About

Micah Clasper-Torch is a Los Angeles based artist, designer and educator who is among a new wave of artists specializing in punch needle rug hooking and tufting techniques. Blurring the line between fine art and design, she creates limited edition collections and one of a kind pieces that range from coats and handbags to wall hangings and mixed media artwork.

With a BFA in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Politecnic Institute in Milan Italy, Micah brings a unique perspective and 15 years of experience across the worlds of fashion, art and design to her craft. In 2018 she debuted her punch needle coat, the first of its kind, combining her background in fashion design with this little known art form and propelling her to the forefront of this craft’s resurgence.

In 2019 she trained and was formally certified as an Oxford Punch Needle Instructor by Amy Oxford, renowned rug hooker and founder of The Oxford Rug Hooking School in Vermont, and she currently sits on the board of the Oxford Punch Needle Instructors Guild.

In 2020, Micah launched Punch Needle World, an online community and educational platform dedicated to the art, craft and history of Punch Needle that has quickly become the largest online platform dedicated to this craft. Both her personal work and teaching style embrace established craft traditions as a starting point to explore new techniques and applications, pushing their boundaries through contemporary design.

Micah’s punch needle coats have been displayed in galleries and exhibitions including the TUFT exhibition at Group Projects PHL in Philadelphia, and Sauder Village’s Rug Hooking Week in Ohio. Her work and writing has been featured in various print and online publications including Rug Hooking Magazine, Koel Magazine, Mollie Makes, Love Embroidery, SisterMag, MANNEQUIM and Amy Oxford’s Punch Needle Rug Hooking: Your Complete Guide to Learn and Love the Craft.  She has taught punch needle to thousands of students through her online courses on the global online learning platform Domestika, and Punch Needle Academy.