Sherri Smith | |
---|---|
Born | |
Education | Stanford University (BA), Cranbrook Academy of Art (MFA) |
Occupation(s) | Fiber and textile artist, weaver, sculptor, educator |
Known for | Large-scale and three-dimensional hanging sculptures, waffle weave sculptures |
Movement | American studio craft |
Website | www |
Sherri Smith (born 1943) is an American fiber and textile artist, weaver, sculptor, and educator.[2] She is one of the pioneers within the field of fiber art since the late 1960s.[3] Smith taught for many years at the University of Michigan (UMich) in Ann Arbor, where she is the Catherine B. Heller Collegiate Professor Emerita. In 2012, she was named a fellow of the American Craft Council (ACC).
Smith was born on March 21, 1943, in Evanston, Illinois, U.S..[1][4][5][6] However some sources state she was born in Chicago.[7][8]
She graduated with a BA degree in 1965 and Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University; and went on to earn an MFA degree in 1967, in weaving and textile design from Cranbrook Academy of Art.[8][7][9]
Smith opened her career as a textile designer with two New York City firms, Dorothy Liebes, Inc., (1968), and Boris Knoll Fabrics (1969).[7] In 1969, Smith achieved early acclaim after participating in the pivotal group art exhibition, Wall Hangings (1969) at the Museum of Modern Art.[10]
She began her academic career teaching at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, from 1971 to 1974.[7] From 1974 until 2018, she taught at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.[7]
Her artwork is included in public museum collections, including at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco;[11] the Smithsonian American Art Museum,[12] the Art Institute of Chicago;[13] the Minneapolis Institute of Art;[10] and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum.[14]