Hours flew by in the crafts-focused immersive inside Branson’s sculpture studio: Textile Arts: Explore, Create, Sustain. “It was amazing to see how students lost track of time in their art,” laughed course instructor and math teacher Krista McKeague. “The day would end and they’d ask if they could stay longer. That doesn’t always happen in math class.”

Fourteen students and two instructors spent two weeks exploring the history of clothing, textile arts, quilting, and needlework, then focusing on creating their own pieces. Some of the other students didn’t have past experience or were a little on the fence, but all got super into it,” Krista said. 

One of the more experienced students, junior Lily Maloney, loved helping fix machines and assisting classmates, and really appreciated the schedule of her immersive. “It allowed for a lot of spontaneity,” she said. 

At the end of the two weeks, nearly a dozen vibrantly colorful zipper pouches, as well as a few pot holders, and clothing items adorned a table in the Maxwell Art Center courtyard. 

“The whole thing was a success,” said immersive co-instructor and history department chair Hilary Schmitt.