African Namji Dolls with WIP Nathasha Brooks-Harris

In this workshop, we will be hand sewing an African Namji Doll. The doll will be made of fabric and yarn and adorned with cowrie shells, jewelry pieces and glass stringed beads. The doll will be mounted on a wooden stand when complete. *While the WIP workshop goes until 6pm, you are very welcome to continue working during TAC open studio until 9pm.*

Learn a bit more about April WIP Nathasha Brooks Harris, sign up for the TAC Newsletter!

Artist statement:

My artwork is rooted in visual storytelling using textiles and mixed media. My work deals with social and historical issues about the Black experience throughout the global African diaspora. My vision is to provide advocacy through art and to inspire and motivate viewers to make positive changes in their lives. My goal is for viewers to experience my work, be emotionally moved, and live vicariously through it.

My process of making is intuitive, and I let the art take me wherever it will. I don’t let rules define or confine my process and leave fabric edges raw, embrace fraying, and sew big stitches. The main techniques used in my work are raw-edge appliqué, fabric collage, mixed media, embroidery, surface design, and soft sculpture, specifically in my doll art.

The color story in my work is bright and vibrant, and it explodes with excitement and rhythm. I let the process guide me and that takes me to the soul of a given piece.

Bio:

Nathasha Brooks-Harris enjoys telling stories in fabric and words. Her training in the Elder Craftsmen program and studying with an array of dollmaking and quilting teachers, including Helen Layfield, Elinor Peace Bailey, Susanna Oroyan, Sherry Goshon, Lesley O’Leary and others, prepared her for this artistic journey.

Brooks-Harris is the author of several romance novels and hundreds of short stories, as well as was formerly a magazine editor and entertainment journalist. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Writing, Art Appreciation, and Human Services classes.

Brooks-Harris holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University, a Master of Science in Urban Studies from Queens College, and a PhD in Public Administration from Walden University. In her spare time, she attends art programs for older adults, as well as teaches various fiber arts classes to senior citizens.

(WIP) residency is a behind the scenes look into the studio practice of contemporary artists and designers, that engages a dialogue surrounding innovation in the field of textiles.

Host or Publisher Textile Arts Center