LOOM360: Community-activated weaving project
Interactive ART to address the textile crisis
We collected end-of-life textiles and clothing from the community and event attendees. After being cut into strips, community members co-created "Trashy Tapestries" on LOOM360. At 11 pop up events across Chicagoland and Michigan, we enjoyed the camaraderie and catharsis of hand-weaving rubbish ribbons. Together, we learned about circular art and collectively participated in a beautiful, meaningful transformation. The final pieces are being displayed at local schools, community spaces, individual’s homes and partner organizations to promote creative reuse and educate the public on the textile waste crisis.
OUR GOAL: Divert 700 lbs of textile waste over two years.
THE ORIGINAL VISION: 4-sided loom to hand weave reclaimed textiles using structural ladders from Nowhere Collective’s previous art installation, The Last Garden. Re-re-use at it’s best! Initial concept drawing above.
LOOM360 was made possible by Universal Yarn, Lion Brand Yarn, American Made Brand and Natural Investments. Thank you to our sponsors for your support!
See below for progress photos and stay tuned for photos of the final project out in the wild!
If you want to request a finished tapestry for your community space, pop up the installation at your location in the Chicagoland area or Michigan or if you want to sponsor the project - which allows us to pop up in more locations - please contact katy@nowhere-collective.com.
LOOM360 IN ACTION!
Coming Up Next! For our 12th LOOM360 pop up, we’re contributing to the Hamilton Elementary annual fundraiser where students will weave a Trashy Tapestry to auction at the Patriot’s Ball. After that, we’ll be exhibiting at Caldwell Woods Community Center for their Earth Month event on April 18th, 2026. Subscribe to our News Going Nowhere to stay in the knowhere.
ArtPrize, Grand Rapids, September 18-October 4, 2025: We participated in the Internationally-acclaimed public art exhibition, ArtPrize, in Grand Rapids. We were chosen by the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum to display LOOM360 outside their space for the event. Accessible to any and all passersby, we watched four+ Trashy Tapestries be co-created over the course of 16 days. This was the first time LOOM360 sat in public unattended with no hands-on assistance. It was a beautiful experiment. We were inspired by the spontaneous creators' attention to detail, creativity, and respect for each other’s contributions. When the looms filled up, participants organically filled the spaces between. The two large tapestries are hung in the Children’s Museum to continue the spirit and education of what transpired.
Fall Nature Fest, LaBagh Woods, September 13, 2025: We had a line! At the Fall Nature Fest, organized by Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen’s office, we co-created with hundreds of attendees on a lovely fall day in the Chicago Parks.
Chicago Cultural Center, One Earth Film Festival, April 27, 2025: We collaborated with One Earth Film Festival on their Action Fair in conjunction with their film screening of The Grab. We continued to weave the water-themed tapestries in the most gorgeous environment, GAR Rotunda at Chicago Cultural Center.
One Earth Film Festival Launch Party, April 22, 2025 (EARTH DAY!): We joined One Earth Film Festival for their 2025 launch party to celebrate Earth Day and the Chicago River. We wove water-themed tapestries and collected blue and white textiles from party attendees. It was the most productive weaving session yet!
December 10, 2024-April 10, 2025: Participated in Plant Chicago’s Winter Market/Mercado de Intercambio in Back of the Yards, southside Chicago. The LOOM360 will call Southside Social home for the next few months as part of Plant Chicago’s series of winter markets. Stay tuned for more photos… and to watch it go off on tour again in Ohio!
November 29-30: As part of our “Reverse Black Friday” activities, we showcased the finished Trashy Tapestries as a step n’ repeat photo back drop where attendees of the Trashy Holiday Market got to document their time “getting trashed” with us. All while completing one large tapestry on the LOOM over the course of two days. We were so busy that day, we barely got any photos!
September 11, 2024: LOOM360 on TOUR! We brought our community-activated art installation to Detroit, MI for a Month of Design event as part of a series of events highlighting the talent and innovation that makes Detroit a UNESCO City of Design. We were honored to pop up at ISAIC, an organization revolutionizing the textile and apparel industry through a human-centered approach to innovative manufacturing and training. Sitting across from ISAIC’s latest trash-smashing innovation, their felted loom, it was fun to watch attendees get creative and light up with the idea of using scraps to make art. We finished one large Trashy Tapestry (which was started at Rebuilding Exchange’s RE:fest) and donated it to ISAIC to hang in their space as a memento for the fun we had.
July 13: Popped up at Rebuilding Exchange RE:fest featuring local small businesses participating in the circular economy. It was a hotttt day so we were especially appreciative of the folks who weaved despite the temps. A good reminder for why we do what we do! We collaborated with BLISS JOY BULL who offered mending tutorials, Margaux Bijoux who taught tassel-making with textile, and Round 2 Craft Parties to make shrinky dink accessories with reclaimed #6 plastic. Of course Sili+Bells was onsite guiding the attendees in weaving technique.
May 1-3: Three day installation at h+h americas trade show catering to craft industry businesses and retailers. About 1,500 attendees came through the Show and with many hands contributing to the Trashy Tapestries, three of which were sponsored by Universal Yarn, Lion Brand Yarn, and American Made Brand. Plus big thanks to Artifact Bags for contributing twill tape for the warp threads.
April 27, 2024: Popped up at Gallagher Way outside Wrigley Field in conjunction with our Trashy Earth Market. Finished our first Trashy Tapestry. Hundreds of people stopped to contribute and admire the community’s artful progress. We were “blown away” by the enthusiasm and participation on this Windy April day!
April 20, 2024: Test run in the wild at Oakbrook Center for the Mini Trashy Earth Market. Turns out we built a jungle gym with money bars! Glad we had kids come through to see the ladders put to their full potential and limits. But it was mostly fun to see folks get creative with their weaving. Despite the chilly temps!
February - April 2024: Katy, Janara, Nandi setting up the Warp threads and starting a test weaving on the LOOM360 in progress.
Warp (vertical) threads found salvaged at Rebuilding Exchange and donated by Artifact Bags. Weft (horizontal) threads cut from reclaimed t-shirts and scrap fabric.
