Lower School students exploring the art and history of weaving were visited by a special guest weaver Cynthia Alberto for immersive instruction. Alberto is an artist and designer whose artwork, performances and public weaving projects honor traditional and artisanal techniques while incorporating unconventional materials and a zero-waste philosophy.
Students in Classes 2, 3 and 4 were asked to bring fabric from home to create their own zero-waste weaving. Favorite old t-shirts, fabrics from things around the house, or fabrics with meaningful colors and patterns were used to create unique, personally meaningful designs. The girls were especially excited to share their fabrics with classmates.
In their classrooms, the first weaving projects utilized backstrap weaving – an ancient technique in which the weaver attaches one end of the vertical yarn to themselves and the other end to a solid object like a tree or post. Later, students worked together on large community weaving looms in the Assembly Room. The completed projects will be on display all around the school and viewable during this year’s Winter Concert.
Alberto opened and closed her multi-day visit by sharing her woven “cocoons” and inviting students to try on the wearable art. The cocoons were made of repurposed cotton and neon ropes, and wearing the art is a reference to her desire for her work to remain inclusive to all communities, rather than an untouchable object. “Being inside the weaving offers enough of a mask from the surrounding environment that users are able to let go and move more freely without the fear of judgment,” Alberto has said about her work. “The result is an inclusive wearable piece of art which evokes a sense of playfulness, reflection, peace, and escape.”
