Ishita Jain, Illustration for Midnight Motorbike by Maureen Shay Tajsar (Neal Porter Books). Courtesy of the artist. © 2025 Ishita Jain.
Weaving Words: Fiber Arts and Picture Books
Weaving Words explores the connection between fiber arts and picture books over the past 60 years of illustration history, taking a closer look at how artists have experimented with materials to replicate intricate textures and even used the fiber arts themselves. When woven together, these illustrations showcase the many facets of storytelling, and the common thread that binds us together: textiles as story, identity, and expression. The exhibition will feature artworks from 32 picture books, including art by Juana Martinez-Neal, Dinara Mirtalipova, Vesper Stamper, Faith Ringgold, and Salley Mavor.
Curated by Isabel Ruiz Cano.
Support for this exhibition is provided by The Coby Foundation.
Exhibition design by Theory One.
Vesper Stamper, Illustration for A Knot Is Not A Tangle by Daniel Nayeri (Knopf). Courtesy of the artist. © 2025 Vesper Stamper.
Elisa Chavarri, Illustration for Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris by Linda Elovitz Marshall (Lee & Low). Courtesy of the artist. © 2016 Elisa Chavarri.
Dinara Mirtalipova, Illustration for Woven of the World by Katey Howes (Chronicle). Courtesy of the artist. © 2023 Dinara Mirtalipova.
Winona Nelson, Illustration for All The Stars In the Sky by Art Coulson (Simon & Schuster). Courtesy of the artist. © 2025 Winona Nelson.
Juana Martinez-Neal, Illustration for La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books). Museum Purchase. © 2017 Juana Martinez-Neal.
Amelia Lau Carling, Illustration for Mama and Papa Have a Store (Dial). Courtesy of the artist. © 1998 Amelia Lau Carling.
Vesper Stamper, Illustration for A Knot Is Not A Tangle by Daniel Nayeri (Knopf). Courtesy of the artist. © 2025 Vesper Stamper.
Patricia Polacco, Illustration for The Keeping Quilt (Simon & Schuster). Collection of The Mazza Museum, The University of Findlay. © 1998 Patricia Polacco.
Salley Mavor, Illustration for Pocketful of Posies (Clarion). Courtesy of the artist. © 2010 Salley Mavor.