Sheila Hicks
Fibers Artist Pioneer By Michael TomeoThe source from which most fibers art flows.
Way before fibers became an art school major, Sheila Hicks emerged as an artistic force in the early 1960s, using woven fabric as her medium of choice. Having studied painting with Josef Albers at Yale from 1954 to 1959, one can see how the sophisticated color theory imparted by Albers has resonated with Hicks. However, another Yale professor, the art historian George Kubler, whose book The Shape of Time broke down aesthetic walls between cultures and eras with alarming clarity, was just as influential. After graduation, Hicks traveled to South America on a Fulbright Grant and discovered Peruvian and Chilean tapestry. She has not painted since. Blurring the lines between design, art, and craft, Hicks, who has lived in Paris since 1964, cultivated a legacy outside of the mainstream US art world. She's proved to be immensely influential, as scores of artists such as Liz Larner, Amanda Ross-Ho, and Leonardo Drew -- as well as entire university departments-would not exist without her. All influence aside, Hicks is not resting on her reputation. At 77, she continues to push boundaries and make work that is as fresh and vibrant as any 28-year old showing on the Lower East Side.
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