Jane Sassaman’s Information Center In-depth information about Jane • Selected Bibliography • Selected Awards & Honors • Selected Shows & Exhibits • Television About Jane A. Sassaman Jane A. Sassaman is a contemporary quilt artist, fabric designer, author and teacher whose critically acclaimed work inspires creative confidence in aspiring artists of all backgrounds. Her internationally known quilts are known for their bold designs, celebrating the energy and miraculous beauty of garden flowers and plants (and the occasional skeleton!). Jane's quilts are shown worldwide and can be found in many private and corporate art collections. Her quilt Willow was named one of the best 100 American Quilts of the Century. She was awarded the Quilts Japan Award for her work in Quilt National 1999. She also received "The Fairfield Master Award for Contemporary Artistry" at the International Quilt Festival in 1996. Jane is also an accomplished teacher of design and quilting for guilds and conferences around the world. She travels internationally, teaching groups and individuals how to nurture creativity, sharpen powers of observation and overcome creative obstacles.  Spring 2001 saw the publication of Jane's first book, The Quilted Garden. Besides being 20 years of color reproductions of her work, it is also a window onto the artist's process: influences and inspirations, family life, methodologies and good old tricks of the trade! Jane spends part of her creative time designing fabric for the prestigious quilt fabric manufacturer FreeSpirit, in NYC. Her first line, The Exotic Garden, debuted in 2002 and introduced the quilting, interior design and wearable markets to Jane's extravagant vision of flora and fauna in undeniably Sassaman colors. Inspired by the likes of Arts & Craft founder William Morris, the Finnish design company Merimekko and textile artist Kaffe Fassett, Jane has unapologetically produced exuberant large-scale design motifs drenched in exciting color. Jane is currently at work on her third line of Fabric for FreeSpirit fabric. Jane's online store debuted in 2002 and carries an array of fabrics, quilt kits and patterns, books, and magazines all devoted to Jane's particular vision of color and design. Click here to go directly to Jane's Quilt Gallery. Use the links above to learn more about Jane's schedule, find out about workshops, purchase books and card sets and explore interesting links and resource bibliography. Have fun and let us know what you think! Selected awards & honors 2001 ARTISTS FELLOWSHIP AWARD, Illinois Arts Council. THE CENTURIES 100 BEST AMERICAN QUILTS (Willow, 1996) International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas 1999. QUILTS JAPAN AWARD, Quilt National, Athens, Ohio 1999. JAMES R. THOMPSON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CRAFTS, 1999. THE FAIRFIELD MASTER AWARD FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTISTRY, 1996 International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas. 1996 DESIGN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, recognizing outstanding alumni, College of Design, Iowa State University. ARTIST AS QUILT MAKER VII, First Prize, Firelands Association for the Visual Arts Gallery, 1996, Oberlin, Ohio. THE ART QUILT: CELEBRATING WOMEN'S VISIONS AND ENERGIES, Most Powerful Visual Expression., The Bevier Gallery, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, 1995. AMERICAN QUILTER'S SOCIETY, First Place, Professional Wall Quilt Division, 11th Annual Exhibit and Contest, 1995. Selected bibliography QUILT NATIONAL 2001: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY QUILTS, Lark Books, Asheville, NC, 2001. Author of THE QUILTED GARDEN: DESIGN AND MAKE NATURE INSPIRED QUILTS, ©2000, C & T Pub. QUILTS JAPAN, feature article, July 2000. AMERICAN CRAFT, October/November, 1999, American Craft Council, New York, New York. QUILTS JAPAN, #9, 1999, Nihon Vogue Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. FIBERARTS DESIGN BOOK SIX, Lark Books, Asheville, North Carolina, 1999. QUILT NATIONAL 1999: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY QUILTS, Lark Books, Asheville, NC, 1999. THREADS MAGAZINE, cover and feature article, Oct/Nov, 1999. WOMEN OF TASTE: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs, C & T Publishers, 1999. LIVING WITH QUILTS, Phyllis George, GT Publishing, New York, 1998. NEW ZEALAND QUILTER, feature article, April 1998. QUILT MANIA, feature article, May/June 1998, Belgium. MARY ENGELBREIT'S HOME COMPANION MAGAZINE, feature article, June/July, 1998. QUILTER'S NEWSLETTER MAGAZINE, (cover), March 1997. ART/QUILT MAGAZINE, #8, cover and feature article, 1997. THE ART QUILT, Robert Shaw, Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc., 1997 Selected shows & exhibits Solo shows VALE CRAFT GALLERY: JANE A. SASSAMAN, STUDIO ART QUILTS, Chicago, Illinois, 1996. THIRTEEN MOONS GALLERY, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2001 Group exhibits SIX CONTINENTS OF QUILTS EXHIBITS: The American Craft Museum, USB PaineWebber Gallery New York City. Collection . QUILT NATIONAL '89, '91, '93, '95, '97, '99 and judge for 2001. International traveling show of contemporary art quilts originating from The Dairy Barn, Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center, Athens, Ohio. ART QUILTS: CONTEMPORARY ART FORMS FROM TRADITIONAL ORIGINS, 2000, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, Iowa. GROSS MCCLEAF GALLERY1S 6th ANNUAL CONTEMPORARY QUILT EXHIBITION, 2000, Philadelphia, PA. WOMEN OF TASTE: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition, beginning 1999. THE KISS, San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, San Jose, California 1998. ILLINOIS CROSSROADS: QUILTS 1998, Southern Illinois Art Gallery, Whittington, Illinois and The Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Illinois, 1998. VISIONS: QUILT EXPRESSIONS, Museum of San Diego History, Balboa Park, San Diego, California,1998. INTERNATIONAL QUILT WEEK: YOKOHAMA, Yokohama, Japan 1997. ART QUILTS: INNOVATION AND DIVERSITY, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York, 1997. VISIONS: ART QUILT, QUILT SAN DIEGO, Museum of San Diego History, San Diego, California, 1996. Television SIMPLY QUILTS. HGTV. Episode QLT-624: Raw Edge Applique. Jane Sassaman joins host Alex Anderson in the studio to show an artist's approach to raw edge applique. Discover how Sassaman creates the Iris quilt including techniques for tracing, making templates, using interfacing, cutting and assembly. A CENTURY OF QUILTS. 60-minute PBS documentary, shows the beauty and inspiration of America's quilts including the stories from those working to preserve the art and history of American Quilt. Video available as well as shown in many PBS markets. Click here to view PBS site.

