AIGA LINK PROGRAM SEATTLE

We had so much fun at our November workshop titled “Design, Trace, Cut, & Decorate: Make Your Own Bag!” led by André Gruber! 💥 In this workshop, students had a chance to design and create their own custom pencil pouch from start to finish. Participants drafted their own pattern, selected fabric, and personalized their designs using embroidery and fabric markers before the final piece was sewn together with zippers and hardware. Each student left with a one-of-a-kind functional bag that reflects their personal style and creative vision! Thank you André for sharing your creative journey with our students and introducing them to the amazing world of textile design! ✨ About the artist: @andre_gruber Andre is a Seattle-based multidisciplinary designer and artist working at the intersection of fashion design, graphic design, and creative direction. Currently studying Apparel Design and Development at Seattle Central College, Andre graduated from CU Boulder in 2021 with a B.S. in Creative Technology and Design and a minor in Computer Science—a technical foundation that informs his approach to both his craft. Driven by utilitarian aesthetics and a commitment to sustainable making, Andre creates work rooted in personal experience and a belief that design should have a positive impact on the world. He prioritizes natural fibers and thoughtful material choices, designing pieces that are both functional and meaningful. As the founder of his own brand, Andre has collaborated with local Seattle labels and actively contributes to the city’s creative community through events, and mentorship. Collaboration is central to Andre’s practice, he believes his best work emerges through connection with others. Guided by mentors who have expanded his creative vision, he now pays it forward by supporting emerging artists and remaining open to new partnerships. For Andre, community isn’t just context, it’s the foundation of his creative journey.

Our October linocut workshop titled Carve, Ink, Press, Repeat! was a HIT! 🔥 Our guest artist, Sloane Miller, led students through this process of developing their carving and composition skills. Students carved their own designs onto a rubber block, rolled it with ink, and pressed it onto paper to create bold prints they can reproduce again and again. They had so much fun discovering how simple tools and accessible materials can yield amazing results. Thank you for introducing this wonderful medium to our students Sloane! About the artist: @slomilli Sloane Miller is a Seattle-born multidisciplinary artist and designer with eight years of professional practice. Her work explores themes drawn from personal experience, cultural observation, and community engagement, centering her practice around collaboration with other local artists on a mission to enrich the creative landscape of Seattle. Sloane creates visually rich, immersive dreamscapes that invite viewers to look beyond the surface and uncover the narratives within. Primarily working in digital art, informed by her background in graphic design, she is also deeply committed to fostering connection through art by curating community-driven events and projects that bring people together across music, cultural spaces, and collaborative experiences. 📸 Photo Credit: @santamercita

Last month we officially kicked off our 2025-26 program year with LINK! ✨ Our September workshop, Outside the Box, was an immersive hands-on experience, where participants learned how to use everyday recycled materials such as shoeboxes and cereal boxes, to create their own unique artworks. Our guest artist Kerry Sutton led a demonstration on how to manipulate these materials and form them into wonderful amalgamations of their former self. The students enjoyed working with this unique medium and they had plenty of freedom to explore and create their own repurposing of these materials! Thank you for such a great first workshop Kerry! 💗 About the artist: @kerrydsutton Kerry Sutton is a self-taught, mixed media artist, born and raised in Seattle, WA. Within his practice, Kerry explores life growing up in 1990’s Seattle, with limited resources, often using overlooked or forgotten materials such as wood scraps, street signs, shoeboxes and more. These recycled materials function as a symbolic apparatus to create beauty out of struggle. Influenced by shared experiences of pain, Kerry seeks to be a conduit of healing within his work. Previously a public school educator, Kerry has been a full-time artist for 5 years. His practice has grown from being a studio artist, to include public art and teaching artist experience; having worked with local and national brands and organizations such as MoPOP, City of Seattle, City of Bellevue, Nike, Jordan Brand and more.