Lenore Tawney Education Resources

Lenore Tawney was an American artist who is known for developing new ideas and techniques for creating art using fiber. She made other types of artwork during her life, including drawings, collages, and assemblages.

Fiber is traditionally used to create utilitarian objects, such as clothing, rugs, and pillows. Lenore Tawney used fiber to create sculptural artwork, using an approach that has been named open-warp weaving. Her work helped change the way people think about fiber art. Lenore moved to New York City in 1957 when she was fifty years old and began to focus on making artwork using fibers. About ten years after moving to New York,

Lenore had a studio space where she lived and worked. The space had very high ceilings which allowed her to create much larger work. The contents of her studio are now a part of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s collection. The objects are displayed at the Art Preserve. This is the first time that the Arts Center has labeled a studio space as an artist-built environment.