CHRISTINE LAFFER
TAPUS Studio
88 Brooklyn Avenue
San José, California 95128-1807
tel: 408.995.0277
e-mail: claffer@christinelaffer.com
website: www.christinelaffer.com
Biographical
1953 Born in Columbus, Ohio.
Education:
1995 M.F.A. in Spatial Arts, San Jose State University, San José, California.
1985 Internship in tapestry technique, La Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins, Paris, France.
1984 Study in Textile Arts, DeAnza College, Cupertino, California.
1982 Aubusson Tapestry program, San Francisco Tapestry Workshop, San Francisco.
1977 Textile Design, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island.
1975 Architectural Design, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
1966 Private studies with Myrtle Jones, painter, Savannah, Georgia.
Solo Exhibitions
2003 "Continuous Edges: Parallel Lines," Nexus Gallery, Berkeley, California
1995 "Curious Fears," thesis exhibition, San Jose State University, San José, California
1994 "Naked Singularities," pre-thesis exhibition, San Jose State University, San José
Two-Person Exhibitions
1998 Lisa Ramirez and Christine Laffer, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Serra House, Stanford University, Stanford,
California
1992 "Two Bay Area Artists: Christine Laffer - Deann Joy Rubin," Tapestries Gallery, Palo Alto
1991 "Façades: Fiber and Form," Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Fremont, California
1990 "Urban Sensibilities: Contemporary Tapestries," Creative Arts Center Gallery, Sunnyvale, California
Selected Curated Exhibitions
2004 "Challenging Traditions: Contemporary Textiles," curator Mary Maxon, The Dahl, Rapid City, South Dakota
1997 "The Continuous Thread," curator Louaine Elke, Marin College of Art, San Rafael, Calif.; catalog
1996 "New Voices in Weaving," curator Cynthia Schira, Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Portland Oregon; reviewed
1995 "Currents," curated by Bonnie Britton, Monterey Peninsula College Gallery, Monterey, California
1994 "Contemporary Tapestry: 1990 to the Present," curators Margery Livingston and Joyce Hulbert, California Crafts Museum, San Francisco, California; reviewed
1993 "State of the Art: Contemporary Fiber," curator Judy G. Eakin, Loveland Museum and Gallery, Loveland, Colorado; catalog; reviewed
1991 "West Coast Tapestry," curators Carl Worth and Care Standley, Bedford Gallery, Regional Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California; reviewed
1990 "Uncommon Threads," curator Bonnie Britton, Cabrillo College Gallery, Aptos, California; reviewed
1990 "International Tapestry Network: Exhibit One," Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage, Alaska, curator Helga Berry; travelling exhibition; catalog; reviewed
1989 "American Tapestry Weaving Since the 1930s and Its European Roots," The Art Gallery, University of Maryland College Park, curator Courtney Shaw; catalog; reviewed
Selected Group Exhibitions
2006-7 "American Tapestry Biennial 6," UICA, Grand Rapids, Michigan and subsequent venues
2005 "Material Moments," Gualala Art Center, Gualala, California
2002 "American Tapestry Biennial 4," Richmond Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Canada and subsequent venues
2000 "Off the Loom," Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Fremont, California
1999 “Pacific Edge,” Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, California and subsequent venues
1998 "21: Comes of Age," WORKS/San José, San José, California
1998 "Artists' Intersection with Technology," Koret Gallery, Palo Alto, California
1998 "Tapestry Weavers West," juror Lilian Tyrrell, LRC Gallery, Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio
1997 "ITNET 3," jurors Lloyd Herman and Joanna Staniskas, http://www.alaska.net/~itnet
1997 "Across the Tracks," WORKS/San José, San José, California; reviewed
1996 “Diversity in Tapestry,” juried, Mendocino Arts Center, Mendocino, California; reviewed
1995 "Out of State," '95 SJSU MA and MFA graduates, at WORKS/San José, California
1994 "National Tapestry Invitational Exhibition," curator Letitia Roller, ArtSpace/Lima, Ohio
1993 "Contemporary Tapestry," curator Susan Wageman, Rosicrucian Museum, San José
