One of the most popular arts at Putney is fiber arts, where students learn to work with textiles, doing everything from weaving fabric to sewing their own clothing to felting miniature sculptures. I’ve been working in the fiber arts studio since my junior winter, and since I started I have been interested in creating a piece that many people could work on.

For project week I decided to set up a loom on which anyone who wanted to could come and weave part of a rug. I really enjoy collaborative art pieces, mostly because it gives observers the opportunity to get a glimpse of everyones’ artistic minds as influenced by those who worked before them.

This rug has truly been a passion project for me. With every person who works on the project with me, I get to see patterns and color combinations that I would never have thought to put together, but that blend flawlessly with the work of the artists that wove previously.

For me, this rug represents something that I love about Putney – the community. It always amazes me how many of the people at this school, no matter their background, are able to come together for one common theme, like working in the barn, performing in the theater, or weaving a rug together. This project has no doubt been my favorite so far, and I feel so honored to be able to immortalize this sense of community in a 4 foot by 6 foot piece of art.

Read more about life at Putney through the eyes of our students.