Stefanie Moser
Age: 25
Residence: Highland Park
Stefanie Moser loves to hula hoop so much that she creates handmade hula hoops from plumbing tubes and garbanzo beans.
Moser calls her business "Spinster Hoops." She has a degree in studio art from Messiah College and works as an assistant to the director at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. In her free time Moser designs and sells vibrant hula hoops decorated with colorful tape, vinyl and ribbon. She currently has 12 hoops on display at a Jersey City, N.J., art gallery.
Question: How did you get started with hula hooping and creating hoops?
Answer:
I went to a friend's wedding in Colorado, and she had hula hoops instead of dancing. I was intrigued by the hoop tricks people were doing. I started it just as a hobby more than anything. I had purchased different types of tapes online and asked the guy who does vinyl at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts if he had any scrap I could use. It's basically kind of an art form for me — something that is fun, playful and colorful.
Q: How did you get into selling the hoops?
A:
I would start taking hoops to parks with me. They are a great community builder. I would bring kid-size ones and adult-size ones, and every time I had them, people would ask about hooping. I encouraged people to try, and a lot of people said they weren't able to do it. It comes a lot more naturally than people think. People were telling me they thought the hoops were beautiful and asking me how much they were. My goal is to set up an account so I can sell online.
Q: Have you encountered any roadblocks along the way?
A:
Time is definitely something I struggle with. I'm also realizing that the first few hoops I made are extremely decorative and elaborate, and therefore I don't want to part with them at a low price. I'm responding to that by making the hula hoops a bit simpler and more affordable.
Q: What are you passionate about?
A:
One thing I do feel passionately about is that people give hooping a try. I think that a lot of people have this hang-up that they can't hoop because they've tried their kids' hoops. A lot of hoops out there are lightweight. An adult needs an adult-sized hoop. People don't realize that, and therefore they get discouraged and think they can't hoop. I make the hoops pretty large, and the bigger ones are easier to use. If people are willing to give it a shot with a larger hoop, they will find out they can probably do it.
Q: Who are your favorite artists?
A:
I really like Philip Taaff. He works a lot with patterns. I love Gerhard Richter, who is known most for his paintings. I also like Richard Serra (who works with forged steel), which is funny because his art is nothing like the kind I create. Some of his pieces are very aggressive but intimate at the same time.
The Point Park News Service is a joint project with Point Park University and this newspaper.
Additional Information:
Give it a twirl
Stefanie Moser and fellow hooper Erika Johnson are scheduled to have a hoop jam from 6:30-7:30 p.m. today at the Union Project, 801 N. Negley Ave., Highland Park. They will offer instruction for and teach tricks to those who are more experienced. The cost is $2.
To learn more about hooping, Moser suggests checking out hooping.org .
