Virtual Tactile Art Club - Dreamcatchers using Pipe Cleaners

The Tactile Art Club meeting on July 28 was a huge success with new students attending the meeting.  We talked about the history of dreamcatchers, it’s origins and significance in Native American culture. We then worked on a fun project to create personal dreamcatchers to symbolize a personal dream using pipe cleaner art. This allowed us to refine our sense of space, texture, and artistic technique, while engaging in a dialogue about future aspirations and hopes. The format of the meeting allowed for 1 on 1 interaction, community building, and student led explorations of creativity. The diversity of dreams and artwork created serves as a reminder that art is a universal language and our loudest voice.

We were also delighted to welcome artist Valerie Alcaraz who is totally blind. Valerie has an associate degree in visual arts and a graduate of Fullerton College. She has studied Art History, drawing, painting, 2-dimensional design,
3-dimensional design and ceramics. Valerie shared and walked us through some of her art creations . We were all blown away by her artistic creations.

We were also fortunate to have Internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, philanthropist and entrepreneur Buna Dahal join the art club and share her perspective on the art project we were working on and the art of possibility. Thank you Buna! You can check Buna’s work at:
Blind Female Motivational Speaker | Buna Dahal | Greater Seattle Area

Attached are a few pictures of what people created during the meeting and some of Valerie Alcaraz’s art.

Isabelle with her Dreamcatcher on the left and Dreamcatcher by Hannah on the right

Hanging Dreamcatcher

Handing Dreamcatcher made with pipe cleaners

Hanging Dreamcatcher

Handing Dreamcatcher made with pipe cleaners

Valerie's Hello Kitty" Dreamcatcher in the shape of Mini Mouse

Valerie’s description: I wove in a sort of diagonal pattern over the vertical and horizontal lines, used beads for her nose and eyes and as accents for her smile. I used 2 kinds of ribbon, and crocheted a chain stitch to decorate her ears and part of her bow”.

Isabelle with her Dreamcatcher creation

Isabelle holding her Dreamcatcher creation on the left and Isabelle’s materials and final creation on the right

Dreamcatcher using glitter pipe cleaners

Hanging Dreamcatcher using pipe cleaners

Dreamcatcher using glitter pipe cleaners

Dreamcatcher laid flat at an angle on tar road

Valerie Alcaraz's Ceramic Mosaic Piece

A ceramic mosaic piece with square pieces in varying sizes and shades of blue representing an ocean landscape. A high relief image of a ship riding on waves sits in the middle, while the texture is used in other squares to represent the movement and mood of the water

Valerie Alcaraz's Guide Dog sculpture

A sculpture of a black labrador guide dog resting with a brown harness. Sleek textures and glaze are used in the miniature figurine

Valerie Alcaraz's Tactile Drawing of Cockatoo Bird

A tactile drawing of a cockatoo bird amidst a calming ocean background. Raised lines and texture are used to make the piece visually and tactically engaging. Varying contrast the texture of the bird's body with the water. Tones of grey, white, and black are used to represent a serene and peaceful environment.

Valerie Alcaraz's Ceramic Parrot

An overhead view of a ceramic parrot. It's body is a smooth shade of red with a purple tint, which contrasts the intricate line work and rough texture of the golden feathers on the wings, tail, and lower body.

Valerie Alcaraz's Tactile painting of a sailboat towards the horizon in a sunset.

A vibrant tactile painting of a sailboat moving towards the horizon in a sunset. The sky uses saturated warm tones to illustrate the sun setting in the center. These colors are carried in swirling patterns throughout the water as reflections. The edge of the water is a murky black, which emerges a darkly lit brown sailboat. The surrounding water is a deep blue, and creates wavy shapes with the reflections and lines.

For those interested in creating dreamcatchers themselves, here is a transcript of instructions:

Steps to make a dreamcatcher with pipe cleaners: 

Step 1: Create a circle using your pipe cleaners. This can be any size you would like! For this demonstration I used one pipe cleaner for the middle. If you would like it to be longer, secure multiple pipe cleaners by twisting the ends together. 

Step 2: Now, we are going to make a web of pipe cleaners in the center. Take around 4 pipe cleaners and measure them from one side of the circle to the other. Trim off any excess. After this, twist each side of the pipe cleaner around the edge of the circle. You should now have a horizontal line running across. Repeat this step to create a vertical line, then continue this process in between the 2 pipe cleaner lines until you have a star shape in the center. Feel free to add more pipe cleaners and weave them through these lines to add intricacy to your web. I twisted a pipe cleaner at the top, then started looping it over and under the lines to add detail.  In the center of your web, create a symbol and weave it through the center to represent your dream

Step 3: Now, we are creating the feathers. Take a pipe cleaner and twist it around the bottom of the circle to secure it. Then, take about an inch or two on the bottom of the pipe cleaner, fold it upwards, and twist in place. This will be the size of your feather. After twisting, pull the leaf horizontally to create an opening and shape it to embody a feather.

Step 4: Repeat this process across the bottom of your circle to create the dream catcher pattern. Feel free to vary the pipe cleaner length and leaf side to add dynamism to your piece. 

Step 5: Time to decorate your dreamcatcher! Take parts of pipe cleaners you used to twist it once around the leaves and parts of the web. Then, trim off the excess. These embody the beads used in traditional dream catchers. You can also add an additional pipe cleaner at the top to allow you to hang it near you.