constance fiber art

Welcome to a world where art and sustainability go hand in hand! I create unique, environmentally friendly artwork and home furnishings that celebrate the beauty of upcycled and natural materials. My woven fabrics, crafted from alpaca, bamboo, and silk, bring a luxurious yet earth-conscious touch to every piece. Even the smallest remnants from my functional designs find new life, as I collage these fabric samples into original works of art.

Every element in my creations has a story and a purpose—handmade papers crafted from waste yarns and repurposed scraps, upcycled commercial fabrics, and trims reclaimed from table runners are woven together to create items that are both meaningful and mindful. Each piece is an invitation to enjoy art that’s as gentle on the planet as it is beautiful in your home.

Weaving is the perfect medium for someone who sees their world in patterns. Everywhere I look from nature and architecture to menswear inspires my woven designs. Weaving speaks to my soul and allows me the freedom to create as I see my world. It is a slow Zen-like process, allowing my ideas to expand as the fabric grows. I use my fabrics as others use paints and inks, seeing them as the source material for making my artistic statements. My art collages address societal issues close to my heart. I use my artistic voice to speak to current concerns while creating beautiful art. My fabrics become metaphors for the environmental damage from the textile and fashion industries. Both are well-documented environmental menaces in terms of air and water pollution & as major landfill contributors.Disrupting the natural order of the fabric by cutting it to create intersecting designs and patterns is simultaneously exhilarating and scary. I reduce my environmental impact by using eco-friendly yarns and upcycling my handwoven samples. I also upcycle remnant warp yarns for accent elements and my handmade paper. When finished, I achieve a kaleidoscope of intersecting designs and patterns. Like a pointillist painter, my pieces delight from afar yet reveal new intricacies upon closer inspection. I earned a Woven and Constructed Textiles degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. As an Associate Professor in a Fashion Design department in an art school in Chicago, I taught fashion design students how to design woven fabrics using a CAD program, among other classes.Currently I sell my artwork and functional woven pieces under my constance brand through juried art and craft fairs from the East Coast to Chicago. I have been juried into prestigious national shows including the Smithsonian Craft Show, Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Baltimore’s American Craft Made Show, Chicago’s American Craft Expo and the One of a Kind Show in Chicago as well as Milwaukee’s Lakefront Festival of Art (2019 Best of Show). Recent artwork has been featured in gallery exhibitions from Chicago to Roanoke. One piece is currently featured in the US Government’s 5th National Climate Assessment and will be displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in 2025. Recently 2 pieces were on exhibit at Timeless Textiles in Newcastle, NSW. My work has sold throughout the United States and as far away as France, Australia and Israel.