TEXTITLES
In partnership with Madison Public Libraries Pinney Branch, TAC presents TEXTITLES, a free monthly discussion group for readings on textile and fiber art with a focus on historical, social, economic, and environmental concerns related to fibers, fabrics, makers/artists, techniques, use, value, and more.
All TEXTITLES meetings take place on the second Wednesday of the month from 6-7:30pm at Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Road, Madison. Registration is month-by-month. Details on upcoming sessions are below.
![On Mending: Stories of Damage and Repair](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/644a86870f450a0625ec8e03/1720628476593-HQLYI7P3UHEEOF0DS7ZH/ON+MENDING.jpg)
On Mending: Stories of Damage and Repair
On Mending: Stories of Damage and Repair
by Celia Pym
THIS SESSION OF TEXTITLES IS FULL. PLEASE EMAIL US TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST.
Wednesday, October 9, 6-7:30pm
TEXTITLES meetings take place at Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Road, Madison
Facilitator: Angela Johnson (@angelajohnsonartist)
Fee: Free! Registration is required, however, via the link below.
On Mending by Celia Pym is a collection of ten stories of damaged garments – plus a rug and two backpacks - that Pym has mended . These stories describe the ways in which clothes and cloth become holed, why a damaged sweater or backpack can be emotionally affecting and how mending a garment can unstick a stuck feeling.
A fascinating insight into the work of a pre-eminent craftsperson, On Mending was inspired by Pym's experience of hearing intimate stories from people's lives, of loss and love, as a result of mending the holes in their clothes. Not a ‘how- to’ book, this is an in-depth look into the damage that we do, as manifested by our outer layers, our clothes.
Participants are responsible for securing a copy of the book. It is currently available for purchase on Amazon.
REGISTER
Facilitator Bio:
Angela Johnson is a professional artist, creativity coach and educator. She earned a master’s in Art Education, an MA in Art and an MFA with a focus in photography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her areas of artistic expertise include art journaling, alternative photo processes, bookmaking and box making, Creativity Coaching, and installation art. Angela’s work includes themes of nature, balance, and telling stories through individual and collective memories. She often incorporates scientific elements and concepts into her work. Collaborations with other artists and scientists energizes her creativity.
Johnson is a fixture in the Wisconsin arts scene, with 20+ years of experience maintaining public art studios, teaching workshops, facilitating programs, leading public art installations and lecturing at universities. She has worked in museums, elementary schools, senior centers, colleges and universities. She has inspired and helped people of every age — from toddlers to 95-year-olds — reaching far into the depths of their imagination to discover and channel their creativity. She also teaches workshops on mindfulness and yoga.
Website: angelajohnsonartist.com
Social: @angelajohnsonartist
![Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/644a86870f450a0625ec8e03/1720630718673-VN0L7ONEPTZW1UDUTLFZ/Threads+of+Life.jpg)
Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle
Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle
by Clare Hunter
THIS SESSION OF TEXTITLES IS FULL. PLEASE EMAIL US TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST.
Wednesday, November 13, 6-7:30pm
TEXTITLES meetings take place at Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Road, Madison
Facilitator: Angela Johnson (@angelajohnsonartist)
Fee: Free! Registration is required, however, via the link below.
Threads of Life is a chronicle of identity, protest, memory, power, and politics told through the stories of needlework. It’s human history told from a new, surprising perspective.
This is a globe-spanning history of sewing, embroidery, and the people who have used a needle and thread to make their voices heard. From the political propaganda of the Bayeux Tapestry to the pink pussyhats of the Women’s March, women and men have used the language of sewing to make their voices heard, even in the most desperate of circumstances. Topics covered include:
The English royals
The Catholic Church
World War I soldiers coping with PTSD
Maps sewn by schoolgirls in the New World
The AIDS quilt
Hmong story clothes
And much more!
Clare Hunter, master of the craft, threads her own narrative as she takes us over centuries and across continents—from medieval France to contemporary Mexico and the United States, and from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland—to celebrate the age-old, universal, and underexplored beauty and power of sewing.
This is a thoughtful work of history and craft, full of little-known stories, and an evocative and moving book about the need we have to tell our story.
Participants are responsible for securing a copy of the book. It is currently available from Madison Public Libraries or for purchase on Amazon.
REGISTER
Facilitator Bio:
Angela Johnson is a professional artist, creativity coach and educator. She earned a master’s in Art Education, an MA in Art and an MFA with a focus in photography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her areas of artistic expertise include art journaling, alternative photo processes, bookmaking and box making, Creativity Coaching, and installation art. Angela’s work includes themes of nature, balance, and telling stories through individual and collective memories. She often incorporates scientific elements and concepts into her work. Collaborations with other artists and scientists energizes her creativity.
Johnson is a fixture in the Wisconsin arts scene, with 20+ years of experience maintaining public art studios, teaching workshops, facilitating programs, leading public art installations and lecturing at universities. She has worked in museums, elementary schools, senior centers, colleges and universities. She has inspired and helped people of every age — from toddlers to 95-year-olds — reaching far into the depths of their imagination to discover and channel their creativity. She also teaches workshops on mindfulness and yoga.
Website: angelajohnsonartist.com
Social: @angelajohnsonartist
![Material Intelligence: Nylon and Linen](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/644a86870f450a0625ec8e03/1720631759346-5MSZYO4XKVE834ZBGE5W/Material+Intelligence.jpg)
Material Intelligence: Nylon and Linen
Material Intelligence: Nylon and Linen
ed. by Glenn Adamson and Natalie Wright
THIS SESSION OF TEXTITLES IS FULL. PLEASE EMAIL US TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST.
Wednesday, December 11, 6-7:30pm
TEXTITLES meetings take place at Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Road, Madison
Facilitator: Angela Johnson (@angelajohnsonartist)
Fee: Free! Registration is required, however, via the link below.
Material Intelligence is a free online publication from the Chipstone Foundation. Each issue takes a deep dive into one commonplace material, used in all kinds of making. An offering to an increasingly digital age, Material Intelligence celebrates the human capacity to understand and shape the physical world around us.
For the December Textitles meeting, the discussion will focus on two issues of Material Intelligence: Nylon and Linen.
All issues of Material Intelligence are available online:
REGISTER
Facilitator Bio:
Angela Johnson is a professional artist, creativity coach and educator. She earned a master’s in Art Education, an MA in Art and an MFA with a focus in photography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her areas of artistic expertise include art journaling, alternative photo processes, bookmaking and box making, Creativity Coaching, and installation art. Angela’s work includes themes of nature, balance, and telling stories through individual and collective memories. She often incorporates scientific elements and concepts into her work. Collaborations with other artists and scientists energizes her creativity.
Johnson is a fixture in the Wisconsin arts scene, with 20+ years of experience maintaining public art studios, teaching workshops, facilitating programs, leading public art installations and lecturing at universities. She has worked in museums, elementary schools, senior centers, colleges and universities. She has inspired and helped people of every age — from toddlers to 95-year-olds — reaching far into the depths of their imagination to discover and channel their creativity. She also teaches workshops on mindfulness and yoga.
Website: angelajohnsonartist.com
Social: @angelajohnsonartist