1993 "Tapestries," Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, California
1993 "Three Artists," selected by Judy Kay and Associates, Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, California
1992 "Craft Information Alliance," juried exhibition, California Craft Museum, San Francisco
1992 "Sense of Future Past," organized by Suzy Locke and TWW, Shaklee Building, San Francisco, California
1991 "A Gathering of Spirits," juror Ferne Jacobs, California Fibers, Brand Library Art Galleries, Glendale
1991 "Western Weavers: On the Edge," Joanne Rapp Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
1991 "Tapestries in Place," Gensler and Associates Architects, San Francisco, California
1990 22nd Annual Textile Exhibition, jurors Sylvia Seventy and Kenneth Trapp, Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Fremont, California
1990 "Risk Factors," Littman Gallery, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon; reviewed
1989 "Tapestry Now," Luckenbach Mill Gallery, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; catalog
1988 "Focus: American Baskets and Fiber," Banaker Gallery, Walnut Creek, California
1988 Tapestry Weavers West II, The Kaiser Center, Oakland, California
1987 TWW Invitational, Scheuer Tapestry Gallery, New York, New York
1987 "Back in Touch," Euphrat Gallery, Cupertino, California; reviewed
1987 TWW I, Fiberworks Gallery 2, Berkeley, California and at Gallery One, SJSU, San José
1983 "Contemporary Tapestry," Glastonbury Gallery, San Francisco, California
Awards
1990 First Place Recommendation, Art Jury, the Library Tapestry Commission, Sunnyvale
1984 Award for Excellence, Conference of Northern California Handweavers
1983 Judge's Choice, PAA Membership Show
1983 Award for Excellence, CNCH
Private Collections
Ray Ashley
Louis and Denise Brockway
Margaret A. Brosnan
Linda Cline Chandler
Nancy Cleveland
Barbara Heller and Michael Karton
Frederick Rodney Holt
Alan W. Holt
Clifford R. Huston
Mary Idso
Jill Kolakowski
Joanne P. Laffer
Susan H. Laffer
Consuelo J. Underwood
Karen Verbica
... and other private collections
Curatorial Experience
1995 "Matters of Substance," selected graduate work, Gallery 5, SJSU, San José
1994 "Fiber Concepts," selected graduate work, Gallery 5, SJSU, San José, California
1990 "Risk Factors," works of selected tapestry artists from the United States and Canada, the Littman Gallery, Portland, Oregon. Organized in conjunction with Tapestry Forum 1990, a symposium focused on issues specific to the medium, with attendees from several countries.
Professional Teaching Experience
1998-2000 Workshop Instructor, Outreach Program, Villa Montalvo, Saratoga, California
1993 Teaching Associate, 2-D Design Concepts (Spring '93) and Beginning Drawing (Fall '93), SJSU, San José, California
1991 Workshop Instructor, Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, California
1991 Workshop Instructor, Handweavers League of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1989 Workshop Instructor, Tapestry Symposium, Mendocino Art Center, California
1988, 1986 Workshop Instructor, Kortum-Gaynes Studio, Palo Alto, California
1986 - 1999 Private instructor, TAPUS Studio
Other Professional Experience in the Arts
2004 Juror, County Fair Art Show, Professional, Advanced Amateur and Amateur
Divisions, Ferndale, CA
2002 Juror, "American Tapestry Biennial 4" organized by the American Tapestry Alliance
2000 Leader, Convergence 2000, Cincinnati, Ohio, for lecture, seminar and panel
1995-98 Gallery Coordinator, WORKS/San José, alternative art and performance, San José
1997 Representative artist at CSI ProFair, San Francisco, California
1996-97 Publications Editor, ITNET website, http://www.alaska.net/~itnet/
1995 Juror, Senior Art Awards, work selected from four high schools San José, California, sponsored by the Cambpell Womens
Club
1994-5 Graduate Assistant, Pictorial Arts, managing painting, printmaking and drawing studios, SJSU, San José, California
1993 Guest Artist, Piedmont Middle School, Piedmont, California
1992 Symposium Organizer, "Other Voices: A Symposium on Tapestry," in conjunction with "ITNET: Exhibit 2," University of Maryland at College Park
