This class will introduce the technique of Blackwork Embroidery from historical practice to contemporary artistic expression. Looking at artworks and physical samples, we will begin by examining early blackwork practices from North Africa and their subsequent historical journey into Spain and across Europe. We will unpack the geometric artistry of the technique and the variations of mark making through thread quantity, material, and stitch. During the workshop, students will have the opportunity to create an original sample.

Dates
Thursday, March 9th, 2023

Time
12pm – 2:30pm EST

Location
Zoom, a link will be send to participants the day before class

Cost
$60 for the individual class, $350 for the series

*This session will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to all those who register following the live session. This link is live for one month for you to watch at your convenience.

CLASS MATERIALS

• Black DMC cotton floss
• Black tapestry wool
• A piece of Aida cloth in size 12 or 14 ,any color, any size yardage, but at least a 6 x 6 inch surface    
• Marking pen/pencil
• Scissors
• Optional: Gold thread, black silk thread, black thread in a variety of thicknesses, black ribbon, embroidery hoop

OUR TEACHER
Denise Maroney

Irish-Lebanese-American by birth, and raised between New York City and Japan, Denise Maroney’s eclectic cultural background inspires and reflects her cross-cultural projects around the globe as a textile designer, curator, and professor.

Maroney began her career in theatre working in New York City as a costume designer, and later as the founder and producer of The (B)IM Project, a non-profit theatre company that brought Lebanese and American artists together to create original work and perform in site-specific locations across Lebanon. Living in the Middle East drew her attention to the arts and crafts practiced in the region

Interest in the intersection between culture, art, textiles, and craftmanship led her to pursue an MFA in Textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design, supplementing her studies with embroidery courses at Atelier Lesage (France) and the Textile Research Centre (Holland). Upon graduating, she spent a year working for The
Mitchell Denburg Collection, an artisanal weaving mill and artist residency located in Antigua, Guatemala. The cross-cultural parallels found in textile making in Mesoamerica and the Middle East- and communities across the world- continue to inspire and guide her design work and research, especially as a professor at the SUNY
Fashion Institute of Technology (NYC), Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (Lebanon) and the Textile Arts Center (NYC).

Currently, Maroney is based in New York City, and works as the manager of embroidery for Lingua Franca, a bespoke design house specialized in hand embroidered garments.