Radical Repair Workshop Debut
Visit the Radical Repair Workshop
Julia Gartrell, an artist and sculptor from Durham, has been in residence in the Rubenstein Arts Center since November developing the Radical Repair Workshop. This pop-up art experience—inside a vintage 1966 Frolic camper—will encourage participants and viewers to consider their relationship to mending, sentimental objects, single-use items, and radical (potentially non-functional) modes of repair.
After months of repair to the trailer itself, step into the Radical Repair Workshop during its first visit to Duke’s campus on the heels of its premiere at Durham’s Third Friday! Inside you will find a small gallery, a workshop space, and information on both repair in general and the project in specific.
Through future workshops and visits around the region, the Radical Repair Workshop will teach concrete skills, such as sewing and darning, but also explore abstract notions of repair.
Learn to patch holes in clothing at the Radical Repair Workshop opening!
On site there will be materials and instructions for you to learn how to patch fabric using the methods of darning and hand stitching. Practice on the materials we have on hand, or bring a real item of clothing you’d like to repair yourself.
Donate your broken goods to the Radical Repair Workshop!
Support the project by bringing in ripped clothing, broken hand tools, ceramics, or broken personal accessories (glasses, watches, or jewelry) to donate to the archive. You will fill out a brief history of the item and your object will join the permanent archive of the Radical Repair Workshop!
The Radical Repair Workshop
Durham visual artist Julia Gartrell will develop the Radical Repair Workshop while in residence in the Ruby. The Radical Repair Workshop is a pop-up art experience that will encourage you to reconsider your relationship to mending, sentimental objects, single-use items, and radical (potentially non-functional) modes of repair.
About the Artist
Julia Gartrell is an artist and educator based in Durham, NC. She received an MFA in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in art from Kalamazoo College. Her work explores notions of “making do”, material plasticity, and radical approaches to repair.
She has participated in residencies at the Rubenstein Art Center, the Fine Arts Work Center, the Power Plant Gallery at Duke University, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Ox-Bow School of Art, and others. Julia has exhibited nationally and internationally, and currently teaches as adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University.
About the Location
The Radical Repair Workshop is a transformed vintage camper that will be stationed behind the Ruby for this special visit. Depending on the weather, the makerspace may also be used.