1991 Crew Member, Christo's Umbrellas Joint Project in Japan and the U.S.
1991 Artist in Residence, Bedford Gallery, Regional Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek
1991 Juror, Annual Fiber Exhibition, Handweavers League of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City
Appointments
2003 - 07 Board Member, American Tapestry Alliance
2003 - 06 Co-Director, Director of Resources, American Tapestry Alliance
1998 Grants Review Panel, Arts Council of Santa Clara County, San José, California
1998 - 00 Co-Editor, (detail) a Journal of Art Criticism, San José
1997 - Board Member, Textile Arts Council, De Young Museum, San Francisco
1997 - 99 Vice President, South Bay Area Women's Caucus for Art
1995 - 96 1996 Regional Conference Planning Committee, SBAWCA, California
1995 - 96 Editor, Switch, an on-line publication of the CADRE Institute, SJSU, San José
1994 - 95 Student Representative to the Art Graduate Committee, SJSU, San José, California
1990 - 93 Vice-President, ITNET, Inc. (International Tapestry Network), Anchorage, Alaska
Selected Lectures and Speaking Engagements
2006 Invited Speaker, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, California
2006 Artist Lecturer, San Jose State University, San Jose, California
2006 Panel Moderator, "Exhibitions: From A To Z," ATA Symposium, Grand Rapids, Michigan
2004 Panelist, "Changing Approaches in the Creation of Woven Tapestry," Textile Society of America
2004 Moderator, "Outside the Studio: Tapestry in a Larger Field," symposium at Convergence 2004
2003 Speaker, "Looking at Tapestries: Views by Weavers and Scholars," symposium, Chicago, Illinois
2000 "On the Wall," Artist Lecture, Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Fremont California
2000 Guest Lecturer, Blacksheep Weavers Guild, Palo Alto, California
2000 Guest Lecturer, Napa Valley Weavers, Napa, California
1998 Guest Lecturer, Tamalpais Weavers Guild, Ross, California
1998 Guest Speaker, Drawing, San Jose State University, San Jose
1998 Panel organizer, "Voices, Values, Vision" at SFAI, San Francisco
1997 Guest Lecturer, SBAWCA, Institute of Women and Gender Research, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Selected Lectures and Speaking Engagements (continued)
1997 Guest Lecturer, Textile Program, San Francisco City College, California
1997 Guest Speaker, BFA Seminar, San José State University, California
1995 Panelist, "A Gathering of Artists: Traditional and Changing Roles in Multicultural Society," organized by South Bay Area Womens Caucus for Art, at SJSU, Ca.
1995 Guest Speaker, Introduction to Art, SJSU, California
1994 Guest Speaker, Santa Cruz Handweavers Guild, Santa Cruz, California
1993 Panelist, Symposium "Making a Place for Tapestry," Vancouver, B.C.
1993 Guest Speaker, Fiber Artisans Guild, San José, California
1991 Guest Speaker, Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria, Illinois
1991 Guest Speaker, The Hawley Street Tapestry Studio, Northampton, Massachusetts
1991 Guest Speaker, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, New York
1990 Panelist, Tapestry Seminar, sponsored by ATA, Convergence '90, San José
1990 Discussion Leader, Tapestry Forum 1990, Portland, Oregon
Selected Bibliography
1999 Shirley E. Held, Weaving: A Handbook of the Fiber Arts, (Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1999), p.268
1997 Mary Lane, "Concerning the Gendered Body," International Tapestry Journal, Sum '97, V.3 No.2, b&w photos.
1997 Ann Elliot Sherman, review of "Across the Tracks," Apr. 24, Metro
1994 Alyssa Erickson, review of "Contemporary Tapestry 1990 to the Present," arteFACto, No. 5, Sept. 1994
1994 Carol K. Russell, "International Tapestry in the '90s," FIBERARTS, V.21, No.1, Sum 94, photo.
1994 Mary Alexander Walker, "Contemporary Tapestry," Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, Spr 94, photo.
