 4-harness looms, rigid heddle looms, a stack of cards, and more – will be available for participants to experience through hands-on demonstrations, aimed at offering insights into some of the possibilities each loom offers. We will consider why, when, and for what purpose we might choose one loom instead of another, or ways we might modify the loom we have in order to weave the cloth we imagine. As a group, we will work with small frame looms, making simple and accessible adjustments to the tool, to put into practice some of what we learn. Weavers will be able to take their frame looms with them, to continue explorations at home.

This class is ideal for beginners, through experiences weavers are welcome to join in!

Tuition: $55 + $25 materials fee

Materials: All materials will be provided. Students will go home with a frame loom and all of the tools necessary to continue weaving.

Location: Contemporary Craft (5645 Butler St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201)

COVID-19: In accordance with current CDC guidance – we are recommending all visitors wear a mask. Please note that the recommendation applies to teaching artists, resident artists, students and guests attending events taking place at CC.

Cancellations and Refunds: Workshop cancellations are decided three business days before the start date. If workshops must be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the entire class fee will be refunded through Eventbrite, or you may leave your workshop fee in your Contemporary Craft account for future workshops.

Refund Policy: Student refund requests must be made at least three business days before a class begins. There will be a $25 cancellation fee. No refunds will be given without three-business days notice. Processing of refunds takes approximately three weeks.

If you require accessibility accommodations, please let us know by calling 412.261.7003 and we are happy to assist you.

About the Artist

Jamie Boyle is an artist and weaving teacher who recently moved back to Pittsburgh after living for more than a decade in a studio apartment in Brooklyn, NY with a partner and two cats. She attended public school from grade school through graduate school. Her first weaving teacher was the artist Ann Hamilton, in whose studio Jamie worked for several years after completing her MFA in sculpture. Subsequently, Owyn Marisol Ruck, Kira Silver, Isa Rodrigues, Kelly Valetta, and Jose Picayo taught Jamie who to use a multi-harness floor loom as a tool for weaving. She has had the great honor of sharing her love of weaving with communities of learners at the Park slope Center for Successful Aging, the National Council of Jewish Women NY Lifetime Learning Center, the Museum of Arts and Design, and the Textile Arts Center, among others. Jamie has participated in artist residencies at the Textile Arts Center (Brooklyn, NY); the Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY); and through the SU-CASA program administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council. Currently, she is an artist-in-residence in the fibers studio at Contemporary Craft.