Change is Good

Join practising textile artist Barbara Shapiro for an engaging lecture on the connection between artistic challenge and progress. In her own words:

“Life does not sit still. And artists cannot sit still either. No matter how comfortable we become in our chosen medium, we must continually challenge ourselves to look deeper or farther or wider if we are to keep our vision fresh. As my good friend the acclaimed designer John Wheatman says, ‘A good house is never done.’ It is never static, and neither is the work of an artist. Through this presentation you will see how one San Francisco-based textile artist has taken artistic risks and embraced change.”

Barbara Shapiro has been creating textile art for decades. She combines a rich knowledge of historical and ethnic textiles with broad technical experience in weaving, dyeing, and basketry. After being involved in the San Francisco Art to Wear movement in the ’70s and ’80s, Barbara shifted her focus to textile art. She teaches frequent workshops and classes at San Francisco State University. A board member of the Textile Society of America, she also serves on the Textile Arts Council of the Fine Arts Museums of San Franscisco and is a docent at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art. For many years she has specialized in indigo dyeing and has taught many students the “Greener Indigo” formula that is safer and more ecological than common chemical formulas. She is a frequent contributor to textile publications, and her wall pieces and baskets have been widely exhibited throughout the USA and in Canada, France, England, Ireland, Japan, and Israel.