Jane Sassaman’s Information Center

In-depth information about Jane

• Selected Bibliography • Selected Awards & Honors

• Selected Shows & Exhibits • Television

About Jane A. Sassaman

Jane A. Sassaman is a contemporary quilt artist, fabric designer, author and teacher whose critically acclaimed work inspires creative confidence in aspiring artists of all backgrounds. Her internationally known quilts are known for their bold designs, celebrating the energy and miraculous beauty of garden flowers and plants (and the occasional skeleton!).

Jane's quilts are shown worldwide and can be found in many private and corporate art collections. Her quilt Willow was named one of the best 100 American Quilts of the Century. She was awarded the Quilts Japan Award for her work in Quilt National 1999. She also received "The Fairfield Master Award for Contemporary Artistry" at the International Quilt Festival in 1996.

Jane is also an accomplished teacher of design and quilting for guilds and conferences around the world. She travels internationally, teaching groups and individuals how to nurture creativity, sharpen powers of observation and overcome creative obstacles.

Spring 2001 saw the publication of Jane's first book, The Quilted Garden. Besides being 20 years of color reproductions of her work, it is also a window onto the artist's process: influences and inspirations, family life, methodologies and good old tricks of the trade!

Jane spends part of her creative time designing fabric for the prestigious quilt fabric manufacturer FreeSpirit, in NYC. Her first line, The Exotic Garden, debuted in 2002 and introduced the quilting, interior design and wearable markets to Jane's extravagant vision of flora and fauna in undeniably Sassaman colors. Inspired by the likes of Arts & Craft founder William Morris, the Finnish design company Merimekko and textile artist Kaffe Fassett, Jane has unapologetically produced exuberant large-scale design motifs drenched in exciting color.

Jane is currently at work on her third line of Fabric for FreeSpirit fabric.

Jane's online store debuted in 2002 and carries an array of fabrics, quilt kits and patterns, books, and magazines all devoted to Jane's particular vision of color and design.

Click here to go directly to Jane's Quilt Gallery. Use the links above to learn more about Jane's schedule, find out about workshops, purchase books and card sets and explore interesting links and resource bibliography. Have fun and let us know what you think!

