Fiber

The Fiber department is comprised of intensive studio work, critiques, seminar discussions, research projects, visiting artist lectures, and travel. Weekly critiques establish a critical dialogue that encourages in-depth examination and questioning, considering both material concerns and larger questions about the field of fiber. Critique is a central part of the program and the multidisciplinary approach within the department builds an awareness of contemporary issues and historic precedents.

Seminar discussions address contemporary issues to provide a greater context for framing our work while supporting and challenging each student’s exploration. Each Fall the seminar focuses on a series of readings, selected by the Artist-in-Residence and the students, and in the spring the focus shifts to professional practices to prepare for life as a professional artist, designer, or craftsperson. Seminar discussions and critiques are complemented by regular studio visits with the Artist-in-Residence to discuss the development of their work. 

Walking in the hallway between the Fiber students’ studio spaces you notice the sounds of making, find small groups of people in conversation about a recent lecture or critique, and notice work appearing, growing, and changing. People walk back and forth from their studio spaces to the communal spaces at the other end of the department carrying dyed, printed, and built things in various states of process and form. It is a dynamic environment that supports each artist’s unique practice and reveals the interpersonal dynamics of a respectful community.  

The Artist-in-Residence’s studio is at the intersection of the student studios and the communal workspaces in the Fiber department, and the kitchen is the social heart of the department. 

In addition to seminar discussions, critiques, and one-on-one meetings we host several visiting artists each year and travel locally to see collections, exhibitions, and lectures, and beyond Detroit to experience the way the arts are valued and involved in other communities. We have traveled to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Havana, New York, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, Chicago, and more. Travel is an important way to build department conversations and expand our ideas about how art fits into our lives and the culture around us.