From June to August of 2011 The Laundromat Project led a series of drop-in art workshops at The Laundry Room located on 116th Street between Adam Clayton Powell and Malcolm X Avenues and Rogers Laundromat on Empire Boulevard and Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.
This season WiP teaching artists Kiran Chandra, Lady K-Fever, Alice Mizrachi, Shani Peters, Rosemary Taylor, Maya Valladares, and the Brooklyn-based organization Adopt-a-Farmbox led 13 workshops that focused on the participants' relationships with their neighborhoods and environmental sustainability. Below are brief descriptions of the workshops that were offered.
Visit our Flickr page for images.
2011 Works in Progress
Kaleidoscopia: Harlem ReflectedLed by Kiran Chandra
June 5, 19
The Laundry Room, 143 West 116th Street, New York
Reflect Harlem while you reflect on Harlem in this workshop that demonstrates how to make a kaleidoscope using materials often found at the hardware store. Use your new community-inspired goggle to observe the landscape before you. Reflect on what makes the neighborhood move and jot down your observations in the form of prose or poetry.
Bleach BatikingLed by Alice Mizrachi
June 12, July 10, Aug 21
The Laundry Room, 143 West 116th Street, New York
If you have ever dropped bleach on a colored shirt, and thought “what now?” this workshop is for you. Inspired by the process of Batik fabric dyeing, participants use bleach instead of wax to create their own neighborhood-inspired tees. Use your imagination, a black shirt and bleach to design a t-shirt that reflects a part of your neighborhood, whether it’s a person or place, past or present.
Sewing Pieces of the CityLed by Maya Valladares
June 26, July 17, Aug 14
The Laundry Room, 143 West 116th Street, New York
Calling back to the quilt-making tradition, you'll learn how to make and sew landscape-inspired appliqués onto your worn-out clothes. Bring a jacket, shirt, or dress and we'll provide the rest.
Textured Collographs and Collages
Led by Rosemary Taylor
July 24, Aug 7
The Laundry Room, 143 West 116th Street, New York
Storytelling and printmaking support each other in this colorful workshop. At the laundromat you’ll make images out of paper, ink and scissors that are inspired by a story you want to share. By layering cut paper and printing ink, you’ll learn how to make a collograph print that you can easily reproduce at home.
We Promote Knowledge & Love Jewelry MakingLed by Shani Peters
July 31
The Laundry Room, 143 West 116th Street, New York
Remember Radio Raheem’s “love” and “hate” rings from Do the Right Thing? In this workshop you will make handmade earrings and necklaces that promote the pillars of a healthy neighborhood. Replacing the word “hate” with the words “knowledge,” “power,” and “wisdom,” participants will be able to create chains and necklaces that include these words in Arabic, English, and Wolof.
Making an Apartment Planter with Household MaterialsAug 6, 14
Rogers Laundromat, 73 Empire Blvd, Brooklyn
Why throw away your perfectly 'good', non-degradable garbage? Use items like plastic water bottles, detergent bottles and old newspaper to create planters to take home! Bring your clean empty bottles and we'll provide the rest.