Textiles classes emphasize artistic creations

An array of colorful yarns rest on the loom. Long bundles of white fibers sit on the table top waiting to be dyed. Woven baskets made of yarns and beads, a woven dress and patterned fabrics are all on display in the hall. The large classroom on the second floor of the Fine Arts building is home to students pursuing the mixed media of textiles at IU.\n"The process is one of creative expression," said Anne McKenzie Nickolson, the only faculty member of the textiles program. "What you can build with textiles is pretty broad."\nThe program has been a one-person faculty for about 10 years. Nickolson is in her third year teaching textiles at IU, and is constantly trying new things and trends with her students. \n"Textiles is beginning with a process, beginning with materials as an inspiration to an idea," Nickolson said. "It's an art media (the students) relate to. Feeling the materials reminds them of what they saw their grandmother doing."\nStudents who decide to pursue the textiles program must complete the fundamental studio classes and begin with basic techniques. The beginning courses are more structured, and the students complete many smaller projects, Nickolson said. In the advanced classes, the students go more in-depth and there is more ability to use creativity.\nSenior Molly Mitchell, who is the only student currently getting a B.F.A. in textiles, said the program is much more oriented to hand processes, which means the students do a lot of loom work and some digital printing. Other schools that have textiles programs do more computerized work.\n"It's good IU does it the way they do," Mitchell said. "It keeps it from dying out by getting your hands on the material."\nStudents in the program get to work with a variety of materials. Julie Stumpf, who is the only current graduate student in textiles, has worked on everything from digital printing on fabric to wearable art made of twisty ties or silk papers. \n"I like the versatility of it, it's open-ended as far as a medium goes," Stumpf said. "It's a mixed media area. It can be sculptural or 2D."\nNickolson said she believes many students enjoy textiles because it involves techniques they used in their early years. But there isn't much of a job market in their later years.\nNickolson said textiles is more of an expressional art form rather than a career to pursue. Most students who are a part of the textiles program will teach or use their skills as a hobby. \n"I found out I could make art with the techniques I had used as a child," Nickolson said. "I immediately like the process, the materials and creating designs within the structures, and that continued to build." \n-- Contact staff writer Mara Lazdins at malazdin@indiana.edu.