The Fibers area at the University of Oregon is dedicated to participating in and advancing contemporary discourse in fibers through engaged studio practice, research, and critical discussion. The course curriculum addresses issues and ideas that are relevant to both fibers practices and the broader context of contemporary art, including materiality, paleotechnics, sustainability, community, labor, gender, feminism, queer theory, raciality, colonialism, repetition, and pattern.<br>Students explore the possibilities of performance, installation, and site-specificity in a conceptually rigorous environment while developing expertise in screen-printing, stitching, weaving, dyeing, and other fibers techniques. Experimenting with materials and methods is encouraged as students develop individual creative practices within a receptive community of makers. Interdisciplinary strategies of making are valued, and many students draw from areas outside of the Department of Art such as gender studies, folklore, creative writing, and dance.