Elmwood Earth Day: a writing, walking, and weaving workshop
Saturday, April 22 2017, 1:00pm
at The Meet Shop OC & Sunset Art Studios
RSVPThe Meet Shop OC and Sunset Art Studios have come together to bring you an afternoon of writing, weaving, and walking. We’ll spend the day talking about storytelling and place as we explore Elmwood with Ofelia Faz-Garza, June Covington, and Iris Bechtol.
Free admission with suggested donation of $10 (cash or card accepted).
Writing
Join Ofelia “MexMama” Faz-Garza for a special Elmwood Earth Day version of her Tejiendo Historias workshop. The days adventure will begin at The Meet Shop where Ofelia will start you off with a brief discussion on place and community and provide you with some thoughts to keep in mind as you participate in the day’s events. At the end of the day you’ll return to The Meet Shop to process your experiences and create a short written piece that captures your thoughts about our community.
Walking
Iris Bechtol's work has been included in exhibitions in Texas, New York, and San Diego. Oriented around a phenomenological approach, Iris Bechtol works to heighten experiential relationships to the everyday and the ordinary through print media, installation, and video. Her current work investigates ecological identity as it relates to the phenomena of temporal existence and constructed memory.
Walking is simple way to cultivate an ecological identity and deepen the connection to ourselves. Join Iris Bechtol on a walk along the Elmwood Greenbelt and explore concepts of presence and memory as they relate to temporal experiences in nature. The walk will close with participants making a record of their walk through a clay based relief print process.
Weaving
June Jacobsen Covington uses the slow process of tapestry weaving in handspun wool and silk, some dyed with natural indigo, to capture fleeting impressions of the ever changing Texas sky. Clouds are our constant sky companions: during a drought we long for clouds and gaze in awe at the sunset. The clouds remind us how essential clean water is for all humans. Clouds heal the earth.
Weaving is perhaps the oldest portable art form. Humans have created textiles using interlaced fibers to build shelters, make clothing and embellish the world. You are invited to join in more than one weaving project during Elmwood's Earth Day.
- Contribute to an Earth Loom which will be set up on the greenspace with bird-friendly materials to be woven into the sturdy warp.
- Make a tiny wearable tapestry to commemorate the observations and contemplations of the weather, the neighborhood, the people and the joy of the day.
- Lend a hand to help weave a bit of cloud in a smaller project on a mechanical table loom.
About the artists
Ofelia “MexMama” Faz-Garza
Ofelia “MexMama” Faz-Garza is a mama, writer, and community advocate. Her work crosses genres and focuses on the subtleties of life and celebrates the rituals that keep us grounded and connected. You can find her running around OC with her daughters and husband or at their home away from home, The Meet Shop.
June Jacobsen Covington
June Jacobsen Covington is an artist and art educator. While she usually identifies herself as a Printmaker, she has also worked extensively in the Textile Arts, time and process play a role in all of her work. She is happiest in a room full of people learning and making art together.
Iris Bechtol
Oriented around a phenomenological approach, her works to heighten experiential relationships to the everyday and the ordinary through print media, installation, and video. Her current work investigates ecological identity as it relates to the phenomena of temporal existence and constructed memory.
