Not Just Needlework
When my high school stu- dents explored the work of artist Teri Greeves, they accomplished several good things. They learned about
a living contemporary artist and saw
the potential of art as a pursuit that is
pleasurable and potentially profitable.
During studio work, students tried
new needlework techniques to add to
their toolbox of art media. Finally, the
classes produced an interesting array
of works based on their individual
choices and experiments.
Amy Albert Bloom
Teri Greeves and Craft in America
I was fortunate to work with the team
that developed lesson plans for the
Craft in America series on PBS. That
was my introduction to Teri Greeves.
When I had the chance to road test the
lesson, the DVD captured the interest
of my students because Greeves’ work
is so stunning. A pair of basketball
shoes, totally covered in beadwork,
elicited “oohs” and “aahs” from this
critical audience.
And Greeves is an interesting
speaker. She points out that the spots
of blood on the deer hides she uses are
a reminder of the animal’s spirit. She
compares the Kiowa Sunboyz mythic
heroes to the comic-book superhero
Spiderman. Comments like these
grabbed the attention of the class.
After talking about the DVD, we used
the worksheets from the online lesson
plan to explore ways that garments
can signify identity and membership in a group, in the same way that
Greeves’ creations for her family are
worn to signify heritage at powwows.
Generating Ideas
Students considered groups they
belong to and garments worn by those
groups, such as family, sports team,
ethnic, religious, and subcultures
within school. They began to sketch
ideas for a motif that would represent
their chosen group. In the midst of
this initial designing, I demonstrated
needlework techniques so students
could imagine how their artwork
might look. Showing students the
materials gathered for the project also
helped them envision potential color
and fabric combinations.
I collected old blue
jeans from thrift
stores and cut
them into varying
sizes of patches,
including some
with pockets. I
cut some sections
straight across the
legs so they could be
easily sewn into bags
by stitching one end
closed. I purchased a
variety of seed beads
and sequins, embroi-
dery flosses, packs
of needles with large
eyes for embroidery
floss, and fine needles
to fit through beads.
Fabric scraps with
felt, patterned cot-
tons, and notions
including buttons
and Velcro were avail-
able for use as well. I
showed how to sew
with beads and sequins and how to do
several simple embroidery stitches,
with the warning that students should
not pull the stitches too tightly to
avoid pulling the fabric and making
wrinkles.