1993 Barbara Liebler, "Contemporary Fiber: State of the Art," Handwoven, March/Apr 93.
1992 Jan Janeiro, "Textiles About Textiles," FIBERARTS, V. 18, No. 5, photo.
1991 Colorado Arts, Dec/Jan 1991-92, cover photo.
1991 Robin Worthington, "Architectural Infatuation at Hyde," San Jose Mercury News, 10/02, photo.
1991 Nancy Harvey, Tapestry Weaving, Interweave Press, photo.
1991 Carol Fowler, "Woven for the Walls," West County Times, 7/5, photo.
1991 Joseph Young, "Tapestries whose potential hasn't been tapped," Scottsdale Progress, 6/27.
1991 Fiberarts Design Book Four, Lark Book Publications, photo.
1990 Carol K. Russell, The Tapestry Handbook, Lark Book Publications, photo.
Published Writings
2007 "Looking Back at Tapestry: The Narrative Voice," Tapestry Topics, Vol 33 No 2
2005 "Barbara Heller: Tapestry Artist as Mediator," catalog
2000 "Transforming the Text: Seyed Alavi's Experience of Words," Art Papers, May/June 2000
1999 "Retrieving the Real," International Tapestry Journal, v.2 n.1, June 1999
1999 “Consuming Prospects: The Work of Robin Lasser,” (detail), Summer
1999 Review: “Canticles of Ecstasy,” work of Seyed Alavi, Art Papers, May/Jun
1998 Review "Vessels of Fiction," work of Bella Feldman, Art Papers, Nov/Dec
1998 Review "Dear Altar," work of Bernadette Cotter, Thompson Gallery, San José, Art Papers, May/Jun
1998 Review "Present Tense," SFMoMA, Art Papers, Mar/Apr
1997 "The Body of Tapestry: Joyce Hulbert's La Terra," International Tapestry Journal, S '97
1997 "Handing On: Tapestries in Belgium," http://www.alaska.net/~itnet
1995 "Sharon Marcus: Visual Archeologies," FIBERARTS, v.22 n.4, Jan/Feb 1996, p.52
1994 "A Different Approach," ITNET Journal, v.5 n.3, Fall 1994, p.46.
1994 "Tapestry Visions," ITNET Journal, v.5 n.3, Fall 1994, p.42-43.
1994 Interview of Mary Donovan, TWW Newsletter, v.9 n.4, Aug. 1994.
1994 "Why Theory?," TWW Newsletter, v.9 n.3, May 1994.
Published Writings (continued)
1994 "Tradition + Transition Symposium in Chicago," ITNET Journal, v.4 n.4, Winter 1993/94, p.13.
1994 "Process and Product," Making a Place for Tapestry, Symposium 1993, published conference proceedings, The British Columbia Society of Tapestry Artists and The Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, BC, Canada
1993 "Visual Interpretation," (detail), a Journal of Art Criticism, Fall 1993, p.12.
1993 "ITNET: Exhibit 2," arteFACto, Revista de Arte, n.1, Junio 1993, p.29.
1992 "Forces of Gravity: Consuelo Jimenez Underwood," FIBERARTS, Nov/Dec 1992, p.60.
Slide Registries
American Crafts Council, New York, New York
Collaborations
1990 "Brax," designed by and woven for Klutz Press, Inc., Palo Alto, California
1989 "Lyrical Landscape," collaboration with Trudi Eldridge, tapestry artist
1987 "The Ark," by Laurie Gross, woven for Peninsula Temple Beth-El, San Mateo
Professional Affiliations
2003 - curr Member, American Tapestry Alliance
1997 - curr Member, Handweavers Guild of America
1995 - 00 Board of the Textile Arts Council, DeYoung Museum, San Francisco
1990 - 96 ITNET, Inc. (International Tapestry Network)
1987 – 00 Member, South Bay Area Women's Caucus for Art, California
1985 - 98 Member, Tapestry Weavers West, California (Founding Member)
1982 - curr Member, American Crafts Council, New York
