Mallory Zondag . Exploring Fiber Arts

Program Description

The Living Wall is a community based, collaborative art program that focuses on the hands-on art of wet felting. During this program students learn a variety of felting techniques to experience how wool can be sculpted and painted with to create three dimensional forms, patterns and unique fiber creations.
Over the course of three to five sessions, participating classes will learn to wet felt flowers, mushrooms, leaves, stones and vines using different hands on felting techniques. They range from techniques that are purely hand based, meaning no extra tools are needed, to techniques that require felting mats that are provided by myself, the teaching artist. Those felted pieces of flora and fauna are then added to one large piece of background felt to create the look and feel of a living wall. It is an organically textured quilt made entirely of felted wool. The final piece will be hung at the school in the location of the schools choosing.
The living wall is meant to be a reminder of how important green spaces are to human beings, how important our environment is and how we need nature in our lives to be healthy and happy. It serves as a lesson in using, understanding and appreciating natural fibers, as well as learning about the sustainability of wool. It is also a symbol of community and the beauty of working together to create one beautiful piece of work. In the same way an ecosystem has many individual elements that work together in harmony to create beautiful natural spaces and systems that benefit us all.