Students Explore Identity with Visiting Artist Arielle Tonkin

Yesterday, Brandeis welcomed visual artist and spiritual educator Arielle Tonkin to campus, where she spoke with students about her art and led them in a workshop. The workshop, titled “Burlap Weaving Gone Wild,” challenged students to think about two seemingly-opposite parts of their life (anything from being born on the East Coast and now living on the West Coast, to liking soccer and art and how the two interplay), and how they could create a hybrid ritual object out of burlap that shows this push and pull. After thinking through their personal opposites, students took a piece of burlap—as described during the lesson as “coarse, heavy, and plainly woven” and “too rough to use for clothing,” yet “loose and fun to use as a flexible base”—and began pulling out threads of woven hemp. After pulling out the threads, students used other materials, including yarn and ribbon, to weave through the now empty spaces, in a way that depicted their opposites (through color or design or both).

“Arielle’s artwork around shared cultural experiences and counter-conflict narratives provided an enriching opportunity for our community,” explains Crystal Brown, arts outreach coordinator. “Students were able to see how art can directly impact the way in which we view the world, through her exhibit “Hybrid Ritual Objects.” And it was inspiring to see students start conversations of self-identity and diversity, as they reflected on their sense of self in a creative way. I am so happy with Arielle’s visit; she allowed our students to express the various parts of themselves that can often get overlooked in the academic world.” MORE PHOTOS