As an educator and artist, my research endeavors highlight environmental, socio-cultural, and political concerns. Through such topics as textiles, cultural identity, and the design process, I have devised research projects for my courses that enhance both student learning and raise a level of awareness regarding controversial human-interest topics within the art community.
Utilizing the Apparel Cottage Industry in Malawi, Africa, to Manufacture an Apparel Collection for the American Market
Fabric Farm STEAM
Through the Fabric Farm STEAM project, fashion students address environmental concerns related to textiles, fabric degradation, and the soil. This interdisciplinary study is an excellent vehicle for developing research skills. In recent years, textiles undergraduates have engaged in a collaborative project with the Biology Department at Morehouse College. They utilized the scientific method to study fabric degradation as affected by environmental conditions and soil composition. For fashion students, the research project has allowed them to look beyond fashion simply as a wearable entity, but to make connections between textiles and societal concerns.
Bioculture fashion
My textiles students participated in a cross-disciplinary STEAM research initiative. The study involved producing an eco-friendly garment made from a bio-culture material which would aid in combating environmental pollution caused by the processes utilized in the manufacturing of textiles during the production of apparel. The research was significant in that the fashion industry is considered the second most polluting industry worldwide. Fashion designers and scientists have collaborated by experimenting with the Kombucha tea “SCOBY” to produce a sustainable textile for manufacturing apparel. CAU Textiles students utilized the bio-culture material by designing and manufacturing a garment that won first place under the Creative category for CAU's Annual CURC Symposium open to the AUC community.