Fashion, Function, Form, and Material Identities
August 4 - 9, 2024
Felicia Francine Dean · website
Workshop Overview
The workshop introduces students to the possibilities of three-dimensional shaping and fabric formations by applying hand and machine sewing techniques as a form-generation method. This workshop covers basic sewing techniques, sewing for three-dimensional fabric surface design, and sewing approaches to derive sculptural fabric forms. Students complete abstract surface design investigations using patterning and sewing to discover the possibilities and potential of the fabric’s material identity beyond a two-dimensional plane surface. This exploration reveals strategies for form creation. Students will leave with various sample explorations and completed vessel and volumetric pillow studies. Open to all skill levels.
Techniques
- Basic hand and machine sewing
- Blind stitching
- Patterning
- Three-dimensional fabric surface design
Materials
- Cotton fabric
- Felt fabric
- Sewing thread
- Embroidery thread
- Fabric stiffener
- Fiber fill
Outcomes
- Knowledge of designing and making three-dimensional fabric surface reliefs
- Understanding of applying three-dimensional fabric sewing techniques for the creation of abstract forms
- Creation of sculptural vessel and volumetric pillow forms
COURSE FEE: $690
Fees exclude housing and meal plans. Review housing options here.
Artist Bio
Felicia Francine Dean is an experimenter and educator in Knoxville, TN, whose work merges design and art. She is an Assistant Professor in the College of Architecture & Design’s School of Interior Architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dean earned her MFA degree in Interior Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She received a BA in Studio Art from Florida State University. Dean’s current project, “Perceptions of Misconceptions: Intersecting Stone and Fabric Material Identities”, is supported by a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. Work from this series was exhibited in “Rock Opera”, at the Fucina d’ Arte Gallery in Pietrasanta, Italy. Recent accolades include a residency and exhibition of work at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and work showcased in the 2023 “Public Interiority Symposium”. One of her pieces is part of the permanent collection of the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia, PA, and several are within prominent private art collections.
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