Drop-In knit & crochet workshop
facilitated by Renée Lula James Michaud, Heather Flor Cron, Olivia Dwyer, and Nina Sophia Swart
Renée Lula James Michaud is a conceptual human, maker, and engager who considers care in the context of physio-psychological relationships. Born in Maine, their work manifests processes which bring them to places of silence, of sound, of land, and of the body. The intention of their work is to bring art to life and life to art. They find inspiration to promote less defeatism and more activism in their life by engaging in creative endeavors such as performance, steel-fabrication, sound editing, writing, video installation, and social practice. They are currently studying Sculpture and Public Engagement at Maine College of Art where they are researching the radical nature of slowing down, drawing circles, and allowing openness.
Heather Flor Cron is a queer Peruvian-American performer & transdisciplinary artist who works with intuitive movement, installation, printmaking, fiber, Instagram and food. Born in New Jersey, Flor and her family relocated to Southern Maine in the early ‘90s. From a young age, Flor frequently travelled to Peru to visit her maternal family, there, her interest in movement, food and textile was ignited. She is heavily influenced by the interactions between the body and space, bodies with bodies, feminine archetypes, the “inbetween”, boundaries, manifestos, personal histories, desire and rage. Flor currently studies Sculpture at Maine College of Art. Flor lives in Midcoast Maine with her cat Piña Bausch.
Olivia Dwyer graduated Maine College of Art in 2018 and is currently based in Portland, ME. She is a fashion and textiles artist who works with both knits and wovens to make garments subtly reflecting human emotion. She is dedicated to sustainability in her practice, and only uses ethically sourced (often second hand) materials. Dwyer is passionate about sharing skills and knowledge, so we can decrease the amount of garments we buy, buy thoughtfully when we must, and increase the lifespan of the garments we own already.
Nina Sophia Swart is a printmaker from Rochester, NY. Her work uncovers themes of intimacy and empathic connection through deconstructed landscape imagery. She learned how to crochet at a young age from her mother, who learned from her mother. Through crocheting, Nina feels connected to her matrilineal line and the tradition of crochet in her family. In her practice, Nina has engaged with community work and emotional intelligence through public events and workshops.
Dream Action Factory is a series of weekly happenings taking place March 5 through June 4, 2020, in conjunction with Carrie Moyer and Sheila Pepe: Tabernacles for Trying Times. Artists, scholars, makers, performers, students, and social organizations will delve into a wide variety of topics from crocheting to community organizing. In this moment of division in our society, Dream Action Factory challenges us to come together with renewed urgency. Over the course of the series, make time and space for dialogue and for finding, amongst our many threads of identity, our common social fabric.