Sandy Drobny

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Learn to weave cloth using alternative materials such as recycled plastic shopping bags, caution tape, kitchen sponges, and other household items. Participants will be able to take turns weaving on a table loom, using a variety of interesting materials of their choice.

My background is in textile design and weaving, with an emphasis on art to wear. In recent years, my work has veered away from traditional weaving in favor of using alternative materials and techniques. The woven fabrics I create now have more in common with the recycling bin and trash heap than with the yarn store. I weave cloth using recycled elements as diverse as plastic shopping bags, caution tape, cornhusks, and inner tubes. Ordinary items such as shower curtains, rubber gloves, kitchen sponges, and hair curlers are used as ingredients for construction.

I am currently producing a body of work based on the garment shape of an apron, making reference to perceived notions of womens work. Both functional and symbolic, the apron form is used as a template or canvas on which to project current issues or variations on cultural themes. The work reflects a sense of humor and whimsy with an undercurrent of serious content.

The waste stream is incredibly deep and wide. People throw away mountains of perfectly useable items every day. Through my work, I hope to empower people to consider innovative ways of dealing with their discards, helping them to look at the garbage pile as a new source of artistic materials and endless possibilities.

Picture: Corazon Tejido and Ramona 2004
Fabric woven with plasic bags, caution tape, corn husks, & yarn Loteria card, plastic tarp, nylon webbing, plastic strawberries, wire

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