Conceptual Materials Social Practice Artist
Discover the magic of materiality in my Textile Alchemy workshop! Learn to transform found and upcycled materials into stunning textile creations.
Embrace zero-waste creativity and innovation while seeing material in a new way. Finally use the art material you have been holding on to—sign up now and craft something extraordinary!
Textile Alchemy with Theda Sandiford
Saturday, March 8 + Saturday, March 15 with a midweek meetup
Take a virtual workshop with me. Learn new skills and techniques, get inspired, and find ways to apply what you learn to your current studio practice.
Receive 10% off when you register by December 15, 2024 with promo code EARLYBIRD
Interested in taking more than one workshop? Use code WORKSHOPS15 for 15% your total when you register for more than one workshop.
“Textile Alchemy” is an engaging and innovative workshop that combines the exploration of different environments—beaches, urban areas, and even our own closets—to source unique materials for textile art. Participants will learn how to source and creatively utilize found and upcycled materials from diverse environments to craft meaningful and sustainable textile pieces. The workshop emphasizes sustainability, resourcefulness, and innovation, encouraging participants to find artistic potential in the most unexpected places. By embracing a zero-waste philosophy, this workshop invites participants to turn what might be considered “waste” into “wonder.”
| LEARN & MAKE WITH SDA, PART 2 Textile Talk With Lisa Klakulak, Theda Sandiford, Maggie Hensel-Brown, and Youngmin Lee Wednesday, November 20, 2pm EST (convert time zone) |
| Spanning across media and disciplines, Surface Design Association is proud to present its Spring 2025 online workshop series! Join in to hear from four workshop instructors, Lisa Klaulak on wet felting, Theda Sandiford on incorporating found and upcycled materials into textiles, Maggie Hensel-Brown on lacemaking, and Youngmin Lee on bojagi. Help us celebrate the many techniques and materials used in the field of fiber arts and get a sneak peek at SDA’s 2025 workshops! REGISTER NOW |
Take a virtual workshop with me.
Textile Alchemy with Theda Sandiford
Saturday, March 8 + Saturday, March 15 with a midweek meetup
“Textile Alchemy” is an engaging and innovative workshop that combines the exploration of different environments—beaches, urban areas, and even our own closets—to source unique materials for textile art. Participants will learn how to source and creatively utilize found and upcycled materials from diverse environments to craft meaningful and sustainable textile pieces. The workshop emphasizes sustainability, resourcefulness, and innovation, encouraging participants to find artistic potential in the most unexpected places. By embracing a zero-waste philosophy, this workshop invites participants to turn what might be considered “waste” into “wonder.”
Im so pleased to share that, The Great Resignation Emotional Baggage Cart is featured in the Fall 2024 Surface Design Journal: Embrace: Expect the Unexpected, SDA International Exhibition in Print!
Exhibition Dates: August 1- December 15
Location: Peeler Art Center at DePauw University; 204 E. Seminary St., Greencastle IN
Exhibition Dates: June 7 – August 30
Opening Reception: June 7, 5:00-9:00 pm
Location: Delaware Contemporary; 200 S Madison St, Wilmington, DE
Dates: May 17 – September 20
Location: Touchstone Center for Crafts; 1049 Sr2003, Farmington, PA
Opening Reception: May 19th 2:00-4:00pm
Exhibition Dates: May 19, 2024 – September 2, 2024
Location: Hunterdon Art Museum, 7 Lower Center St, Clinton, NJ
Dates: September 13-27
Location: Touchstone Center for Crafts; 1049 Sr2003, Farmington, PA
Date: October 21
Location: Chelsea Factory 547 West 26th Street
Dates: October
Location: In Print
Dates: November 6- 9
Location: Albuquerque NM
Dates: November 12-17
Location: Zoom
January 27 – February 3, 2024
How does the synergy of collective creativity influence your artistic approach? In what ways do you derive inspiration from your creative community?
SDA’s upcoming online conference in 2024, titled “Parallel Play,” aspires to construct a communal environment where the confluence of individual artistic perspectives and collaborative creativity can be thoroughly explored.
Engage with fellow creators to investigate the transformative power of cross-disciplinary interactions, diverse interpretations, and shared discoveries in shaping innovative thought processes.
Immerse yourself in a week-long experience featuring presentations by esteemed speakers Ruth E. Carter and Nnenna Okore, accompanied by over 15 hours of diverse programming.
I will be participating as the conference as Artist in Residence with open studio hours on
Please register through SDA’s website. The conference will be held over Zoom and will be recorded and available to attendees until the end of March 2024.
Exhibition Dates: June 2- July 23
Textile Talk Virtual Program – June 21, 2023
Location: 108 Contemporary; 108 E Reconciliation Way Tulsa OK
What happens when vintage silk ties and woven onto a metal dress form and adorned with a zip tie blanket tunic… protection from the patriarchy.
Held in partnership with 108|Contemporary, Safekeeping, SDA’s 2023 member exhibition, celebrates diverse works that push the evolution of textiles through the use of color, design, process, material, and concept. Juror Anita Fields, selected 42 artworks from more than 375 submissions. From zip ties (thats me!) to native prairie grasses, the exhibition incorporates a stunning range of materials to explore the concept of “safekeeping.” There are 40 artists included in the exhibition representing 26 states across the U.S. as well as three international artists.
See the show Online HERE
If you are in Tulsa OK, the exhibition is on display at 108 Contemporary; 108 E. Reconciliation WayTulsa, OK through July 23, 2023.
I am so grateful to have my bottlecap pony bead braids included in Surface Design Association Spring 2023 online exhibition. Take a look at all the fantastic work included in the show.
Afterlives, our Spring 2023 Selections Online Exhibition, features artists who consider an artwork’s lifespan before and beyond the moment of creation. Whether material or conceptual, their artistic transformations foreground lived experiences including migration, childhood, disability, and climate anxiety. These artists pull us in close and invite us to connect through shared identities or empathize with those outside our own.
– Destini Ross (she/they), Guest Curator
