Allyson Allen

Artist Statement -

I use traditional materials to create unique, dimensional textile art, quilts, dolls, & handmade books.

 

I am a former high school English and Special Education teacher. For thirty years I’ve been teaching quilting, doll making, and altered book art through state funded programs in public and private schools, including three southern California Youth Authority facilities for seven of those years. I also teach at quilt shows, quilt retreats, for quilt guilds, and on multi-guild quilt cruises. Workshop venues have included the Disney Music Center, the California African American Museum, the African MarketPlace & Cultural Faire, and the California Craft & Folk Art Museum. My work has been commissioned by entertainers, dignitaries, and organizations across the country. My quilts, fiber art pieces, and handmade journals have been featured in numerous newspaper articles, exhibit catalogs, and books. Exhibit venues include galleries, cultural centers, museums, art venues and embassies throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Europe, and Africa. I am a multiple California Arts Council grant award recipient, twice nominated for NEA National Heritage Fellowship consideration, and have been recognized for more than two decades as an award-winning Master African American Quilt and Doll Artist by the state of California. I am a Special Exhibitor, lecturer, and instructor for Mancuso National Quilt Shows.

 

Three years of my Special Exhibits for Mancuso Quilt Shows are photo documented in my book, Quilted Pages – Story Art Quilts. My second project & pattern book is CLOTH * PAPER * STITCH & GLUE - Mixed Media Projects & Altered Book Art. My fun quilt pattern line is "Run With Scissors".