Textiles Courses
IDISC 2350-01 / TEXT 2350-01
DIGITAL MATERIALITY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The material qualities of textile design and fabrication refer to our relationship to all aspects of the physical and tangible world. While computation has long been responsible for pushing the traditional techniques of textiles to high levels of mechanical industrial expression, digital sensibility and know-how of digital technologies are now increasingly seen as means to push the frontier and very definition of fabric. Parallel advances in digital fabrication and the invention of smart materials now allow for added dimensionality and functionality in fabric, and computation is a key interface for material exploration. In this course, students will learn to modulate the performance and behavior of fabric through its geometry and other systems of continuous structural surface within a computational framework. This students will provide students with the opportunity to push the boundaries of fabric design across disciplines and studio practices.
Offered as TEXT-2350 and IDISC-2350.
Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies by project.
Please contact the department for permission to register.
Elective
IDISC 2712-01
TEXTILES: ON INTERSECTIONAL BEING & THINKING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Textiles: On Intersectional Being & Thinking is an intensive study of critical issues in textiles. This hands-on experimental & hybridized course introduces senior undergrad students and graduate students to key figures, texts and concepts, interweaving studio visits, critique and various forms of visual culture together. Bi-Weekly modules are designed to help students build hybrid art practices. The course asks students to look at the weird and untenable, odd, and often unconsidered crossovers found at the intersection of textiles, performance and everyday life. As such students will hybridize their studio & research practices while engaging a wide variety of synthetic & natural materials such as burial attire, cybernetics, installations, runways, and anything and everything interdisciplinarily textile. In this course students explore variety and diversity as a way of processing and ultimately as a way of seeing their work in plurality. The course is hybrid. The material is too. Part Studio – Part Seminar – students are asked to think and be intersectional.
Open to Senior or Graduate Students.
Elective
IDISC 3350-01 / TEXT 3350-01
OPEN(ED) STRUCTURE(S): COLLABORATION STATION
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Open(ed) Structure(s): Collaboration Station pairs textiles and sculpture students together, asking them to develop collaborative works. Three major projects make up the scaffolding of the course; included in these are Week 4, Week 8, and Week 12 critiques (all projects are meant to be completed in collaboration). These projects examine the relationships between each students’ respective mediums and the interwoven possibilities of using both together. Interstitial in nature, the course asks students to consider the intersectional methods used by contemporary artists today and through in-class discussion, film screenings, texts, lectures, studio visits, and critique, students are pushed to process an almost endless cache of source material, use these materials as inspiration, and create thoughtfully considered art. This class is a hands-on studio elective that explores the material overlaps between sculpture and textiles. The studio looks at “body” as a site to explore volume, weight, and all things constructed. This course is for ambitious Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate students who want to expand the discussion around intersectionality and interdisciplinarity between the Sculpture and Textiles Departments and specifically in their own practices.
Elective
LAEL 1082-01
MANY HANDS, MANY VOICES: TEXTILE HISTORIES IN THE AMERICAS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course explores the entangled histories of modern textiles in the Americas, highlighting the many hands and voices that can be seen and heard in their creation, exchange, assemblage, and use. Examined as an infinite web of relationships via the lens of Martinican philosopher douard Glissant, the textile histories covered will spiral through the 18th to 21st centuries and will touch on Native North American regalia incorporating trade cloth and glass beads; New England industrially printed cottons; patchwork quilts made by the African-American matriarchs of Gee's Bend, Alabama; indigenous Mayan traje of Guatemala; Chilean underground protest arpilleras; and Haitian beaded and sequined vodou flags, among many others. Colonialism and empire lie at the heart of textile histories during this era. Care will be taken to underscore the inextricable relationship between 19th-century textile production and enslaved laborers and knowledge keepers. At the same time we will cultivate an understanding of the self-determination, embodied engagement, and political activism that textiles have continuously afforded dispossessed communities. These narratives will unfold from objects selected from the collections of the RISD Museum that will be made available for consideration and study at close range with curators. The firsthand experiences will be guided and enriched by guest lectures and workshops by visiting scholars and artists whose work centers on the particular histories examined, as well as field trips to the Tomaquag Indigenous Museum and Slater Mill Historic Site. Through active engagement with tangible objects and exposure to a plurality of voices, students in the course not only will gain an embodied understanding of textile histories of the Americas, but also will find space for moving through and beyond colonial inheritances.
Textiles Students can be pre-registered by the department. Open to Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate Students.
