STATEMENT
I have lived in New Mexico since 2018, and this big sky country of vast open spaces has profoundly affected my approach to tapestry. The skies, plants, and colors of the high desert landscape have become my primary subject. The horizons here have expanded my sense of the expressive possibilities of the language of weaving. Much of my work since I relocated has been experimental, probing the boundaries and methods of traditional weft-faced tapestry.
BIO
Fiber artist Molly Elkind’s recent work explores the expressive potential of unusual materials and methods in handwoven tapestry.
Molly has focused on weaving since 2009. Earlier work ranged across the spectrum of fiber arts, including papermaking, quiltmaking, embroidery, book arts and collage. She earned an M.A. in Studio Art from the Allen R. Hite Art Institute at the University of Louisville in 2002, and in that year was awarded an Artist Enrichment grant by the Kentucky Foundation for Women. In 2021 her work Fold was shortlisted for the Kate Derum Award for Small Tapestries sponsored by the Australian Tapestry Workshop and the piece SkyGrass was shortlisted for purchase for a public facility by New Mexico Arts. Exhibition highlights include solo shows at Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance (2018) and at Mercer University, both in Atlanta (2009). Other juried shows include Materials Hard + Soft (2019) and Fiber as Metaphor (2019), FiberARTlanta (invitational 2013), Small Expressions/Handweavers Guild of America at the Tennessee State Museum (2011 and 2019), Artist as Quiltmaker XIII at FAVA in Oberlin, OH (2008), National Small Art Quilt Works (Honorable Mention) at Main Street Gallery in Groton, NY (2006), and South Cobb Arts Alliance 19th National Juried Art Exhibition Purchase Award, in Mableton, GA (2006). Molly's work and words have been published in Tapestry Weaver (Britain), Arts Across Kentucky, Needlearts, SAQA Journal, and Shuttle, Spindle, Dyepot magazines. Her work is in several private collections.
Molly maintains her studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico and travels nationwide to teach. She also teaches virtually via online platforms.
CV
EDUCATION
M.A. in Studio Art (Fiber), University of Louisville, 2002
M.A. in English Literature, University of Virginia, 1984
B.A. in English, summa cum laude, Kenyon College, 1978
GRANTS AND PRIZES
2021 Artist in Virtual Residence, Weavers Guild of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
2017 Honorable Mention, Georgia Artists (juried), Abernathy Art Center, Sandy Springs, GA
2006 Honorable Mention, National Small Art Quilt Works, Main Street Gallery, Groton, NY
Purchase Award, South Cobb Arts Alliance 19th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Mableton, GA
2002 Kentucky Foundation for Women $1,000 Artist Enrichment Grant
2000 Norman Kohlhepp Prize Water Tower Annual, Louisville Visual Arts Association
SOLO and TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2023 Recent Work, one-person exhibit at Vista Grande Public Library, Eldorado at Santa Fe, NM
2023 Whispers from the Land, two-person exhibit with Patricia Joy, San Juan Collage, Farmington, NM
2022 Recent Work, Open Space Visitors Center, Albuquerque, NM
2018 ICONIC: Tapestries by Molly Elkind Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance, Chamblee, GA
2009 Dodd Creek and Other Places Brown Gallery, Mercer University, Atlanta, GA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 American Tapestry Biennial 14, Tennessee Tech University, Smithville, TN
Surface Design Association "Safekeeping," 108 Contemporary, Tulsa, OK
Rocky Mountain Triennial, Museum of Art, Fort Collins, CO
Transformation, Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild Biennial, Hudgens Center for Art & Learning, Duluth GA
Engulfed, Artworks Center for Contemporary Art, Loveland CO
2022 Uncommon Threads, San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center online exhibit
2021 Finalist, Kate Derum Award for Small Tapestries, Australian Tapestry Workshop, South Melbourne, Australia
Finalist, New Mexico Only Purchase Initiative for art in public spaces
New Directions (invitational), Tapestry Touring International, online exhibit
Stories from Nature (juried), Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild, Duluth, GA
2020 Materials Hard + Soft, (juried), Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton, TX
2019 Fiber as Metaphor (invitational/juried), galleryFRITZ, Santa Fe, NM
Small Expressions (juried), Handweavers Guild of America, Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance, Chamblee, GA and other sites through 2020
2018 Recall/Recapture/Remember (juried), Tansey Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM and Denver, CO
Workhouse Biennial (juried), Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA
Tapestry as Exploration and Innovation, Fuller Lodge Arts Center, Los Alamos, NM
2017 Georgia Artists (juried), Abernathy Arts Center, Sandy Springs, GA
2016 Chattahoochee Evening Stars Quilt Show (invitational judge's exhibit), Alpharetta, GA
Gathering by Waters, work by Convergence leaders (invitational), Milwaukee, WI
Tapestry Unlimited, Milwaukee, WI
Through the Needle's Eye (invitational), Johns Creek Art Center, Johns Creek, GA
Celebrating 20 Years of Tapestry Weavers South, Yadkin Cultural Arts Center, Yadkinville, NC
2015 Southeast Fiber Forum Instructors' Exhibit, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
2014 Woven Together, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA
