This previous semester, I had the honor of taking (Un)Common Arts: TextStyles: Life’s Common Threads. In this course, we explored various forms and styles of textile art as well as their origins and meanings, which culminated in a showcase at Envision. The titular image for this article includes some of our in-class projects throughout the semester such as braided rugs, utensil holders, stuffed monsters, granny squares, tiny tapestries and felt heart keychains alongside the class’ motto: progress over perfection. Through this class, myself and my fellow classmates learned about the power of resilience and the joy of crafting.
Here is what some of my classmates thought about this class:
“My favorite thing about this class was being able to experiment in an environment where everyone else was experimenting and I didn’t feel like I was being judged.” – Alicia Gleacher, Pre-Professional Biology
“This class has brought out my passion for textiles both by physically creating them and through the readings about how textile art is important to many cultures.” – Krisha Choksi, Public Health and Psychology
“I liked being able to get a little taste of everything and how we learned a lot about the history and origins of textile arts.” – Leamarie Mattia, Business Administration
“Learning a new craft every week was very interesting and it helped me figure out what I was good at and what I would like to get better at.” – Kiana Tse, Biomedical Engineering
“I enjoyed the guest speakers and the opportunities they brought to my attention that I didn’t know about as well as the causes they advocated for such as sustainable fashion.” – Alexandra Malm, Exploratory
As you can see, many of my peers enjoyed how the class cycled through different projects and felt that it improved their knowledge of the cultural aspect of textile arts in addition to its physical elements. The class culminated in a make-your-own final project, and creations included– but were by no means limited to– pants, blankets, crochet animals, pillows, scarves and beadwork.
According to TextStyles’ instructor Dr. Jennifer Coenen, who typically teaches in the University Writing Program, “Crafting humbles you really fast because things go imperfectly almost every time. This class was a safe way to practice those experiences and have those feelings in a safe environment.” I loved this class, as did my classmates, and I hope it is offered again in the future to the benefit of the Honors community.
UF PRISM 