PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

In partnership with the Union of Artisans Kazakhstan, Chevron, and the U.S. Department of State in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the Center facilitated a virtual and in-person maker workshop series titled “Makerspace Expands.” Held in the spring and winter of 2022, the workshops aimed to support participating emerging artists to build relationships, expand their international network, and work collaboratively through craft. The workshops brought together embroidery artists, metalsmiths, and woodworkers from the US and Kazakhstan for a behind the scenes look into their studios and dialogue to encourage Kazakh youth to embrace and explore their own cultural craft heritage.

As a finale to the project, feltmaker Janice Arnold—who participated in our first virtual series—traveled to Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan, to lead workshops while sharing her artistic practice and artwork through a series of community presentations. As a gift to the community, Arnold created a large-scale immersive felt installation titled Cave of Memories: 43° North x 76° East. The coordinates relate to the precise location of the Kasteyev State Museum of Arts in Almaty.