Layered Stories: Interweavings with Tactile Art - Hosted by Kimberly Kuniko & Mira Musank

A guided creative retreat for creatives of all mediums hosted online in a virtual reality gallery artfully curated by textile upcycling artist, Mira Musank. This virtual event is a special collaboration between two artists layering together their ideas and creativity.

THEME // Layered Stories: Interweavings with Tactile Art // A delightfully immersive experience hosted in a virtual reality gallery space where we’ll be able to move around in avatar form from the comfort of our computer screens at home (kind of like being in a video game!).

Akin to meandering through an art museum, Kimberly Kuniko & Mira will be your guides as we amble through different sections of the gallery, pausing to engage with and observe a variety of 3D textiles, wearable art, and repurposed paper collage, each paired with a prompt to inspire your own creative explorations in whatever medium you wish.

When Mira created her textile art gallery for The Study in Artivism virtual reality exhibit last year and invited me to share one of my paper collages in the space, she shared that in collaborating, we were “layering our stories together”. This poetic turn of phrase has stuck with me ever since. This retreat explores how as creatives, we are constantly layering things together to tell a story. From disparate materials, colors, textures, words, sounds, memories, and our own imaginations, we weave things together to express something in a new form. All creative mediums welcome.

YOUR HOSTS // This event is a special collaboration between two artists piecing together their ideas, insights, and creativity to host a mindful, creative space for exploring a meaningful theme while in community with others.

• Kimberly Kuniko (she/her) is the Nikkei-American hapa artist and designer behind Lacelit, a paper goods company featuring endearing illustrations, sentimental turns of phrase, and clever wordplay. She also loves hosting cozy, virtual Guided Creative Retreats fostering creative exploration, imagination, and storytelling in all its forms while holding space for meaningful connection between creatives of all mediums. [Kimberly's Website] [Kimberly on Instagram]
• Mira Musank (she/her) is a textile upcycling artist who creates custom garments by repurposing textile samples, used clothes, and fabric remnants. She is based in San Francisco Bay Area - land of Indigenous tribes Ohlone, Muwekma, and Lisjan. Through an intuitive process of sewing, weaving, and hand embroidery, Mira aims to give second chances to so-called textile waste with intimate yet expressive intentions. Recently, she explores virtual reality to curate an immersive experience in storytelling and conversation building. She hosted her first virtual Textile Art exhibition with Climate Gallery in November 2022. Archives of her works in reimagining, repairing, and refashioning textiles can be viewed on FAFAFOOM.COM. [Mira’s Website] [Mira on Instagram]

WHAT TO EXPECT

• During the retreat, we won’t be on camera. Instead, we’ll be moving around the VR retreat gallery in an avatar form with our name hovering above us (like being in a video game!).
• There will still be a chat box for typing in comments or questions, and the gallery has audio microphone functionality for any who’d like to stay for an informal chat following our creative prompts.
• A few days prior to our gathering, you’ll receive an email with everything you need to access the event + a helpful Practice Gallery in VR where you can pop in to get a feel for how it will be. We’ll provide some navigation instructions so you can familiarize VR and even practice moving around! It takes a little getting used to, so we’ll get the hang of it together.

VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

• The virtual retreat gallery is best experienced from a laptop or desktop computer
• Using a mouse increases control of your avatar’s movements, but the arrow keys will also suffice to move around the space.
• The virtual retreat gallery is best viewed using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome browsers.
• Prior to joining the retreat, close any unused browser tabs and applications open on your computer.

REGISTRATION (limited to 20 seats) // Early Bird $35 (by 4/7) / Regular $40 / 2-3 Sliding Scale tickets available

• Creatives of all mediums are welcome, age 18+. At least 10 registrations are required for the retreat to take place.
• You’ll receive an email in the days prior with helpful tips you can practice to familiarize yourself with the virtual-reality space + a list of suggested materials (applied to your medium) it might  be helpful to have on hand.

SPONSOR A FELLOW CREATIVE // Gift any amount

A lovely way to pay it forward and uplift the creative community. Gift any amount, and we’ll share it with a fellow creative. On the registration form for this ticket, enter "Sponsored Creative" as the First/Last name, include your email address for my reference, and leave the rest of the fields blank.

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CANCELLATION POLICY

Due to retreat size minimums, we’re unable to offer full refunds on cancellations. However, cancellations made 1 week prior to the workshop can choose between a 50% refund OR a transfer of your registration to a friend (you'll need to supply their contact information so they can receive all class communications). If this class does not meet class size requirements, you will receive a full refund.