Selected awards & honors

2001 ARTISTS FELLOWSHIP AWARD, Illinois Arts Council.

THE CENTURIES 100 BEST AMERICAN QUILTS (Willow, 1996) International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas 1999.

QUILTS JAPAN AWARD, Quilt National, Athens, Ohio 1999.

JAMES R. THOMPSON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CRAFTS, 1999.

THE FAIRFIELD MASTER AWARD FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTISTRY, 1996 International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas.

1996 DESIGN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, recognizing outstanding alumni, College of Design, Iowa State University.

ARTIST AS QUILT MAKER VII, First Prize, Firelands Association for the Visual Arts Gallery, 1996, Oberlin, Ohio.

THE ART QUILT: CELEBRATING WOMEN'S VISIONS AND ENERGIES, Most Powerful Visual Expression., The Bevier Gallery, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, 1995.

AMERICAN QUILTER'S SOCIETY, First Place, Professional Wall Quilt Division, 11th Annual Exhibit and Contest, 1995.

Selected bibliography

QUILT NATIONAL 2001: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY QUILTS, Lark Books, Asheville, NC, 2001.

QUILTS JAPAN, feature article, July 2000.

AMERICAN CRAFT, October/November, 1999, American Craft Council, New York, New York.

QUILTS JAPAN, #9, 1999, Nihon Vogue Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.

FIBERARTS DESIGN BOOK SIX, Lark Books, Asheville, North Carolina, 1999.

QUILT NATIONAL 1999: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY QUILTS, Lark Books, Asheville, NC, 1999.

THREADS MAGAZINE, cover and feature article, Oct/Nov, 1999.

WOMEN OF TASTE: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs, C & T Publishers, 1999.

LIVING WITH QUILTS, Phyllis George, GT Publishing, New York, 1998.

NEW ZEALAND QUILTER, feature article, April 1998.

QUILT MANIA, feature article, May/June 1998, Belgium.

MARY ENGELBREIT'S HOME COMPANION MAGAZINE, feature article, June/July, 1998.

QUILTER'S NEWSLETTER MAGAZINE, (cover), March 1997.

ART/QUILT MAGAZINE, #8, cover and feature article, 1997.

THE ART QUILT, Robert Shaw, Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc., 1997

Selected shows & exhibits

Solo shows

VALE CRAFT GALLERY: JANE A. SASSAMAN, STUDIO ART QUILTS, Chicago, Illinois, 1996.

THIRTEEN MOONS GALLERY, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2001

Group exhibits

SIX CONTINENTS OF QUILTS EXHIBITS: The American Craft Museum, USB PaineWebber Gallery New York City. Collection .

QUILT NATIONAL '89, '91, '93, '95, '97, '99 and judge for 2001. International traveling show of contemporary art quilts originating from The Dairy Barn, Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center, Athens, Ohio.

ART QUILTS: CONTEMPORARY ART FORMS FROM TRADITIONAL ORIGINS, 2000, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, Iowa.

GROSS MCCLEAF GALLERY1S 6th ANNUAL CONTEMPORARY QUILT EXHIBITION, 2000, Philadelphia, PA.

WOMEN OF TASTE: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition, beginning 1999.

THE KISS, San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, San Jose, California 1998.

ILLINOIS CROSSROADS: QUILTS 1998, Southern Illinois Art Gallery, Whittington, Illinois and The Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Illinois, 1998.

VISIONS: QUILT EXPRESSIONS, Museum of San Diego History, Balboa Park, San Diego, California,1998.

INTERNATIONAL QUILT WEEK: YOKOHAMA, Yokohama, Japan 1997.

ART QUILTS: INNOVATION AND DIVERSITY, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York, 1997.

VISIONS: ART QUILT, QUILT SAN DIEGO, Museum of San Diego History, San Diego, California, 1996.

Television

SIMPLY QUILTS. HGTV. Episode QLT-624: Raw Edge Applique. Jane Sassaman joins host Alex Anderson in the studio to show an artist's approach to raw edge applique. Discover how Sassaman creates the Iris quilt including techniques for tracing, making templates, using interfacing, cutting and assembly.

A CENTURY OF QUILTS. 60-minute PBS documentary, shows the beauty and inspiration of America's quilts including the stories from those working to preserve the art and history of American Quilt. Video available as well as shown in many PBS markets. Click here to view PBS site.

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