Storytelling Through Cloth: Freeform Sashiko Patchwork Quilting with Megumi Shauna Arai

Freeform Sashiko Patchwork Quilting with Megumi Shauna Arai | 4 sessions Storytelling and quilting come hand in hand throughout many cultures. Patchwork and embroidery lends itself to narrative, while the quilting circle acts as an essential community hub and place for connection. In this class, we will focus on learning the Japanese embroidery technique of Sashiko and patchwork techniques rooted in the compositional elements of Boro. Each student will learn to free sketch and embroider a number of pieces of fabric that together form a narrative, followed by guidance through the composition, pinning and sewing process to make a small quilt. This course encourages personal expression, while supporting students with examples of storytelling through cloth throughout the centuries. Participants will finish the course with a unique 24W x 36L inch patchwork piece along with skills to continue to tell stories through stitching and piecework techniques. Materials are provided. Price Tiers: 20% off Labor: $112 Labor: $140 Labor + Materials: $180 --- About the Instructor: Megumi Shauna Arai (she/her, b. 1989) lives and works in New York City. She is interested in points of encounter, practices of embodiment, enfolding and unfolding aesthetics and the material and immaterial as interconnected. She has an interdisciplinary BA in Sociology, Embodiment Studies, Political Science and Mysticism from the CUNY Unique and Individualized Studies Program. Selected exhibitions include The Tongue is the Child of the Heart, Nina Johnson Gallery (Miami, 2026); the host, the guest, curated by Nichole Caruso, ATLA Gallery (Los Angeles, 2026); Sinew, Koki Arts (Tokyo, 2025); Immanent Infinite, Object & Thing (New York, 2025); Group Shop, Bridget Donahue Gallery (New York, 2024). Recent residencies include Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Library, Headlands Center for the Arts and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Pedagogical collaborations include Field Meridians, The Museum of Modern Art public programs and The Mothership. Arai has given artist talks at Asia Art Archive in America, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Library, Topical Cream, Montez Press Radio, Parsons School of Design, Wing Luke Museum and Henry Art Gallery. Her work has been featured in BOMB Magazine, The Here & There Collective, Topical Cream, Architectural Digest, The New York Times and Impulse Magazine among others. Arai’s work is in the collection of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Instagram: @oneflewup Website: www.megumi-arai.com Cancellation Policy: In the event that you need to cancel your registration of the class or workshop, we ask that you please inform us as soon as possible, allowing us to give your spot to another person. We agree to provide you with a full refund if your cancellation is no less than 7 calendar days prior to the first date of the program; if your cancellation is closer in time than 7 calendar days to the first date of the program, then, any deposits or payments you have made are non-returnable. In the event that PHA needs to cancel a class or workshop due to PHA’s own reasons (for e.g., teacher emergency) your payment for the program will be refunded in full. If you are unable to attend a class or workshop for your own reasons, you will not be refunded for that portion of the program. Full payment for the class or workshop is required before your registration is considered complete. Health and Wellness Policy: If you are sick, we ask that you please refrain from attending in consideration of the health and safety of your fellow classmates. Please note that all of our classes and workshops are designed to be hands-on, and make-up classes are not available. Masks will be available at the front desk and in the classroom for your use. Powerhouse Arts, 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA [email protected]