Fiber Arts in Ireland: Using Art to Raise Awarenss of Enviornmental Destruction

Schimmel/Conrades Science Center 167

The fashion and textile industry is one of the largest contributors to waste on the globe today. Most of the materials used in production practices are dangerous to the ecosystem, thus in our art we use the sustainable medium of wool as a solution. Additionally, we can use an environmentally safe alternative to chemical dyeing, a process called eco-printing. We were introduced to this in our work with fibers in the OWU Fine Arts department Professor Cynthia Cetlin’s Honors Fiber Seminar. With the generous help of Professor Cetlin, Professor Jonathan C. Quick, and Professor Carol Neuman de Vegvar, we were able to travel to Ireland in order to continue our research. While there we studied in a private art workshop under internationally-known fiber artist, Nicola Brown. We used fibers to create sculptural art objects, decorative pieces, and wearable art, all while maintaining sustainable and ecologically oriented practices. By presenting our work and displaying the art objects that we have created, we hope that viewers can become more aware of the issues and become informed, conscientious buyers, and as consumers can begin to wield their dollar-influence to change the focus of the fashion and art industry towards sustainability, environmental protection and responsible production.