2022 Fiber Biennial Distinguished Juror Panel

Carole Harris

Carole Harris is a fiber artist who has redefined and subverted the concepts of quilting to suit her own purposes. She extends the boundaries of the tradition beyond utilitarian usage through explorations that include other forms of stitchery, irregular shapes, textures, materials and objects. Her work has received numerous awards including the prestigious Kresge Art Fellowship, and has been exhibited and published extensively. Highlights include a 2014 solo exhibition at the Paint Creek Center for the Arts (Rochester, MI) and inclusion in the exhibition “The Sum of Many Parts: 25 Quiltmakers in 21st Century America” which toured China, where she was a guest lecturer.

Xia Gao

Xia Gao is a visual artist who primarily works with fibers, textiles for 2D, 3D, and installation expressions. Gao has exhibited widely in numerous group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. She is the recipient of several nationally/internationally exhibition awards. Her work received support from competitive fellowships and grants from universities and foundations, including the Pritzker Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, ARNA Artist Residency, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and I-Park Foundation. Gao ­­­­received her MFA in Textile Art/Design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art, Art History & Design at Michigan State University.

Boisali Biswas

"Coming from India, a country with an extremely rich heritage of art and culture, I have always had a deep-rooted attachment to its traditional art forms. Adapting to Western styles and techniques, and combining them with my lifelong fascination for ethnic arts around the world, have all been a melting pot for me to create a multicultural canvas.

I spent 5 formative years during my BFA at the International University, Visva-Bharati at Shantiniketan (Abode of Peace) in India founded by the poet, writer, painter, musician, educationist, philosopher, Nobel Laureate (Literature) Rabindranath Tagore. The education at this unique university, Visva-Bharati, shaped my artistic personality forever. At Shantiniketan, the school's visions of love of nature, freedom of the mind, heart, and will, and enrichment of Indian cultures through the Arts all became part of me (see Rabindranath Tagore on Education).

In my everyday life, my escape, my retreat, is my creative power of Art. My work is indigenous to my inner self and is a place of solitude, passion, and contemplation for me. The final offering is the culmination of a series of wordless conversations between me and my artwork. The subject matter of my work is drawn from my own life experiences, trips, thoughts, and surroundings. My art is like a journey for me through the passage of time-honored techniques, traditions, and influences in an endeavor to produce art for everyone to appreciate.
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By now, I have spent more years here than in my birth country. But images, people, places, experiences, and moments keep showing up in my subconscious mind. Hence that tormenting question of "belonging" comes to mind. Where do I really belong? My ongoing search for the answer melds through my art."