Barrett

Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.

Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.

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The Fiber of Humanity

Description
The goal of this creative project was to create a weaving from raw materials. With the mass-production of modern textiles, the skills and traditions of fiber artistry have seemingly become irrelevant. The scope of fiber artistry is vastly diminished from its historical position; and yet, it still carries a great…

The goal of this creative project was to create a weaving from raw materials. With the mass-production of modern textiles, the skills and traditions of fiber artistry have seemingly become irrelevant. The scope of fiber artistry is vastly diminished from its historical position; and yet, it still carries a great weight of cultural significance. When working with fibers, one draws upon a history that spans all cultures and the majority of human history (all of human history, excluding approximately the past 150 years of mass-manufactured fibers). This project encompassed each step of the textile production process, from cleaning raw wool, to spinning yarn, to weaving on a loom. The curveball: this project was undertaken with almost none of the essential skills. Consequently, there were many errors and mistakes, and production was frequently derailed and scaled back. These mistakes are documented in photos and videos, so that others who endeavor to learn fiber artistry may avoid these errors, and additionally heed this warning: ask for help early and often. The true value of handmade fiber arts is developed through the maintenance of tradition and sharing new skills with other people. Fiber art communities and the personal maintenance of technical skills allow us to keep a special connection to the past and to the arts. This project was a success in that it produced a valuable learning resource and allowed me to develop my skills in several fields of fiber artistry, while also providing me with a difficult lesson about when to ask for guidance and counseling.
ContributorsWeary, Martina (Author) / Hanson, Erika (Thesis director) / Hensel, Camille (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12