Posts in Session 2
Boxes, Bits + Pieces
Boxes, Bits + Pieces

Participants in this workshop will create objects that balance the industrial history of steel with a gracefulness of form. Building on a solid base of fundamental forging, forming, and fabricating techniques, participants will expand their visual vocabulary through creative problem solving and by exploring inventive uses of material to create vessels made to contain tangible items (favorite objects, etc.), as well as intangibles (ideas, thoughts, actions, etc.). All levels welcome.

Stephen Yusko (he/him) creates sculpture, furniture, vessels, and jewelry in his Cleveland, OH studio using mixed material combined with forged, machined, and fabricated steel.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganBlacksmithing, Stephen Yusko
Talking Through Tiles
Talking Through Tiles

What is a tile? A slab, a sculpture, a canvas, a pattern unit, a mathematical plane shape, a piece of history, a covering for architecture, or even for the body. Tiles can transcend utility, convey ideas, and tell a story. To this end, we will learn techniques for rolling, carving, press-molding, and slip-casting ceramic tiles. We will delve into the fascinating intercultural history of tile and use this as a foundation for expressing who we are as artists and human beings. All levels welcome.

Shae Bishop (he/him) creates sculptural garments from ceramic and textile, interweaving history and personal experience.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganCeramics, Shae Bishop
Natural + Alternative Fiber Weaving and Exploration
Natural + Alternative Fiber Weaving and Exploration

Immerse yourself in the freedom and versatility of basket, textile, and fiber weaving. With a focus on sustainability and resourcefulness, learn to weave using a variety of natural and alternative materials, allowing creativity to guide the process. Techniques like plaiting, twining, and coiling will be demonstrated. Possible projects include mini pack baskets, woven sculptures, bowls, and wearable art. Explore weaving with molds, other armature structures, square and round bottom techniques, and scaling the size of your work. This workshop fosters creativity, resourcefulness, and experimentation. All levels welcome.

Sarah Sockbeson (she/her) is an award-winning Penobscot basketmaker and culture-bearing artist, known for her innovative yet traditional brown ash and sweetgrass baskets, rooted in sustainable practices and imaginative materials.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganFiber, Sarah Sockbeson
Building Personal Folklore
Building Personal Folklore

Scrapbooks, photo albums, family portraits: we all have them, but what if we want to present our personal narrative through a new lens? In this workshop, we will craft our own myths and folktales based on the unique lives of each participant's past, present, and future. Explore the idea of ritual and tradition by pulling from the past and reframing it with distinct, modern iconography. Participants will learn how to bring their ideas to life through watercolor and gouache, focusing on painting techniques and experimental drawing exercises to build these folktales from the ground up. All levels welcome.

Stacey Rozich (she/her) is an artist, illustrator, and occasional muralist. She constructs vignettes in watercolor and gouache that combine elements of folklore, esoteric iconography, and American pop culture.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganGraphics, Stacey Rozich
Metal Connections
Metal Connections

Explore the art of connecting materials with jewelry and metalsmithing techniques. Using non-ferrous metals like brass, copper, and sterling silver, participants will learn effective methods for fastening and joining components. Discover how to enhance objects with striking metal details, create modular structures, and incorporate alternative materials. This workshop focuses on creative cold connections, such as rivets and tabs, which facilitate disassembly, repairs, and repurposing, and is appropriate for anyone eager to expand their artistic toolkit through metalwork. All levels welcome.

Emily Cobb (she/her) is a jewelry and object maker, designer, educator, and enthusiast.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganMetals, Emily Cobb
Party Furniture/Furniture Party
Party Furniture/Furniture Party

This workshop fosters human connection through making and experiencing art, craft, and design. Participants will design and build wood objects that facilitate social engagement through intentional interaction. They will then work collaboratively and create an end-of-session event that encourages visitors to interact with the objects and ultimately, each other. Basic hand tool, machine tools, and joinery techniques will be demonstrated as needed (mortise and tenon, splined miters, etc.). Use of upholstery, moving parts, and alternative materials are a possibility. Anything goes! All levels welcome.

Annie Evelyn (she/her) seeks to bring joy, human connection, and self-discovery to all she does.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganWood, Annie Evelyn
Re-membering A Black Craft Tradition
Re-membering A Black Craft Tradition

No chairmakers, past or present, have woven seats quite like the Poynors of Central Tennessee. This multigenerational family of formerly enslaved chairmakers harvested white oak splints, a labor intensive process typically used in basketry, to weave the seats of their distinct ladderback chairs. Over 150 years later, many of these intricately patterned seats still remain intact yet the knowledge of how they were constructed doesn't. My hope is that I, and workshop participants, will recreate and document this process in order to preserve this incredible tradition.

Robell Awake (he/him) is a chairmaker, teacher, and researcher based in Atlanta, GA.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganVisiting Artist, Robell Awake
Prototyping Alternative Futures
Prototyping Alternative Futures

During her residency, Sophia Brueckner will explore and reimagine the future of technology through speculative design and hands-on prototyping. Drawing from her expertise in art, engineering, and science fiction, she will lead informal pop-up workshops that explore the intersection of digital fabrication, traditional media, and critical technology ethics. As part of these, participants will create both physical and digital artifacts, experimenting with projects like merging unexpected textile patterns or building robotic creatures that question the boundaries between human and non-human art. This collaborative experience will inspire attendees to think critically and creatively about how technology shapes our world and how we can influence it for a more positive, equitable future.

Sophia Brueckner (she/her) is an artist/engineer and Associate Professor at the University of Michigan.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganFab Lab Resident, Sophia Brueckner
Prototyping Climate Action
Prototyping Climate Action

Throughout this residency, Beth Ferguson will continue research and share relevant projects including biomaterial fabrication, solar charging stations for future mobility, 3D-printed shoes with fish leather, and 3D-printed clay filtration systems with aquatic plants. She expects to  invite session participants to learn how Makerspaces can be hubs for climate action and sustainable material experimentation. Through this information, it is her intention that participants will gain valuable insights and practical tips to prototype climate adaptation tools and strategies using sustainable materials and digital fabrication with circularity in mind.

Beth Ferguson (she/her) is a designer whose practice blends solar design, digital fabrication, and public engagement, focusing on climate action for a warming planet.

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Session 2Molly FlaniganFab Lab Resident, Beth Ferguson