Connecting Hand and Heart: Textile, Mindfulness and Creative Expression with Megumi Shauna Arai

Spring is a time for blossoming. What better way to celebrate this inspiring time of year than to invest in your own creative expression? Join textile artist Megumi Shauna Arai in a 4 part course to experiment and uncover the potential of coordinating mind and body in an effort to awaken parts of your creativity yet to be discovered. Megumi will cover the history of communal making and piecework traditions in a lecture and give instructions in technique. She will support each participant in making a unique piece over the course of the workshop series. Each of the first 3 sessions will begin with a movement or mindfulness exercise led by a special guest practitioner. We will have a  guided sitting meditation led by Suanny of Casa Finca, an active meditation with tea from the Qi, and a movement meditation as we explore what quieting the mind and activating our body awareness does for our creative expression. The final 4th meeting will be a celebration culminating the course with a showing of the pieces in the space.

Price: $650

Where: 435 South 5th Street, BK NY 11211. STUDIO #1

 Materials we will provide: 

Fabric: A selection of fabric- cotton, linen and silk plain and patterned plus scraps and remnants from Cara Piazza & Megumi Shauna Arai natural dye collection. 

Sashiko needles by Tulip

100% Sashiko thread from Japan

Chalk triangle by Clover

Pins, Scissors, Stencils, Tracing paper, books from both Megumi and Cara’s collections/libraries for inspiration

You can bring: This course is for all skill levels. If you have particular materials that you would like to include in your work or tools you prefer to use, bring what excites you!

You will leave with:

One unique art work culminating the experience of the course. This artwork will be developed with the guidance of the instructor and each participant’s creativity leading the process.

Experience of dedicating time and energy to creative practice and benefits of mindfulness activities.

Feedback and support in a creative community from instructors and fellow participants.

Knowledge and practice of patchwork techniques

Knowledge and practice of 3 mindfulness modalities 

Schedule

Sunday, April 21st   1 - 4pm

1-1:30: Introductions &  intention setting

1:30-2:30: Sitting meditation with Suanny of Casa Finca

2:30 -4:  Collective making history and piecework traditions lecture led by Megumi and technique share demonstration.

Patchwork techniques discussed in Megumi’s lecture, Boro, Pojagi, Kantha and Appliqué will be demonstrated.

Sunday, May 5th 1 - 4pm

1 - 1:30pm: Tea meditation with tea by the Qi

2-4pm: Participants will begin work on their project and have one on one meeting time with Megumi to ask questions, talk through their concepts and receive feedback.

Sunday, May 19th 1 - 4pm

1-2pm: Movement meditation with Cherrie Yu 

2-4pm: We will work on projects, short check in with Megumi, discuss installation for the following week's work showcase celebration.

Please deliver artwork for installation by Saturday the 25th ** You can coordinate with Cara for drop off. 

Sunday, May 26th 1 - 4pm

Open celebration and Work Share with drink and flowers by FDK Florals. Please invite friends, family, your community.

Megumi Shauna Arai (b. 1989) is an artist based in New York City. Her practice is inspired by abstraction, craft, and the experience of betweenness with a particular interest in literal and metaphorical borders and the notion of belonging. Recent exhibitions include A Summer Arrangement: Object & Thing at LongHouse (2023), The Third Kind, Curated by Lola Kramer & Loup Sarion, Management Gallery (2023), Object & Thing at Madoo: Megumi Shauna Arai and Frances Palmer (2022), At The Noyes House: Blum & Poe, Mendes Wood DM and Object & Thing (2020), Lore: Reimagined, Wing Luke Museum (2018) and Midst, Jacob Lawrence Gallery (2018). She has been awarded residencies in Japan, Ireland, Italy, Washington, Maine, and California, including Headlands Center for the Arts (2023). She recently completed a socially engaged project with elders in the East Village in partnership with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in 2023. She is represented by gallery Object & Thing.