Jen Swearington


education

2000MFA in Fibers, Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, GA, GPA 4.0
1997BFA in Sculpture, minor in Art History, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, GPA 3.91


professional & academic experience

2002-present   Studio Artist, Chief Designer & President, Jennythreads Inc, Asheville, NC

2011Licensed Artist, FDV Artfolio, Moore, OK
2010Commissioned Artist, Glen Rock Depot Wall of Gratitude, Asheville, NC
2009Visiting Lecturer & Workshop Instructor, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
Visiting Lecturer, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
Workshop Instructor, Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC
Workshop Instructor, Cloth Fiber Workshop, Asheville, NC
Workshop Instructor, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
Commissioned Artist, 30 Objects Sculpture Installation,
Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, GA
Freelance Project Designer, Lark Books, Asheville, NC
2008Adjunct Professor, Haywood Community College, Clyde, NC
Winter Printmaking Resident, Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC
Bernina National Artisan, Bernina USA, Aurora, IL
Workshop Instructor, Sawtooth Center for Visual Art, Winston-Salem, NC
2006-2007Adjunct Professor, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
2005-2007Adjunct Professor, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC
2007Guest Curator, Fiber Day Fashion Show, Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC
Assistant/ Co-Instructor, Workshop (Wendy Huhn), Surface Design Conference, Kansas City, MO
2004-2006Freelance Project Designer, Lark Books, Asheville, NC
2004Visiting Lecturer, Workshop (Carmen Grier), Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC
Visiting Artist Instructor, St Andrews Sewanee School, Sewanee, TN
2002-2004Artist in Residence Instructor, Arts Place, Inc. Portland, IN
2003Visiting Artist, Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, TN
Artist in Residence Instructor, Carolina Day School, Asheville, NC
2001-2003Workshop Instructor, Arrowmont  School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN 
2001-2002Artist in Residence, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
Textiles & Weaving Studio Manager, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
2000Studio Assistant, Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC
1999Graduate Teaching Assistant, Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, GA
1996Teaching Intern, Silvermine Guild Arts Center, New Canaan, CT


solo & two-artist exhibitions

2011Wearable Art: Jen Swearington & Deb Karash, River Gallery, Chattanooga, TN
2009True Lineage: Jen Swearington & Jennifer Mecca, Lark & Key Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2007Michael Kline & Jen Swearington, Focus Gallery, Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC
2006Roundtrips from the Nest, Blowers Gallery, University of North Carolina at Asheville, NC
Recent Works, Mooresville Public Library, Mooresville, NC
2005Jen Swearington & Julia Masaoka, Asheville Area Art Council Front Gallery, Asheville, NC
Menagerie, Nested, Carrboro, NC
2004Desmond Suarez & Jen Swearington, Guild Crafts Feature Gallery, Asheville, NC
Stranger than Fiction, St. Andrew School Sewanee Gallery, Sewanee, TN
2003Recent Histories, Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, TN
Jen Swearington, The New French Bar, Asheville, NC
2002Invitational (with Faryn Davis & Carmen Grier), Milton Rhodes Gallery, Sawtooth Center for Visual Art,
Winston-Salem, NC 
2001Recent Works, Ocean Gallery, Asheville, NC
Jen Swearington and DeAnna Rigter, Arts Council Boardroom, Winston-Salem, NC
Violent Domestics, The Grit, Athens, GA
2000Stitches for Bee Stings, MFA Exhibition, Bergen Gallery, Savannah College of Art & Design, GA
1999PLINK-O! The Gallery Espresso, Savannah, GA
1997Indy, BFA Exhibition, Pratt Studios Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY


