Biography
Joan Schulze was born in 1936 in Chicago, IL. Most of Schulze's art was made in her San Francisco and Sunnyvale, CA studios. Schulze began seriously producing work in the 1970s and quickly gained attention for her unconventional and contemporary approach to quilts and fabric.
In her own words:
“I photograph - objects and surfaces; I collect - text and fragments of paper; I create - painted and altered fabrics. I glue, stitch, peel, and scrape to reveal under layers. These contrasting textures and narrative elements may include scribbled first drafts of my poems, vintage letters, pieces of found images, word fragments from newspapers and magazines, and personal photographs. I process contemporary culture, often focusing on opposites - cityscapes versus gardens, and found relationships in collected objects such as bowls, perfume bottles, and timepieces. Organizing these elements is a daily studio practice which helps me refine my ideas. Being a step away from chaos is a great motivator.”
Schulze has been a visiting artist/lecturer in Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, and throughout the United States. She has participated in countless conferences and symposia and served as a keynote speaker for institutions such as the San Diego Museum of Art, the Textile Arts Council at the de Young Museum, The Legion of Honor in San Francisco, the University of Washington Art Museum, and the Honolulu Academy of Art. Her work is in many public and private collections including Visa International, Adobe Systems World Headquarters, Queen of Apostles Church, Stanford University, The National Museum of American Art, Renwick Gallery/Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., the Oakland Museum of California, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the American Craft Museum in New York, the International Center for the Study of Collage in France, and Museo de Collage in Mexico. In 2003, she was the solo artist in an exhibition at Luther College.
Schulze's work is included in two dozen books, including One Quilt, One Moment, Alissa Norton, Ed., Primedia, 2000; The Art of Joan Schulze, Custom & Limited Editions, 1999; The Art Quilt, Robert Shaw, 1997; and Contemporary Quilts, Lark, 1997. Schulze has been featured in several magazines and journals, including Art Quilt Magazine, Fall 95; Spring 00; Craft Art International, Fall 2001; and in five different issues of both Fiberarts and American Craft, to name only a few.
Schulze was named the recipient of the Fresno Art Museum's 2017 Distinguished Woman Artist Award, in Fresno, California. In honor of this award, Schulze will present a solo exhibition of her work at the museum lasting from September 22, 2017 through January 7, 2018.
Source of Biography
www.joan-of-arts.com; www.shaerag.org; www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk; “The Art of Joan Schulze.” Surface Design. Summer 2000; “An Artist of Her Times.” Australia Craft Arts International, 53 (2001)