Karen is a PhD student in human ecology at the University of Alberta. She focuses on material culture studies, which is an interdisciplinary field that considers how people make, use, sell, exchange, and discard material objects in social and cultural contexts across time and place. She is particularly interested in the emotional connections that people have with their objects in the home, especially when they attempt to part with some of their meaningful things by decluttering.

Previously, Karen taught courses on the global fashion, textiles, and apparel industries and has hands-on experience with textile design and analysis from her undergraduate degree in clothing, textiles, and material culture. Although she has sewn and repaired clothing for many years, she is completely new to weaving. She enjoys the community-focused approach to weaving at Gather and is excited about making her first weaving project!