Artist Registry
Paula Bowers Hotvedt
Contact information
pbhweave@bellsouth.net
www.paulaweave.com
Artist statement
I loved weaving from the first moment I walked into the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. I was fascinated by the wall of yarn with all the vibrant colors and textures and the looms and other equipment filling the studio. I now have my own studio, a wall of yarn with three looms, a sewing section and a dying area.
Weaving is an art form from which one learns continuously. Weave structures, color, texture and design keep challenging me to build on the very ancient craft of weaving. It all becomes intertwined as I create new pieces and new designs. I love the movement of fabric, its “hand”; fabric has its own kinetic energy and personality. Although I use modern tools: a computer for design and also to drive my AVL Compu-Dobby loom, fiber reactive dyes for the intensity of color and for its relatively quick application, I try to not loose track of weaving’s heritage using natural dyes and natural fibers, the same as used for many thousands of years. Fiber makes a statement regarding the influences that helped create it - voices moving from the artist onto the cloth itself.
I view my weaving as part of a wonderful continuum, going back, largely unchanged, for centuries. The history of this continuum allows me to move forward exploring new materials and new designs with excitement and confidence.
Resume / bio
Education
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA, 1973-8.
- Wellesley College, Wellesley MA, 1979 – B.A. Art history.
- New York University Graduate School of Fine Arts, New York NY, 1981-2.
- Art Students League, New York NY, 1982-4 – oil painting.
- Fashion Institute of Technology, New York NY, 1984-6– woven design.
Selected exhibitions
- Judy Chicago Project, Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN, 2006.
- Golden threads: connecting innovation and tradition, Lyndon House Arts Center, Athens GA, 2005.
- The Best of Tennessee Crafts, Tennessee State Museum, Nashville TN, 2005.
- American Craft Council Southeastern Region Spotlight 2004, Tamarack Art Center, Beckly WV, 2004.
Professional affiliations
- Surface Design Association
- Handweavers Guild of Nashville
- Tennessee Association of Craft Artists
(Information last updated: 12 October 2009)
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© 2009
Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission 800 2nd Avenue South, 4th Floor P.O. Box 196300 Nashville TN 37219-6300 |
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