60-445 Advanced SIS: Intro to Weaving

10 units, Carnegie Mellon University

Learn ways of weaving in the spacious Fibers Studio Loft at Contemporary Craft! Throughout this course, students will learn some technologies of weaving with a primary focus on the use of multi-harness floor looms. After a basic introduction to the mechanics of a loom, we will follow the question, "what will the cloth do?" as students learn to design, develop, draft and create individualized projects. Together, we will learn to read aspects of cloth, discovering patterns and design among the interlacements, while considering histories, meanings, and possibilities. We will also look to the work of contemporary weavers—and weavers past—as well as read historic, modern, and contemporary thinkers to broaden our conversation beyond the studio walls. Weaving can become many things—the source of a poem, the creation of community, the substrate of a painting, a garment, a cloth, a sculptural form, an image, and beyond. This course will be a serious and joyful exploration of the craft. Note: this course will take place off-campus in the Contemporary Craft Timmons Studios, located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Prerequisites: 60-443 or 60-233

Offered: Fall 2025

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