Elective
TEXT 2712-01
SCULPTURAL FIBERS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In this experimental sculptural textile studio elective, students will explore methods for building form through textiles. Through experiments and demonstrations students will gain a variety of foundational skills that will inform individual exploration and investigation of the relationship between textiles and three-dimensional form. Techniques will include rope-making, knot-making, weaving, felting and stitching explored alongside sculptural techniques such as armature building and casting. Furthermore, students will be introduced to a variety of surface treatments, including basic painting, dyeing and embellishment techniques. Through lectures, demonstrations, readings and discussions we will investigate various issues at the intersection of textiles and sculpture in a curious and experimental approach.
Please contact the instructor for permission to register; registration is not available in Workday.
Elective
TEXT 2750-101
MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIO: MATERIALS TO MEANING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
The goal of this multidisciplinary and experimental studio course is to investigate the quotidian complexities of subject and object engagement through material exploration. This studio is for students from any major interested in further understanding their process. Weekly prompts of material examination and assigned readings will be provided to students, summoning deeper questions as to how and why the choices within their process are made, contending with and/or enacting within and beyond the tactile space. As a class, our time will focus on forms, methods, tensions and the unique properties of mediums, materials, and objects. We will work with painting, textiles, drawing, assemblage and invite any mixed media forms of art-making that students wish to work in. This course will harness students’ skills and develop an understanding and awareness to the connections between the materials and the poetic gestures within their process that are required to conjure meaning throughout their artistic journey.
Elective
TEXT 4704-01
DIGITAL EMBROIDERY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Digital embroidery transforms hand-crafted couture into a work of fine art. Just like a tattoo where an image is created with needles and color, so embroidered fabric or paper is needle-stitched with colored threads. A basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop is helpful, but we will also cover the fundamentals of creating a preparatory design file in Adobe Illustrator. This vector design file will then be artistically translated into a Pulse embroidery file that can be saved and sewn out as as a multiple or repeat pattern. The resulting personalized textile can be applied to fabrics for apparel or interior applications as well as fine art. A series of small assignments will build up a repertoire of techniques and culminate in a final project that summarizes the student's ability and artistic innovation. This course will explore top of the line Tajima Pulse software with the goal of creating personalized images that will be sewn out on a 15-needle Tajima commercial embroidery machine.
Please contact the department for permission to register.
Elective
TEXT 4704-101
DIGITAL AND HAND EMBROIDERY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Embroidery has had a long global history as a social, political, and decorative tradition that has existed for centuries. This course will explore the application of contemporary digital technology to a traditionally hand-crafted medium, and the ways in which these methods are in dialogue with each other. Students will learn a lexicon of hand embroidery stitches, industry-standard Tajima Pulse software, and how to operate a 15-needle Tajima commercial embroidery machine. Software instruction will be extensive and includes distinguishing the characteristics of tools, tool options, and editing. A basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop is helpful, but we will also cover the fundamentals of creating a preparatory design file in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. The resulting personalized embroidery designs can be applied to fabrics for apparel or interior applications, as well as fine art. A series of small assignments will build up a repertoire of techniques and culminate in a final project that summarizes the student's ability and artistic innovation. We will spend this class thinking about our role as artists and designers who are partaking in this expansive tradition of embroidery. Students will be working both digitally and by hand, finding a balance and relationship between the two.
Elective
TEXT 4801-01
FIBERS AND DYEING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course introduces the student to a wide variety of materials and processes involved in the production of both hand and industrially produced textiles. Topics include fiber properties and identification, spinning and yarn construction, natural and synthetic dyeing, traditional textile constructions and new technologies. Both historical and contemporary examples are studied, ranging from textiles in design to fine arts textiles. Class time is divided between lecture and lab work. Lectures are supplemented with readings, workshops and museum visits. Students conduct research on a class related topic of their choice and give presentations about their subject. Each student also prepares spinning and dyeing samples to be presented in an individual archive.
This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Textiles
TEXT 4801-02
FIBERS AND DYEING
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course introduces the student to a wide variety of materials and processes involved in the production of both hand and industrially produced textiles. Topics include fiber properties and identification, spinning and yarn construction, natural and synthetic dyeing, traditional textile constructions and new technologies. Both historical and contemporary examples are studied, ranging from textiles in design to fine arts textiles. Class time is divided between lecture and lab work. Lectures are supplemented with readings, workshops and museum visits. Students conduct research on a class related topic of their choice and give presentations about their subject. Each student also prepares spinning and dyeing samples to be presented in an individual archive.
