Cookie Washington, Guest Teaching Artist
5 days • Tuesday, September 24 – Saturday, September 28, 2024
10 am – 4 pm, daily
Pricing:
Register by August 1, 2024 for the special EARLY BIRD rate: $685
Nonmembers: $785, Members: $706.50
Payment plans and scholarships available. For questions, reach out to Cristin McKnight Sethi: cmcknightsethi@textilecentermn.org.
Join us in welcoming Cookie Washington to Textile Center to lead a five-day workshop exploring ancestral weaving and sustainable creativity. Using her own rich family lineage and the creative work of generations of women who came before–from her Cherokee Great Grandmother to Berber weavers in her birthplace of Morocco to the foremothers of Gullah traditions of rag quilting—Cookie will guide participants through a regenerative process of breathing new life into discarded textiles while reducing our environmental impact.
Learn to create a medium-size (18? x 24?) rag quilt using both traditional Gullah methods as well as newer tools and techniques preferred by Berber weavers of Boucherouite rugs. The Gullah culture brings together diverse African traditions alongside the experiences of historically enslaved peoples of the American south. Explore how using old clothing, fabric scraps, and forgotten linens, is a way to honor the Ancestors. Participants will also create a “toothbrush” rug and basket using methods passed down through generations of women in Cookie’s family.
For all three weaving projects, learn how to prep scrap cloth; explore strategies for composition and design; experiment with combining different fabrics, textures, patterns, and colors; embrace the imperfections and charm of old cloth; and work in community with others to create objects that tell unique stories, interweaving memories embedded in discarded personal and household fabrics. Energize your creative practice and create new family heirlooms that are beautiful, meaningful, and sustainable. This is a no-sew workshop. All levels welcome!
$135 materials fee, payable to the instructor at the time of class.
**See supply list of items to bring to class**
Click here to download supply list.
Info for out-of-town guests:
For our out of town guests, nearby accommodations are available with our partner hotel, Hampton Inn and Suites, University Ave. in Minneapolis. For the special Textile Center rate and more info, visit our website here: textilecentermn.org/visit
Instructor Bio:
Born in Rabat, Morrocco and based for the last three decades in Goose Creek, South Carolina, Torreah “Cookie” Washington (she/her) is a renowned quilter and Heritage Keeper of Gullah weaving traditions. Her work pays tribute to her African-American history, rich family tree, and expansive spiritual practice. Cookie’s uniquely soulful works reveal the skill, discipline, patience, and expertise of a woman who has quilted the gifts of her foremothers into her artistic visions in cloth. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States including recently in Celebrating Black Mermaids: From Africa to America at the Center for Arts in Beaufort, South Carolina, and Black Joy at the International African American Museum. Cookie has also taught workshops nationally and recently returned from Washington, DC where she led weaving workshops at the Smithsonian Institution for National Quilting Month 2024.
Review our COVID-19 Safety Protocols at Textile Center here.
Want to become a member and receive the member price when you register? Click HERE to check out our membership levels, add a membership to the cart, and save 10% on many of our classes plus other benefits, including supporting a great organization!
Withdrawal Policy
If your notice of withdrawal is received by the early bird deadline for this workshop, you will receive a 50% refund of your workshop fee. Due to the scheduling nature of these classes and arrangements for instructors, no refunds are available after that. We will be happy to provide you with a receipt for your donation to Textile Center for any forfeited tuition. Please make this request in writing to cmcknightsethi@textilecentermn.org.
Click here for full withdrawal and cancellation policy. Click here for directions and parking.
