• Photo: Grace Kang

  • Photo: Terri Loewenthal

  • Photo: Marisa Darabi

Point of Contact: Backstrap Weaving with Travis Meinolf

Join artist Travis Meinolf for  a series of participatory, site-based weaving workshops using backstrap looms that physically connect the weaver to the new BAMPFA building. 

“The backstrap loom is a simple tool for making cloth, for making connections. Once attached to a fixed point and strapped onto the body, it creates dynamic contact between the individual and the site, creating tension which can be used productively. In this series of explorations you will be invited to try backstrap weaving, or watch others work at this task, which has been performed throughout history, everywhere on the planet. The physical relationships we embody, and the decisions we make together about the cloth we create, provide new opportunities for reflection and discussion.”
—Travis Meinolf

Meinolf will also be building a basic floor loom and printing an instructional pamphlet on his design in the BAMPFA Art Lab. Go to actionweaver.com if you are interested in helping out.

Meinolf is known internationally as a weaver and his work in collaboration with Kai Althoff and AA Bronson has been exhibited at the Whitney Biennial, Art Basel, SFMOMA, Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Stedelijk Museum. His writing has been featured in the Journal for Utopian Studies, CRAFT magazine, and American Craft. He holds a BA in industrial design from San Francisco State University and a MFA from California College of the Arts.