In October 2024 I delivered a talk at the Textile Society of America’s annual symposium. I was subsequently invited to submit a paper for the proceedings, followed by the peer-reviewed Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice.

The article was published January 2026 and marked a shift in my orientation from a social practice artist to also being an independent researcher.

From the abstract:

Regenerative agriculture champion Fibershed embraces and gives voice to the fullness of textile paradigms, economies, societies, ecologies, and skill tradition; seeks to address and rectify the failures and promises of textile making and textile futures; and promotes healthy, holistic wellbeing.

Whether we identify as a textile artist, craftsperson, designer, student, producer, collector, or enthusiast, we must radically alter our understanding of where our textiles come from, how they are made, who made them, under what conditions, and where they go when we are “done” with them.

To build a livable future we must extend the spaces in which we are critiquing and rewriting textile history, practicing textile-based skills, understanding and exploring material, and confronting textiles’ attendant ecological, political, economic, and social impacts.