Claire Schagerl
Technician, Interdisciplinary
Bio
Why does Claire work in art and design education? Where else is she going to find a community engaged in such vital and generative work? This field literally teaches how to take ideas, consider their impact, and make them happen. This is practical, real world stuff, and incredibly energizing to be around.
Research Interests
Claire spends half her time in the Soft Shop, ECU's textiles studio, where she works with students across disciplines to support their sewing and textile-based projects, and the other half working for Continuing Studies, where she prepares supplies and equipment for our non-degree classes. She loves the variety and the need to be nimble. She loves that she gets to use organizational skills and listen and work with people to problem solve material questions and share hands-on, applied skills. Making things by hand embodies Claire's understanding of what it means to be human. It's how she processes thoughts, feelings and ideas big and small. Mostly, she cuts things up and put them back together again, as a way of seeing patterns and opening up new spaces for personal and social change, and as a way to consider acts of labour. Claire works mostly with secondhand fabric, found materials, paper, ink, paint. Lately she has been making objects that bring comfort - quilts, toys - and considering the role textiles play in grief. She makes her own clothing. Claire spends a lot of time exploring outside, and the natural world figures often in her work.