Praxis Fiber Workshop

Praxis Fiber Workshop is a 501c3 organization established in January 2015. Working closely with Cleveland Institute of Art, Praxis leased the equipment formerly belonging to the fiber arts department, and opened as a communal arts space in the Waterloo Arts District of Cleveland. Praxis offers classes, studio space and exhibition space to CIA students for credit, as well as to the greater Cleveland community. The mission of Praxis is to revitalize the field of fiber art in the Cleveland area by offering local artists and community members access to fiber-related equipment, classes and studio space. Praxis is dedicated to increasing awareness and expanding the field of contemporary fiber arts by creating an environment of experimentation, exhibition and communication locally and within the broader art community. In addition to our regular programming, Praxis hosts a natural dye garden where we grow a half acre of natural indigo each year. We use the Japanese species of indigo and the traditional Japanese method of composting dried leaves to create the dark blue dye. There are only 2 other similar processing facilities in the United States, making Praxis a destination for small batch indigo processing all along the east coast. A robust volunteer program helps to grow and harvest the indigo and grant funding supports free classes and workshops on natural dyeing in Cleveland. Our goal is to produce enough indigo to use locally, and also to sell to artists, artisans, and small companies who will have access -for the first time- to domestically grown natural indigo. Our Digital Weaving Lab completes the Praxis campus. Purchased in 2018, the house adjacent to our main facility hosts 4 digital looms including a TC2 jacquard loom and a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor, designated for an artist residency space. This specialized equipment allows the weaver the most intricate pattern and design capabilities in cloth, and is a growing niche in our field.