by Courtney Watts
Embellishment
Workshop
Bring the workshop to your school or event!
Explore the meditative art of stitching, beading, and embellishment in this hands-on creative workshop. Participants will create their own embellished bandage while discovering how tactile making encourages mindfulness, self-expression, and connection through a shared experience of creativity and play.
Workshop Programs
for schools, community groups, and events
01
Single Session
Small to medium-sized groups, 10–30 people · 2 hours
Courtney leads participants through the full embellishment process, stitching, beading, and decorating their own bandage. Ideal for a single class period, community event, or workshop pop-up.
02
All Day Session
Medium to large groups, 30–90 people · Full day · Accommodation fee required for overnight stay · Virtual community access
A full-day program reaching multiple groups or running extended sessions, with access to the virtual community page. Ideal for schools, conferences, or multi-group community events. Note: accommodation fee for overnight stay is required separately.
03
Ongoing Residency & Community Art Show
Up to 3 in-person sessions · Virtual community access · Additional fee required to retain art show gallery space
Includes up to three in-person embellishment sessions open to the participant group, access to the virtual community page, and a final art show event that showcases the completed embellished bandages. Note: the art show space fee is to be covered separately.
+ To-go embellishment kit
Every participant receives a take-home embellishment kit and receives access to the community board for self-guided stitching and creativity.
The Research
what informs the embellishment workshop
The Object
A bandage is a universally recognized symbol of care. By embellishing a bandage through stitching and beading, this workshop transforms a medical icon into a site of creativity, identity, and self-expression. The choice of medium is intentional, as it allows each participant to redefine their own instinct for repair through this creative practice.
The Science
Repetitive hand motions, stitching, beading, threading, are not incidental to the experience; they are the mechanism. Research connecting neuroscience and the arts shows that sustained rhythmic hand work engages neuroplasticity, supports emotional regulation, and builds a felt sense of bodily agency. The workshop is intentionally slow. That slowness is not a limitation; it is what makes the experience genuinely restorative.
The Craft Tradition and Community
Making together transforms individual creativity into a shared experience of learning, connection, and community. Historically, craft traditions have been passed down through collective practice, preserving knowledge through hands-on participation. Repetitive, tactile activities like stitching and beading can support nervous system regulation, while creating alongside others provides opportunities for social connection, co-regulation, and a shared sense of belonging.
Supportive Research
- Parker, Rozsika. The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine. I.B. Tauris, 1984.
- Levy, Ellen K. et al. "Neuroscience and the Arts Today." PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art, vol. 35, no. 3, 2013.
- Greer, Betsy. Craftivism: The Art of Craft and Activism. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2014.
- Lou, Liza. About Art with Heidi Zuckerman, Episode 184. Podcast audio. Spotify, 2024.
- Cameron, Julia. The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. TarcherPerigee, 1992.
- ARAS. The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images. Taschen, 2010.
Inquire
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