Pedagogy of Fiber: An Arts-based Autoethnographic Study into the Queer Praxis of Textile Education
Open Access
Author:
Danner, Ian
Graduate Program:
Art Education
Degree:
Master of Science
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
June 10, 2024
Committee Members:
Karen Keifer-Boyd, Program Head/Chair Karen Treat Keifer-Boyd, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Kimberly Anne Powell, Committee Member Ann Holt, Committee Member Justine F Lindemann, Committee Member
Keywords:
Pedagogy of Fiber Textile Education Art Education Craft Fibercraft Felt Autoethnography Self-study Arts-based Research Queer Feminism Community Engagement
Abstract:
In this autoethnographic study, I investigated the entangled positionality of my identity as a queer person to my tactile and emotional relationship with fibrous materials and processes, my role in the classroom as an arts educator, and my studio practice as a textile artist and designer. This study aims to generate an operational definition of the coined, Pedagogy of Fiber through my teaching, studio practice, and a literature review of how other educators have enacted fibercraft pedagogies. Through sharing personal narratives where my queer identity was informed by engaging with materials and through fibercraft processes, I argue for the importance of enacting a Pedagogy of Fiber in educational environments to support queer community-building and implement queer/feminist practices in textile education toward the emerging actualization of self.