group exhibitions

2011Quilt National 2009, Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, MN
It's All in the Pattern, Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC
National Teapot Exhibition VIII, Cedar Creek Gallery, Creedmore, NC
Presents of Art, Upstairs Artspace, Tryon, NC
2010Quilt National 2009, Touring Exhibition:
National Quilt Museum, Padukah, KY
Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, MN
Threads, Echo Gallery, Biltmore Park, NC
Intimate Apparel, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, MA
HandMade: The Western North Carolina Craft, Architecture & Design Expo, Asheville, NC
      4th Art in Bloom, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, Black Mountain, NC
New Traditions: Wearable Art, Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC
2009Quilt National 2009, Touring Exhibition:
Dairy Barn Art Center, Athens, OH
The Foundry Art Center, St Charles, MO
Riffe Gallery, Columbus, OH
Intimate Apparel, Textile Center, Minneapolis, MN
Revisit, Lark & Key Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Inspired Reuse, Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC
Material Messages, Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC
Through the Looking Glass, The Villager, Auburn, AL
New Works by LINT, Grovewood Gallery, Asheville, NC
2008Depth & Breadth: Six Quiltmakers in the 21st Century, Butler Institute of Art, Warren, OH
Fiber Collective, State Street Gallery, Madison, WI
Figuratively Speaking, Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC
LINT Interprets Transparency, Black Mountain Arts Center, Black Mountain, NC
Masterworks, Carolina Designer Craftsmen Show, Raleigh, NC
National Teapot Exhibition, Cedar Creek Gallery, Creedmore, NC
Silver Lining Show, The Villager, Auburn, AL
45 Years of Inspired Design, Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC
& Sparta Teapot Museum, Sparta, NC
2007Masterworks, Carolina Designer Craftsmen Show, Raleigh, NC
Vintage-Inspired Quilts, Transylvania Arts Council, Brevard, NC
Intimate Apparel, Pi Gallery, Kansas City, MO
New Members Exhibition, Piedmont Craftsmen, Winston-Salem, NC
Quilt National 2005 (Touring 2005-2007)
2006Bookopolis, Bookworks Studio, Asheville, NC
Fiber Day Fashion Show, Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC
Fiber Optics: Textiles in Contemporary Art, William King Regional Art Museum, Abingdon, VA
Focus on Fiber, Promenade Gallery, Berea, KY
Needle Culture: Contemporary Mixed Media Textiles, Coconino Center for Art, Flagstaff, AZ
Quilt National 2005, Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center, Athens OH (touring 2005-2007)
2006LINT presents Light, Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, NC & Asheville Area Arts Council, Asheville, NC
Winter Show 2007, Green Hill Center for the Arts, Greensboro, NC
Small Works, ShopSCAD, Atlanta, GA
2005Quilt National 2005, Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center, Athens, OH (touring 2005-2007)
Form, Not Function: Quilt Art at the Carnegie, Carnegie Center for Art and History, New Albany, IN
Carolina Designer Craftsmen: Member Works, Cedar Creek Gallery, Creedmore, NC
Makers & Mentors, Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC
2004Variations on a Theme: Art inspired by Music, Spiers Gallery, Brevard College, Brevard, NC
Digital Origins: Emerging Textile Artists, Eyedrum, Atlanta, GA
Considering Quilts, Atlantic Center for the Arts at Harris House, New Smyrna Beach, FL
Fiber & Beyond, Dirt & Sky People Gallery, Asheville, NC
What's New? GC Lucas Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
2003Quilt National 2003, Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center, Athens, OH (touring 2003-2005)
Setting the Standards: New Members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, Asheville, NC
Art Quilts: Vantage Point: South, Page-Walker Art & History Center, Cary, NC
Paper, Inc. Grovewood Gallery, Asheville, NC
2003La Petite X, Alder Art Gallery, Coburn, OR
Gallery Gift Show, Hugh N. Ronald Gallery, Arts Place, Portland, IN
2002Woven Cognition, Bruce Gallery, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA
Fiber Arts 2002, Gallery 510 Artists Guild, Ltd. Decatur, IL
Collecting: Mixed Media, Bennett Galleries & Company, Knoxville, TN
2002Artists-in-Residence, Atrium Gallery, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
2001Artists-in-Residence, Loggia Gallery, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
Contemporary Crafts Exhibition, Emerge Gallery, Greeneville, NC
Annual Fibers Exhibition, American Crafts Gallery, Cleveland, OH
Small Things Considered, The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY
A Woman's View, Maurice M. Pine Library, Fairlawn, NJ
Exponent: Women, Art, Power, Clayton Street Gallery, Athens, GA        
2000       Spiritual Places, IUPUI Cultural Art Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
Lots of Little Art,  Artlink Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN
Big Pictures, Bergen Galleries, Savannah, GA
1999Selected Artists, The Gallery Espresso, Savannah, GA
18th Annual Small Works, Exhibit A Gallery, Savannah, GA
A Common Thread, Rapid Transit Gallery, Savannah, GA
199817th Annual Small Works, Exhibit A Gallery, Savannah, GA
Open House, Residential Space, Savannah, GA
199717th Annual Loft Artists Association Open Studios, Stamford, CT
Juried Senior Fine Arts Exhibition, Schafler Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Senior Sculpture Show, Schafler Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
1996Pratt in Venice Student Exhibition, East Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY


