"The Running Sit" Workshop

"The Running Sit" (a play on the sewing term "running stitch") will introduce participants to slow stitching, a mindful needlework process that focuses on intention and the joy that comes from creating. In this quiet, meditative workshop, attendees will stitch on discarded textiles and handmade papers to create original works. Building on the foundational running stitch—the simplest, most repetitive form of hand sewing—Tara will share simple embroidery and mending techniques and guide you in composing and constructing your pieces. Imperfections are embraced and experimentation is encouraged. All materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own fabrics and scraps. No sewing experience required. Space is limited so please register to reserve your place.

Tara Stallworth Lee is one of 11 Alabama artists featured in Embodied: Contemporary Takes on the Dress, an exhibition on view in the Fourth Floor Gallery at the Central Library. Tara received her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Art from Birmingham-Southern College. She is the 2021/22 recipient of the Alabama State Council on the Arts Gay Burke Fellowship in Photographic Art and studio resident at Ground Floor Contemporary. In 2023 she became the inaugural artist in residence at Studio By The Tracks, a studio and gallery for adult artists with autism. For over two decades, Tara has been teaching for individuals and institutions, including The Smithsonian Associates and the Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project. Tara lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama.

This workshop is made possible in part by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.