Class Report
Art Deployment Systems - Learning Crafty Ways to Make DC More Artful
I’m pretty terrible at most crafts, and don’t have the attention span to complete much of anything beyond a small 1990s summer-camp-style craft project involving gimp (not the software, but the plastic craft lacing). Yet I had confidence, and I thought that Knowledge Commons’ class on Wheatpasting and Yarnbombing would be just at the right level for me, despite my lack of attention span (and yes I know I will never be on par with the crocheting prowess of Olek) and pretty terrible previous experiments in art.
Anthony Dihle of Fire Studio and the Pleasant Plains Workshop led us first in learning the act of wheatpasting posters. Some of the important advice both teachers offered was when they would do their form of art deployment (which for both was during the day, and with friends). We also took deep breaths and filled our lungs with fresh smell of wheatpaste, as you can see below. We then learned how to mix the paste and ended the class by posting a poster up outside.
In our class we also learned from Amanda Leslie how to crochet thanks to supplies and help from our friends at Scrap DC. We were encouraged to yarnbomb the city following the class, and well my friends and I attempted to make a joint piece, adding some color to Columbia Heights (although I reverted to knitting because to me crocheting was tricky, the one needle “tripped me up” so to say). Amanda suggested using Youtube as a way to find more tips and instructions on becoming a crochet master.
Props to the real artists of the evening Anthony and Amanda, who led us in our learning and hopeful attempts at artistry!
Erika Rydberg, a D.C. transplant from the northernly lands of Boston, got involved with Knowledge Commons DC after an awesome experience in a Brookline, Mass., community skillshare during her college days. By day she works at a library and by night she can be found performing poetry, listening to music, or cooking copious amounts of vegetarian food.