publications

2011Cover Artist & “Reluctant Fashionistas”, Mountain Xpress May 10
2010"Artist Profile: Jen Swearington" Niche, Spring
2009"Designer Collection: Jen Swearington" Belle Armoire, Mar/Apr
Quilt National 2009: The Best of Contemporary Quilts, Lark Books
2008“Jen Swearington: Pencilling a World” Surface Design Journal, Fall
“Life Style: Finishing Touches” WNC: Mountain Living in Western North Carolina, July
“Portfolio: Jen Swearington” Asheville Citizen-Times
2007“Fiber designer stretches beyond fine art” by Diane Daniel, The News & Observer
“36 Hours in Savannah” The New York Times
Featured Artist, The Laurel of Asheville Magazine
2006“Fiber Optic: Textile in Contemporary Art” (exhibition catalog)
Needle Culture: Contemporary Mixed Media Textiles (exhibition catalog)
The Altered Object by Terry Taylor (contributor)
Creative Stitching on Paper by Joanne O’Sullivan (contributor)
Exquisite Embellishments for Your Clothes by Valerie Shrader (contributor)
2005Quilt National 2005: The Best of Contemporary Quilts, Lark Books
“Young Guns; Emerging Artists” Blue Mountain Living
“Walk for the Arts (Gallery Review)” Asheville Citizen Times
2004Fiberarts Design Book Seven Lark Books
Altered Art by Terry Taylor (contributor)
"Layers in Cloth, Layers in Thought." Asheville Citizen-Times
2003Cover Artist & "Thoughts from the Next Generation." Fiberarts Magazine
“Exposures,” Surface Design Journal
Quilt National 2003: The Best of Contemporary Quilts Lark Books
"Creating Tomorrow's Treasures" Mountain Xpress
2001“The Art of Crafts” Athens Banner-Herald
1999"Playing the Field" Mountain Xpress
"The Jen Swearington Show at Blue Sky" Curdle Online Reviews
1998"Playing with a Full Deck" Allison Hersh, Savannah Morning News
"Swearington Stacks the Deck with Collages" Zoe Randall, Connect Savannah
"52-Card Pick-up" Christina Taylor, Georgia Guardian

awards

2011First Place in Fiber/ Leather, Summerfair, Cincinnati, OH
2010Best in Fiber, Art Awards Show, Virginia Beach, VA
2009Award of Excellence, Quilt National 2009, Athens, OH
Best in Fiber, Through the Looking Glass Exhibition, The Villager, Auburn, AL
2008Best of Show, Piccolo Spoleto Craft Fair, Charleston, SC
Slide Jurors’ Award, Piccolo Spoleto Craft Fair, Charleston, SC
Purchase Award, Piccolo Spoleto Craft Fair, Charleston, SC
Second Place, St. Stephens Art Fair, Coconut Grove, FL
2007Juror’s Choice Award, Historic West End Arts Fest, Winston-Salem, NC
2006First Place Award, Cherokee Triangle Art Fair, Louisville, KY
Honorable Mention, Piccolo Spoleto Craft Festival, Charleston, SC
2005Emerging Artist Merit Award, Buyer's Market of American Craft, Philadelphia, PA
Best of Show, Haywood County International Festival Day Art & Craft Fair, Waynesville, NC
Friends of Arrowmont Scholarship, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts
Educational Scholarship, Southern Highland Craft Guild
2004First Place for Fine Craft, Art on Main, Hendersonville, NC
Honorable Mention, Piccolo Spoleto Craft Festival, Charleston, SC


professional affiliation

2007-presentPiedmont Craftsmen, Fiber
2005-presentCarolina Designer Craftsmen, Fiber & Mixed Media
2003-presentSouthern Highland Craft Guild, Fiber & Mixed Media, Fair Committee
2004-2010     LINT (Ladies in New Textiles)
2003-2009    Surface Design Association
2003-2008    River District Artists


selected fine art fairs

2011American Craft Council Show, Baltimore, MD
Summerfair, Cincinnati, OH
2010Beckman's Handcrafted Market at the Chicago Gift Show, Chicago, IL
Buyers Market of American Craft, Philadelphia, PA
One of a Kind Show and Sale, Chicago, IL
TACA Fall Fair, Nashville, TN
2008American Craft Council Shows, Atlanta, GA & Sarasota, FL
Craft Boston, Boston, MA
St. Stephens Art Fair, Coconut Grove, FL
2004-2010Art in the Park, Blowing Rock, NC
Broad Ripple Art Fair, Indianapolis, IN
Carolina Designer Craftsmen Fair, Raleigh, NC
Cherokee Triangle Art Fair, Louisville, KY
Piccolo Spoleto Craft Fair, Charleston, SC
2003-2010Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, Asheville, NC
Piedmont Craftsmen Fair, Winston-Salem, NC


jennythreads by  jen swearington