Skip to main content
Photo Credit: Ed Watkins, 2007
Lenore Tawney
Photo Credit: Ed Watkins, 2007
Photo Credit: Ed Watkins, 2007

Lenore Tawney

United States, 1907–2007
Place of BirthLorain, Ohio, United States
Place of DeathNew York, New York, United States
BiographyLenore Tawney is a leading figure in the world of fiber arts. Having studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Illinois, and the Penland School of Crafts, she turned her attention full time to weaving in the mid 1950s. Her innovative work, using ancient Peruvian techniques in combination with a Bauhaus influence, helped to free fiber arts from functional constraints. She was one of the first textile artists to design works to be shown off the wall.