Thursday, September 3, 2020
We are so lucky to have Thomas Knauer visit us (virtually) in September!
He began his career teaching design at Drake University before turning to quilting. He has designed fabrics for several leading manufacturers, and his work has been exhibited in quilt shows and museums across the globe, including the International Quilt Study Center & Museum, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, Des Moines Art Center, the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, and the Cranbrook Art Museum.
Knauer describes himself as a geek; always has been, always will be. Most of his childhood was devoted to amassing math trophies, but added art to his interests in high school. He was lucky enough to go to a high school that had a mammoth weaving studio. The combination of math, aesthetics, and concepts just clicked, and he proceeded to “logic” his way into art.
His undergraduate degree was earned at Kenyon College, shifting towards sculpture, with weaving and sewing remaining recurring motifs in his art. Graduate degrees were earned at Ohio University and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, with the ideas of stitching contrasting concepts and forms together—both literally and figuratively—permeating all of his work, whether physical objects or programming-based multimedia projects. Knauer taught design at Drake University prior to moving to upstate New York to start a family, but soon fell ill with a rare form of muscular dystrophy known as Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis (and more recently was also diagnosed with Mast Cell Disease). After finding a reasonable management protocol, he began sewing for his young daughter. Since then he has designed textiles for Andover Fabrics and Kokka, and has exhibited quilts in venues across the country, ranging from AQS shows to the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Nebraska. His work has also been exhibited in a number of museums and galleries.
Lecture Topic
Knauer’s September lecture for the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas will focus on his third book, entitled Why We Quilt: Contemporary Makers Speak Out about the Power of Art, Activism, Community, and Creativity that was published last fall. In a world of instant gratification, why has quilting survived and thrived? The book explores this question through a stunning collection of quilts from 40 different contemporary makers, accompanied by their testimonials about what inspires and imbues their craft with meaning. From temperance quilts to the AIDS quilt, there’s a rich history of individuals and communities using fabric and thread to connect with others and express themselves, both personally and politically. Why We Quilt blends bits of this history with the stories and work of today’s leading quilters, highlighting themes of tradition, community, consumerism, change, and creativity. His earlier books are Modern Quilt Perspectives, published in 2014, and The Quilt Design Coloring Workbook, published in 2016.
His passion is helping quilters of all stripes develop their own maker vocabularies and skills for designing and creating their own quilts. Find him online at www.thomasknauersews.com.