Working Textiles is a collective, an open textile workshop, and a platform for exchange. It initiates a non-hierarchical meeting point that enables the transfer of textile skills and knowledge within and outside the art academy.

In addition to the artistic potential of textiles and their meditative character, the historical and political context is of particular importance.

Throughout one year, trying to compensate for the absence of a textile workshop in the Art Academy, self-organized meetings and workshops took place in the hallway in front of room 121 in the Art Academy of Düsseldorf.

Then, thanks to a grant, we moved into a room of our own. From September to November 2023, the anteroom of the Popescu Art Space (Adersstraße 45, 40215 Düsseldorf) transformed into a textile workshop and a place for collaborative work, equipped with various machines and materials.

From there, we organized workshops, artist talks, and various events like a pop-up store, a runway screening, a thrift shop, and a dinner, to stimulate the discourse about textiles and its different connections and connotations.

By closely working together and meeting regularly, a network is created, that provides support in times of global crisis and opens a space to counteract isolation and alienation. Building a supportive community is an important value in this project.

Suggestions for workshops, lectures, and excursions can be discussed in the course of the meetings.

Working Textiles was founded in October 2022 by Marie Schubert, Alissa Ritter, Sofia Magdits, Karla Kleinschmidt, and Helene Kuschnarew.