Making to mirror the flexibility and resilience in the queer community, to shield oneself from danger, to traverse physical transformation. These are just some of the notions the artists in this session explore to contend with, celebrate, and expand their understanding of what it means – like craft – to exist at the margins. Their laborious techniques demand a sleight of hand they have taken years to hone. Their choice to interlock, interlace, and push needles through cloth is a proclamation for who they are and the culture they belong to. Through presentations on their work, Brandi Cheyenne Harper, LJ Roberts, and Made in the Moment will share how they navigate their queer identity through their chosen craft traditions.
Meet The Speakers
Brandi Cheyenne Harper is an interdisciplinary artist and knitting guide living in Brooklyn, NY. They write books on how to create protective, futurist handmade knits informed by Black, queer, and feminist theory. Harper’s hope is to empower people to build the most joyous and restful life of their imagination, using knitting as a tool for liberation and community connection. Harper’s debut book Knitting for Radical Self-Care: A Modern Guide was published by Abrams Books in 2022
Made in the Moment (they/them) is a Boston based knitter, crocheter, and Youtuber. They’ve been designing and releasing crochet and knitwear patterns for several years with a particular focus on gender and size inclusive designs. They have also spent the last 6 months researching and producing videos on the various dramas that occur in the crafting world. In their free time they draw, take care of their plants, rock climb, and go on long walks.
LJ Roberts is an artist and writer who creates large-scale textile installations, intricate embroideries, artist books, collages, and mixed-media sculptures. Their work illuminates oft-erased and unacknowledged queer and trans narratives, people, and places. The artist creates conceptual and geographical maps of queer life of the past, present, and future through material deviance and re-imaging craft practices. Roberts has exhibited work at institutions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Academy of Design, FLAG Art Foundation, Brooklyn Museum, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, and Toledo Museum of Art. LJ received The White House Champions of Change Award for LGBTQI+ artists in 2015 and the Women’s Caucus for Art President’s Award for Art and Activism in 2019 and BRIC’s Colene Brown Art Prize in 2022. Their first solo show in New York City, Carry You With Me: Ten Years of Portraits was exhibited at Pioneer Works in fall of 2021 and traveled to Cantor Center for the Arts at Stanford University. Their work is currently on view at the Barbican Centre in London and this summer their light box installation, Stormé at Stonewall, will be featured at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. LJ Roberts is represented by Hales, London and New York.
*All Lectures in this series will be guest moderated by artist, educator, and cultural worker, Pato Hebert.
Dates & Times
Queering The Loom – Wednesday, June 26th, 2024, 5 – 6:45 pm ET
‘Crafting’ Queer Identity – Thursday, July 18th, 2024, 5 – 6:30 pm ET
Fashion as Performance – Wednesday, July 24th, 2024, 5 – 6:30 pm ET
Location
Zoom, a link will be send to participants the day before each lecture
Recording
All sessions will be recorded. Following the live session, a link to each recording will be emailed to all those who register. Each recording will be available for one month following the live session.
Tuition
Tickets for this event are sold on a sliding scale beginning at $15 with a suggested donation of $25, but if you wish to pay less or more than the suggested donation, you may select a different amount from the drop down menu. As always, we are grateful for your support, which ensures the continuation and preservation of textile knowledge. Thank you for making this series possible.
Tatter Library is a registered 501(c)3. Our speaker series is part of our community programming and proceeds support the continued success of our talks with artists, scholars, and historians we admire. For this event, all ticket proceeds will go towards keeping this series alive.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available for the full series. Please email [email protected] to request the scholarship application form.
Images in order of appearance:
Brandi Cheyenne Harper, The Dawn Cowl inspired by Octavia Butler from Knitting for Radical Self-Care: A Modern Guide by Brandi Cheyenne Harper, 2021
Made in the Moment, Duck Sweater, 2022
LJ Roberts, Carry You With Me: Ten Years of Portraits, 2021
