Artist Residency Program with Doris Florig

In conjunction with our summer community exhibition, A Conceptual Thread, the Museum is hosting a mini artist-in-residence program with fiber artist Doris Florig, an artist featured in the exhibit. During the residency, Florig will demonstrate tapestry weaving and speak with visitors about her methods and materials. The residency will take place Monday, July 7, through Friday, July 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Sullivan Hall. Each day, Florig will weave her tapestry inspired by the Absaroka Mountain Range, while inviting visitors to ask questions. Her program will be inclusive of all ages and is free to visitors with an admission ticket or Museum membership. 

There will also be an opportunity for visitors to contribute to Florig’s “Mother Tree” project. The “Mother Tree” is a collaborative, ongoing project of people working together, engaging in fiber arts while learning to protect and care for forests. Visitors are encouraged to engage in tactile experiences such as weaving, needle felting, spinning, and poetry to contribute to the “Mother Tree.” During her residency at the Museum, visitors will create a panel of the tree trunk that will eventually be stitched to other trunk panels to create the large cohesive “tree” relief sculpture.  

Schedule of residency: 

Monday, Day 1: Weaving People Together – An introduction to Florig’s “Mother Tree” project. The project, made of various fiber arts, is a communally made artwork. Visitors will be invited to add different elements to the “Mother Tree.” 

Tuesday, Day 2: Needle Felting Experience – Needle felting is a fiber art process where wool fibers are intermeshed using a special kind of needle. Visitors will learn how to make felted pinecones and wool branches to be added onto the “Mother Tree.”

Wednesday, Day 3: Finger Weaving – Finger weaving is a type of textile art that does not require any loom, needles, or hooks. It is an Indigenous practice of the Pacific Northwest and New Zealand. Visitors will learn this technique and then add their creations to the “Mother Tree.”

Thursday, Day 4: Spinning and Poetry in collaboration with Matt Daly of Jackson Hole Writers – Visitors will learn how to twist raw fibers into yarn using a drop spindle. Matt Daly will give a reading of his poem about the “Mother Tree” and provide visitors with a woven poem prompt to respond to the “Mother Tree.”

Friday, Day 5: Guided walk through A Conceptual Thread – Florig will give a guided tour of the exhibition, giving visitors insight into the different techniques the artists used to create these works of art. Public tours will be 30 minutes long starting at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m.

About the artist: 

Doris Florig began a lifelong quest seeking out people with a cultural history of textile arts starting in the early 70s. Through travel, teaching, and exhibiting, her weaving art skills have evolved like our changing environment. With a focus on Plein Air, Doris weaves people and nature together.