Weave, Repair, ConnectTextile Repair Salon

Dip your toes into the world of textiles during MASS MoCA’s Textile Repair Salon! Join regional practitioners Jena Duncan and Elsa Cousins from Swanson’s Fabrics Stash House and MASS MoCA museum educators for a casual evening of textile repair, embroidery, and small-scale weaving. Participants are welcome to bring textile objects or clothing in need of repair and learn the skills to mend them with support from the Swanson’s Fabric teaching staff. Mending is for everyone; no sewing experience is required! This project aspires to build an exciting culture of clothing reuse and repair by empowering and inspiring our local community to learn how to make, mend, and maintain their clothing and textiles. This workshop is also for community members concerned about the sustainability and environmental impact of textiles who may not see themselves as able to sew. If you don’t have a repair, don’t worry! MASS MoCA Museum Educators will give instruction on small-scale weaving and invite participants to contribute to our community weaving project currently on view. Bring your friends, bring a date. Refreshments are available to purchase from MASS MoCA’s bar. No experience required; all materials included, although participants are welcome to bring their own and share with others. About the educators: Jena Duncan (they/them) is a fiber arts artist passionate about community building. They share sewing as a liberatory and healing practice to feel more at home in our bodies and help keep textiles out of the landfill by extending their use. Jena founded Blushing Mustard Studios in Greenfield’s Madhouse Multi-Arts, offering gender- and fat- affirming clothing alterations, repairs, and custom commissions. They teach sewing and mending classes at Swanson’s Fabrics, a second-hand textile store and education center in Turners Falls. Jena also works as an art installer and fabricator, helping artists bring their work to life, most recently at MASS MoCA, MCLA’s Gallery 51, and…