Date of Award
Spring 5-22-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Textiles
First Advisor
Anais Missakian
Second Advisor
Anna Gitelson-Kahn
Third Advisor
Markus Berger
Abstract
When material comforts are not available or accessible, how can we care for one another with what is available? Can these methods be scaled up? How can we emulate the tight cultural bonds of people who relied on each other due to their isolation from cultural centers (like towns and cities)? Is it possible to be self-sufficient and not wealthy in the 21st century or has this ability died with past generations?
Using only scraps, found and discarded materials, and items from RISD’s Loop Lab and Second Life, I explore the skills and engineering that would have been a necessary part of my ancestors’ survival in the isolated rural communities of the East Coast mountain ranges. For this work, I make my own tools from waste materials (like cardboard tubes and spent markers) to knit large circular pieces out of donated t-shirt waste. I also create woven pieces out of paper and wood scraps with old family photos to reference memories from my grandparents’ farm. Investigating the world of creative reuse has been like coming home, digging my hands and toes into the soil, and remembering who I am.
Stories from my family’s past highlight the beauty of a lost culture by showing how ingenious people can be when a loved one’s survival is threatened, and few options are accessible. These are stories of caring for each other in a world of cold realities, and they connect to the realities of climate change today, demonstrating how we can operate differently to show our love for each other and for our descendants.
Recommended Citation
Richie, Jennifer, "Gray Sheep" (2026). Masters Theses. 1628.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1628
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
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