In March 2024, Textile Center was honored to welcome artist and social educator Mette Østman to Textile Center! This special Art Speaks lecture explored the powerful role that felt making can have in the lives of neurodiverse learners and artists seeking adaptive methods for self-expression.

Østman shared her experience working with individuals with dementia and anxiety as well as those who identify as autistic. She also explained how the Danish system of supporting those in vulnerable job situations dovetails with opportunities to use craft as a strategy for care and recovery. Østman highlighted themes from her recent book (Filt Dig Klog, not yet translated into English) and her work for over three decades as a teacher and a felter.

Artist Bio:

Based in Odense, Denmark, Mette Østman (she/her) is an artist and educator who has been working with felt since 1981. She is founder of Mette Østman Felt, where she works with individuals with vulnerabilities to design and produce felted artworks. She is a firm believer that felting can be used as a pedagogical tool and a mode for cognitive development, a theme she explores in her workshops and in her book Filt Dig Klog (2018; new edition 2023). www.metteoestman.dk/