Fiber Art Programs
These universities offer programs of study in the fiber arts.
Baylor University
The Baylor fiber concentration introduces art students to traditional fiber techniques in combination with research-based, concept-driven material thinking. Our mission is to cultivate artists and designers who engage with fiber to make the world a better place.
Courses emphasize hands-on art making, employing textile processes such as weaving, dyeing and surface design techniques, machine and hand sewing, felting, crochet, book making and altering, tufting and basketry, all within a contemporary art context. Students build visual literacy and material sensitivity through studying fiber art history, concepts, and meaning making to approach fiber art and design for individualized application in an array of creative careers from the gallery world to the textile industry.
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Textile/Surface Design Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology offers AAS and BFA degrees. This hands-on program nurtures the imagination, teaches the skills, and cultivates the insights needed to design textiles and other products for fashion and home. The curriculum blends conceptual and technological skills, so you’ll study drawing, painting, weaving, and screen printing along with CAD. You’ll gain an understanding of fabric construction, manufacturing, and the importance of sustainability in the industry. You’ll learn to create print and woven designs for apparel, bedding, wallpaper, carpets, and more, and graduate prepared for a wide range of opportunities in this multifaceted field. Located in New York City, the creative center of the textile and surface design industry, the campus extends to design studios, showrooms, museums, and galleries. Our accelerated one-year AAS program helps build skills quickly for candidates who have a previous degree or transferable college credits.
Haywood Community College
The Fiber program is an intensive curriculum focusing on the design and creation of fiber work, ranging from textile products to contemporary fiber art. Students concentrate on woven textiles and gain many opportunities to include hand dyeing, stitching, surface design techniques, and much more in their original fabric creations. Textile history courses provide in-depth exposure to textile traditions and techniques worldwide, including cultural and economic perspectives. In the second year, students focus on professional practices for the artist or designer. Business models are studied, and each student develops a personal pathway to future work in textile design, entrepreneurship, gallery or museum work, teaching, or any sector of the textile market. Graduates will leave with a thorough knowledge of woven textiles and dyes, as well as small business skills and professional practices applicable to a wide range of employment or entrepreneurial opportunities.
Maine College of Art & Design
Textile & Fashion Design BFA students at MECA&D investigate the intersection of cloth and the human experience through a balanced study of textile and apparel fundamentals. Students create garments, functional objects, or works of art that affect those who interact with them. The Textile & Fashion Design program emphasizes engaged making that considers a broad and inclusive view of history, sustainability, engagement, and citizenship while utilizing both traditional and digital tools to actively solve problems. Located in the heart of the Arts District, in Portland, ME, Maine College of Art & Design offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art, a Master of Arts in Teaching, a Salt Graduate Certificate in Documentary Studies, as well as Continuing Studies for adults and youths.
Parsons/The New School
The MFA Textiles Program at the Parsons School of Design is creating groundbreaking, award-winning, hybrid textiles that integrate timeless philosophical principles with craft and technology, on the bedrock of sustainability, social justice, beauty and wellbeing. A community of makers who are exploring and creating textiles from locally crafted materials, to 3D knitted matter and hand-embellished fabrics, is mindfully pioneering textile-based theory and industries, dissolving the boundaries between technology and craft, as well as investigating the dynamics of materials and systems. Devoted to promoting authenticity, originality and unique creativity in the field of textiles, students strive for their own voice and ultimate potential as professional textile makers, artists and designers in fashion, interiors, research, fine art, architecture, performance, speculative design and various interdisciplinary fields.
Thomas Jefferson University
The Textile Design Programs at Thomas Jefferson University focus on the intersection of artistic craft and technology, where tradition meets innovation. Our Bachelor of Science in Textile Design equips students with a comprehensive knowledge of fibers, yarn analysis, textile construction methods (weave and knit), surface design (seamless-repeating print design and engineered print design), sustainable practices in the textile industry, and collection curation. Our Master of Science in Textile Design harnesses the student's previous knowledge and skills to craft an intensive study of print, weave, or knit development that results in a mastery of that area from that individual's unique perspective. Our Maker Spaces provide the students in our programs with the opportunity to ideate and explore on traditional textile equipment and then translate those processes into digital/electronic spaces while maintaining the presence of their hand.
University of Kentucky
Merchandising, Apparel and Textiles (MAT) students explore market trends, retail strategies, supply chains and more across the global marketplace. Our coursework teaches students about industry practices within development, sourcing, marketing, and merchandising of consumer goods and services. Students will gain skills in visual merchandising, sketching and design, buying and sourcing materials, event planning and more.
Please Note: This listing is provided as a courtesy. It is not a complete listing nor is it an endorsement of any individual or organization listed. The information was provided by the organization or its representative. HGA does not warrant the accuracy or validity of the information, and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions.
