Learn Traditional Japanese Fabric Art

For over 200 years, Japanese artisans have practiced delicately folding small squares of cloth to create elegant sculptures inspired by the beauty of nature. These sculptures created through the process known as “Tsumami zaiku” have adorned elaborate hair pieces that match kimonos and are still worn to annual festivals, coming of age celebrations and weddings.  The term “Tsumami” means to “pinch” and the process for making petals, flowers, birds, etc is similar to folding origami paper.  Renee Johnson, local fiber artist, has spent years studying and practicing Tsumai zaiku and has even gone on to become a certified instructor from the International Tsumami Zaiku Association. As part of our fall programming highlighting the influence of traditional Japanese craft, Renee hopes to share this beautiful artform and help preserve the tradition in maybe an unexpected place, upstate NY!  In this workshop you will learn how to create your own tsumami floral hairpiece using traditional paste an