Outside of Ordinary

Steven Frost escaped the margins of art and society to be and create authentically, and he teaches others to do the same

By Kastle Waserman

Like many artists, Steven Frost has a lot of creative energy. They decided at the age of 18 that they wanted to be an artist, starting as a theater kid. Frost confesses, though, they were bad at acting and spent most of their time in the local costume shop, which was a foreshadowing of things to come. 

They changed course to visual arts and pursued a BFA from Alfred University in New York—its tagline is not-so-ironically “Outside of Ordinary” and its motto, even since Frost’s time there, has been “Fiat Lux!” (Latin for “Let There Be Light!”) During that time, a teacher shined a light on something they hadn’t seen personally. “I was doing collages with cut-up clothes and knitting, then doing paintings of them. She told me, ‘You could just show the textiles, you don’t have to make a painting of them.’” 

That moment clicked for Frost. They saw the fiber arts as a form of expression on the margins of the contemporary art world that ironically coincided with their personal decision to come out as queer.

“Those two things coming together made me think about how I felt about myself being on the margins of culture and society,” they say. “This was about 25 years ago. Things have changed significantly regarding queer people and textiles in the arts. Both are more prominent now, which is great to see.”

Frost went on to get an MFA in fiber and material studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, saying it taught them a variety of skills from weaving to rope making. However, discovering a loom at a friend’s house opened another door.

“I’d always struggle with finding the right fabric to express what I was trying to say or bring meaning into a composition. With weaving, I could embed meaning from the very beginning. I could spin the yarn, use a particular thread or material and put that inside the fabric and build fabric from the ground up that could be a garment or hang on its own as an installation.”

Frost says they also saw weaving as a metaphor for community and combined it with a love of teaching, which paved the way for a host of workshops, including The Colorado Sewing Rebellion with Carole Frances Lung—aka Frau Fiber—and a weaving residency program in the Unstable Design Lab at CU Boulder. Frost also cofounded Slay the Runway in 2021, a free fashion and performance camp for LGBTQIA+ teens and allies to learn sewing and movement skills, meet others like themselves, and create clothes that align with their self-image, which may not be readily available in stores.

“I enjoy the sharing and thinking that happens in workshops,” Frost says. “The critique space has always been a fun place for me to work through ideas and bounce things off others.”

Even in the media studies classes Frost teaches as an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, he encourages students not only to read about social media but also to create content for it. “The process of making something together and talking to people about what you’re making and struggling through the process makes you understand the medium better. It’s like when you learn to sew. It gives you a whole new appreciation for the workers who make your clothing.”

When they’re not teaching and inspiring others, Frost is working on their own pieces. They recently had a show of what they call “weaving journals,” a series of small compositions made with upcycled materials created over nine years.

“There is an ethical and moral purpose to using upcycled materials,” Frost says. “It becomes closer to our own experiences. You see a piece of socks, and it makes you think about your own socks. It becomes an entry point for people to see themselves in your work and ask questions.”

Frost says the journals were a way to experiment with different materials and colors. And it gave them something productive to do to resist doomscrolling the news all the time. Frost maintained a consistent, almost daily practice, even using a portable loom that could be taken anywhere, including on a trip to Japan. 

“It’s fun to do it on a plane because people start asking what I’m doing. It goes back to that idea of pedagogy because it starts a conversation and really draws out the textile people.”

Whatever it is Frost is working on, they look for ways the experience can be shared and used to foster a sense of community, especially in Colorado, for people who may not be outdoorsy or mountain types.

“In the art world, people are often waiting to be recognized by a community,” Frost says. “To that, I say, just make the community you want. That’s what I’ve always done.”

Keep up with Steven and their projects at stevenfrost.com