2013 Threads of Life, Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Gainesville, GA
FiberARTlanta (invitational),Unitarian Universalist Church, Atlanta, GA
2012 Making It: Now (invitational), University of Louisville Hite Art Institute, Louisville, KY
2011 Small Expressions (juried), Handweavers Guild of America, Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
Chattahoochee Biennial of Textiles (juried), Art Institute of Atlanta, Decatur, GA
2009 Extreme Threads: Works in Fiber, Stitch and Surface, Defoors Centre, Atlanta, GA
2008 World of Art 2008 (juried) South Cobb Arts Alliance, Mableton, GA
Artist as Quiltmaker XIII (juried) FAVA, Oberlin, OH
3rd Annual National Juried Exhibition Katherine Butler Gallery, Sarasota, FL
2007 Footsteps (juried) Temple Gallery, Decatur, GA
2006 Some Restrictions Apply (juried) Shorter College, Rome, GA
National Small Art Quilt Works (juried) Honorable Mention Main Street Gallery, Groton, NY
South Cobb Arts Alliance 19th National Juried Art Exhibition, Purchase Award Mable House, Mableton, GA
2005 Louisville Fiber and Textile Artists (juried), Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
2004 Handmade Paper and Small Sculpture (juried) Artlink, Inc., Fort Wayne, IN
2003 Invitational Fibers Exhibit (invitational) East Tennessee State University,Johnson City, TN
Woven Together—Art & Community (juried)Nazareth Arts Gallery, Nazareth, KY
2002 Arts on Main Juried Art Exhibition Shelbyville, KY
Hiking a Paper Trail M.A. Thesis Exhibit, University of Louisville, KY
2001 Mazin Art Exhibition: First Biennial Juried Show, Jewish Community Center, Louisville, KY
Word/Text/Language: images and the written word (juried) Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Baskets, Beads, & Fiber. . . Oh My! An Invitational Exhibition of Fiber-Related Art, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN
2000 Uncommon Threads: Contemporary Regional Textiles (juried invitational) Museum in the Community, Hurricane, WV
Up and Coming (juried) exhibit of student work at Surface Design Association Conference. Opie Gallery, Kansas City, MO
Environment 2000 (juried) Galeria Mesa, Mesa, AZ
Water Tower Annual (juried) Louisville Visual Arts Association, Louisville, KY
1999 Through the Needle’s Eye (juried) 15th Annual Exhibit of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Louisville, KY and national traveling exhibit through 2000
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Woven Together," review by Joan Baxter, Tapestry Weaver (British Tapestry Group), March 2015
Fiber Forum Jurying, Needlearts (Embroiderers’ Guild of America), September 2009
SAQA Member Gallery: Surface Design, SAQA Journal, Summer 2009
'Water Tower Annual’ works are linked by their complexity,” review by Diane Heilenman, [Louisville] Courier-Journal, March 26, 2000
“Through the Needle’s Eye” by Lida Gordon. Review of the 15th Annual Exhibit of the EGA in Arts and Crafts Across Kentucky, Summer 1999
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Book Reviews in Shuttle, Spindle, Dyepot (Handweavers Guild of America), 2011-2022
“Pulp to Paper, Paper to Art,” by Molly Elkind, Arts Across Kentucky, Spring 2004
Cover of Needlearts (Embroiderers’ Guild of America), March 1999
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Workshop leader: teaching design principles and methods to adult artists and guilds including:
Las Arañas Guild, Albuquerque, NM 2023
Tapestry Weavers in New England, 2023
Michigan League of Handweavers, 2023
Contemporary Handweavers of Houston conference 2023
New England Weavers and Spinners conference 2023
Intermountain Weavers conference 2023; online lecture 2024
Weavers Guild of Minnesota (Artist in Virtual Residence), 2019 and 2021
Weavers Guild of the North Shore (IL), 2022
New York Guild of Handweavers, 2022
Nashville Guild of Handweavers, 2022
Arizona Fiber Arts Guild, 2020
Southern California Handweavers Guild, 2020
Mid-Atlantic Fiber Arts Conference and Virtual Instructor, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
North Country Fiber Fair (featured artist), 2019
Española Valley/New Mexico Fiber Arts Center (formerly EVFAC), Española, NM, 2019
Convergence, biennial conference of Handweavers Guild of America, 2016, 2018, 2022
Georgia Quilt Show, 2008, 2010, 2011
Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance, 2011-2022
Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild, 2009-2016
Private lessons and mentoring, 2008-present
Director of Volunteers and Board member, The American Tapestry Alliance, 2019-2022
Teaching Artist: juried into programs facilitating artist workshops in schools:
Fulton County (GA) School Arts Program, 2003-2008
Kentucky Arts Council Artist Roster, 2002-2003
Kentucky Museum of Arts + Design, 2002-2003
Art Educator: developed and presented over a dozen professional development sessions about artists and museum exhibits to teachers. Subjects ranged from medieval to contemporary art from around the world. Researched and wrote materials for classroom use. 1999-2003.
Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
Kentucky Department of Education, Frankfort, KY
Jefferson County Public Schools, Jefferson County, KY
Juror, Alpha Art Guild member show, Alpharetta, GA 2015
Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists show, Louisville, KY, 2016
Judge, Evening Stars Quilt Guild annual show, Alpharetta, GA, 2016
MEMBERSHIPS
American Tapestry Alliance
Eldorado (NM) Arts and Crafts Association
Handweavers Guild of America
Las Arañas Spinners and Weavers Guild
Las Tejedoras Fiber Guild
High Desert Tapestry Alliance
Surface Design Association
Tapestry Weavers West