
Critical Fabulation: The Little Loomhouse
This series of weavings was born out of my archival research at the Little Loomhouse in Louisville, Kentucky. The Little Loomhouse (1939-present) is a system of cabins in Louisville, Kentucky that was established as a weaving studio, gallery space, and meeting place for Kentucky weavers.
To understand the innovative nature of the work produced by the women at the Little Loomhouse, I engaged in a weekly studio practice at the Chicago Weaving School. Every Monday for six months, I wove for five hours and produced a table runner, a historical coverlet, and a set of napkins. My weaving practice draws from critical making theory which acknowledges an intertwined process that links object-making to academic scholarship and theory-based practices. Not only am I weaving to understand structural properties but weaving also places me in direct community with others to replicate a similar experience of labor, mutuality, and creation. Although I will never fully understand the experiences of weavers at the Little Loomhouse, I become akin to them by gossiping, telling stories, and collaborating with my studio mates.
Arnie Campa, This is a flag. There is no wind., 2024, wool and linen inlay woven napkins, photograph by the Visual Resources Center, image courtesy of the artist.
Butch weaving draft on the cover of the Kentucky Weaver 2, no. 10 (1949), image courtesy of the Lou Tate Foundation.
Arnie Campa, Blooming Leaf of Mexico by Way of Chicago, 2024, wool and cotton overshot weaving, photograph by the Visual Resources Center, image courtesy of the artist.
Arnie Campa, i walk crooked, 2024, wool and cotton overshot weaving, photograph by the Visual Resources Center, image courtesy of the artist.