Patrick Howe, Owner and Founder, Wholesale Shade; Priscilla Lustig, Artist; Steef Crombach, Curator, Educator, and Soft Sculpture Artist

This session explores how shade sails can be approached not just as a product, but as a flexible medium for large-scale public art. Led by artists Priscilla Lustig and Steef Crombach, the presentation follows the evolution of their collaborative fabric installations, from hand-crafted semi outdoor work to a public outdoor installation commissioned by the City of Austin.
Building upon backgrounds in textile-based making and hard edge painting, their process translates techniques like layering, quilting, and modular construction into an industrial context, using shade sails to create an immersive spatial composition. The session will walk through the full trajectory of the project, including concept development, material research, collaboration with fabricators, and the realities of designing and installing at scale.
Rather than focusing on technical specifications, the talk highlights a way of thinking, how reimagining familiar materials can open up new creative and professional possibilities. Attendees will gain insight into working across disciplines, navigating the overlap between artistic vision and construction, and approaching shade sails as both functional and expressive elements.