With their muted color palettes and modern and minimal style, the textile works of Alabama’s Sheri Schumacher are sought after by collectors and designers.
The artist: Schumacher was born in Munich, Germany and grew up in Europe, where her father served as a military attaché, and later the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
She earned a master’s degree in design from the Cranbrook Academy of Art (MI). In addition to her work as a designer, she is a professor emerita of design/interior architecture in the school of architecture at Auburn University.
The studio: Started her design studio in 2017. The studio, with its open spaces and extraordinary natural light, is located outside her home in Auburn.
The goods & materials: Textile assemblages ($400 to $7,000) made from cloth remnants and repurposed garments and linens. She uses hand stitching and assembling techniques inspired by Japanese, Indian and Korean cultural traditions.
What’s popular: Contemporary works of cultural and natural landscapes in muted color palettes, including the Coastal Plain Series ($1,500) at the Signature Gallery (thesignatureshop.com) in Atlanta.
Inspirations: So many, including:
- Cultural and natural landscapes
- Mapping terrain and geography
- Early and mid-20th century art and design
- Gee’s Bend quilters’ process and quilt designs
Big break: Commissioned to make 11 wall textiles, primarily with Alabama grown cotton, of the Gulf coastal plain landscape for the permanent art collection of the Eagle cottages at Gulf State Park, AL.
The cottages are designated National Geographic unique lodges of the world, one of seven locations in the United States.
Awards/honors: Solo exhibition ‘Textile | Assemblage | Place’ at the Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL. Also an Alabama State Council on the Arts Design Fellowship
What’s new: Tapestry commission for a Napa Valley, CA, winery. Also a wall textile commission for a Montana residence.
What next: A solo textile exhibition at the Gadsden (AL) Museum of Art for Spring 2022.
Where to buy: Sherischumacher.com for commissions. Also thesignatureshop.com in Atlanta.
Get social at: sheri_schumacher on Instagram.
