This workshop is open to participants ages 15 and up. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Basic hand-stitching skills are helpful but not required.

This workshop will begin with a brief walkthrough of the Elana Herzog exhibition to consider how the Brooklyn-based artist (re)uses fabric and textiles in contemporary art. Participants will then proceed to an art-making space for an immersive, hands-on workshop, led by Toronto-based artist Rachel Miller. They will explore the fascinating technique of rust dyeing and mark-making on textiles. Using rusted metal objects, the natural process of iron oxidation — initiated by air, moisture, and time — creates compelling, organic marks on fabric. Through binding, stitching and shaping, participants will create unique, exploratory pieces that reflect personal expression and the beauty of the process.

Rachel Miller is an artist, educator, design consultant, and researcher from New York, now based in Toronto. Through sculpture, installation, performance, textiles, and garment, Miller’s interdisciplinary works reveal how the body and environment might overlap, conceal, and integrate – creating frameworks for growth, regeneration, and narratives of coexistence. She is currently a Professor (and former Department Head) in the Textiles Department, Craft & Design Program, Sheridan College. Miller received her BFA from the University of the Arts and MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Registration: $35