This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Textiles
TEXT 4802-01
WEAVING I
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to the use of structure, color, and texture in weaving through a series of experimental samples and finished projects. Students learn to set up and use a 4-harness loom, and a study of drafting and fabric analysis is included. A variety of techniques including hand-manipulated tapestry and loom controlled patterns are taught and explored as a vehicle for the translation of ideas in this medium. The emphasis is on invention and developing a personal approach.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Textiles
TEXT 4802-02
WEAVING I
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to the use of structure, color, and texture in weaving through a series of experimental samples and finished projects. Students learn to set up and use a 4-harness loom, and a study of drafting and fabric analysis is included. A variety of techniques including hand-manipulated tapestry and loom controlled patterns are taught and explored as a vehicle for the translation of ideas in this medium. The emphasis is on invention and developing a personal approach.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Textiles
TEXT 4803-01
FABRIC SILKSCREEN
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Starting with making their own screens, students learn various stencil making and printing of repeats using water based dyes and pigments. The focus is on an imaginative stencial (usually the repeating unit) and its application in creating continuous surfaces. Instead of considering the screen a tool merely to reproduce an existing design from paper, students are encouraged to think of it as a flexible means for creating totally new designs through experimentation at the print table. Engineered designs combining repetition and singular images is also explored.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Textiles
TEXT 4803-02
FABRIC SILKSCREEN
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Starting with making their own screens, students learn various stencil making and printing of repeats using water based dyes and pigments. The focus is on an imaginative stencial (usually the repeating unit) and its application in creating continuous surfaces. Instead of considering the screen a tool merely to reproduce an existing design from paper, students are encouraged to think of it as a flexible means for creating totally new designs through experimentation at the print table. Engineered designs combining repetition and singular images is also explored.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Textiles
TEXT 4803-101
FABRIC SILKSCREEN
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Starting with making their own screens, students learn various stencil making and printing of repeats using water based dyes and pigments. The focus is on an imaginative stencial (usually the repeating unit) and its application in creating continuous surfaces. Instead of considering the screen a tool merely to reproduce an existing design from paper, students are encouraged to think of it as a flexible means for creating totally new designs through experimentation at the print table. Engineered designs combining repetition and singular images is also explored.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Textiles
TEXT 4804-01
WEAVING II
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Students develop their chosen themes through drawing and executing a series of woven samples. The samples explore structures and materials relevant to the chosen subject matter. Students weave fine arts oriented or design projects which evolve from the investigation.
Prerequisite: TEXT 4802 - WEAVING I
Elective
TEXT 4805-01
CHANGING FABRIC SURFACE
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Students work on a specific theme of their choosing and derive designs and concepts from this theme for work in fabric silkscreen. After completing assignments that focus on specific techniques and design problems, students plan and execute a more defined and larger project relying on the experience incorporated during the first part of the course. Fabric construction and dyeing techniques can be integrated into the work.
Prerequisite: TEXT 4803 - FABRIC SILKSCREEN
Elective
TEXT 4806-01
DOBBY WEAVING AND DESIGN
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is an investigation of the technical, formal and material potential of multi-harness weave structures on 24-harness dobby looms. Through extensive sampling on the looms, students expand their skills in areas of pattern development, woven structure, color, material and fabric finishing while further developing their design concepts and their visual and material vocabularies. During the second half of the semester, stipulations derived from the intended end use of the fabric as well as production methods become a strong part of the design considerations in the development of fabric collection for an intended application. Exercises in drafting, both by hand and on computer, as a means of understanding woven structure in a three-dimensional way, will be an important part of the course.
Prerequisite: TEXT-4804
Elective
TEXT 4807-01
DESIGN FOR PRINTED TEXTILES
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course emphasizes the design process - how to come up with an idea and how to develop it into a finished design - as well as technical skills. Using tools, techniques, and materials from professional studios, students work on paper exploring and analyzing layouts, color, and other design elements within repeated patterns. As students develop their individual styles, they are exposed to design requirements stemming from production methods and the intended end use. Successful work from this course becomes part of students' portfolios.
Please contact the department for permission to register.
Elective
TEXT 4808-101
DESIGN FOR DIGITALLY PRINTED FABRICS
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This intensive course moves from concept to design development and then onto digitally printed fabrics. Students start by creating presentation boards for color, pattern, and application in order to establish direction in their work. With Adobe Photoshop serving as the primary tool, the traditional techniques of drawing, painting, and collage are integrated with new design technology. Class instruction will lead students through the Adobe software in the development of design for extensive experimentation on the Textiles' Mimaki fabric printer. Students will be encouraged to go beyond the boundaries of traditional textile design to meet the possibilities of this exciting technology.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $50.00
Elective