FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Jenny Jones, Director of Marketing & Community Relations

612/436.0464 or jjones@textilecentermn.org

www.textilecentermn.org

Textile Center Announces the Five Schools Designated for

Feed the Fibers Field Trips

Generously Funded by a Grant from The Woman's Club of Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS, MN --Textile Center is pleased to announce the five schools / youth groups selected for the Feed the Fibers field trips program, giving K-12 students a hands-on, interactive fiber arts experience at Textile Center. The schools awarded are Lincoln Center, PYC Art and Tech High School, Jefferson Community School, and Soaring Eagles 4H group.

Thanks to generous support from The Woman's Club of Minneapolis, each artist-lead field trip is provided free, including transportation. The program offers:

· Tour: Each trip explores Textile Center, including the galleries, Weavers Studios and Dye Lab, led by a teaching artist

· Gallery Activity: Students interact with the art in the Joan Mondale Gallery, via critical response discussion or a scavenger hunt.

· Artmaking: students create a work of art to take home, inspired by a technique they have studied in the gallery. Specific projects and activities are selected and adapted to match the age, ability and interests of the students.

The goal of Textile Center's program is to provide high-quality fiber art experiences to youth groups who would not otherwise have the opportunity. Groups from public and charter schools, afterschool programs, social service programs, and homeschool settings applied for the five slots, which will be lead by Textile Center teaching artist Sara Langworthy (bio below) in February 2015.

Selected Groups and Fiber Art Projects

Lincoln Center, South Saint Paul, 3rd grade

Felting: Starting out with bright colors of fluffy wool roving, the students will learn all about the wool and layering in to make a small solid piece of fabric with a picture "drawn" with more colored wool. Each student will end up with a piece of felt approximately 4"x6." They can decide to make individual pieces of art, or choose to design a combined larger piece to be assembled at school.

PYC Art and Tech High School, Minneapolis, 10th grade

Shibori dyeing and Kumihimo braiding: The group will start in the Dye Lab and learn about shibori dyeing techniques. Each student will have the chance to fold and scrunch a silk scarf and dye with vibrant dyes. While the scarves are resting, they will learn a Japanese 8-strand braiding technique called Kumihimo - making their own braiding looms and a braid to take home.

Jefferson Community School, Minneapolis, Kindergarten

Felted Geode Surprise: The students will start with bright colors of fluffy wool roving, layer them together with soapy water, and carefully roll and squeeze to make a marble-sized ball - felted so tightly that it bounces. But the real surprise will come when they cut them open! (Pictured above)

Soaring Eagles 4-H Group, Scandia, multi-age

Exploring Surface Design: Starting in the Dye Lab, the group will learn about shibori dyeing techniques. Each student will have a chance to fold and scrunch a few pieces of cotton fabric and dye them with fiber reactive dyes. While they are soaking, youth will explore fabric paint and stamping designs on fabric, and discuss possible at home projects to use the now beautiful fabric.

Jefferson Community School, Minneapolis, 3rd grade

Same project as Lincoln Center.

Sara Langworthy, Teaching Artist

With a degree in Costuming, Sara has created garments for numerous organizations including the Guthrie Theater, Children's Theatre Company, Circus Juventas and Tad Ware. Along with her elaborate costumes, she's created hundreds of mascots for different companies and sports teams. Her incredible range of textile use and knowledge has led her to teach a multitude of classes including felting, macramé, costuming, and needlework for students of all ages.

About Textile Center

Textile Center is unique as America's only national center for fiber art. Now in its 21st year, it was originally formed by a group of fiber artists and arts patrons desiring a place to come together, and celebrate the region's vibrant textile community. Fiber art encompasses a wide range of forms, both creative and crafted, including weaving, quilting, knitting, sewing, dyeing, felting, needlework, lace making, basketry, beading, soft sculpture and multi-media pieces.

Textile Center's community resources include classes for all ages and skill levels, exceptional fiber art exhibitions, artisan shop, professional-grade dye lab, natural dye garden, and the largest circulating textile library in the country. The facility serves as a hub where people come together to create, learn, share, explore, and be inspired by fiber art.