Join artist Dr. Jaleesa Wells for a hands-on fabric-strip weaving workshop connecting contemporary textile-making, Black American textile history, and the intertwined stories of Berea, Kentucky, and Camp Nelson. Using archival images from Berea College Archives printed on cotton muslin and the artist’s custom hand-dyed cotton canvas fabric, participants will create individual handwoven artworks that bring the past and the present into conversation.

Through cloth, color, and historical imagery, the workshop invites participants to reflect on Black Americans’ contributions to military service during the Civil War, the pursuit of freedom and self-determination, and the importance of Camp Nelson’s United States Colored Troops veterans and their families in establishing and shaping Berea’s community in the past and today. This workshop offers a hands-on way to engage with these histories and consider how they are remembered.

This is a free event. All materials are provided.

Participants will leave with completed artworks.