Cindy Steiler

My favorite childhood memories center on spending time with my great-grandmother, Mary Stieler. She taught me to sew, quilt and embroider, all while sharing amazing stories about her life. What she passed to me had been passed to her along a long line of women, inspiring in me a lifelong passion for creating.

Through my work I hope to capture the essence of my relationship with my grandmother while exploring and celebrating all women and girls; our relationships, our daily lives, and our traditions. I want to use my work to preserve and continue the traditions of both craft and story in a way that honors these lineages, but is decidedly modern; that is intensely personal, but accessible to all.

The bisque arms in my pieces have been excavated from old doll factories in Germany, adding another element to the story of my art. The antique, homespun linen and crocheted lace are beautifully textured and symbolic of the traditions inspiring me. I use these carefully selected antique and vintage materials because I love thinking about all the hands that have touched them as they made their way to me, pulling bits of our past into the present.

As an adult I've worked as a set and costume designer and scenic artist for the stage. I...

Colorado State University

Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2015- Anthem Gallery; Gainesville, Florida.
2014- Vestiges, Campfire Gallery; San Francisco, California.
2013- Roots and Relics, Campfire Gallery; San Francisco, California.
2012- A Stitch in Time, Circle Square Gallery; Gainesville, Florida.
2012- Entwined, Gallery 21; Gainesville, Florida.
2010 - Women in Stitches, Assemble Gallery; Seattle, Washington.

Selected Group Exhibitions
2015- Fiber 577; 577 Foundation; Perrysburg, Ohio.
2015- International Textile Biennial 2015; Haacht, Belgium.
2014- Fiber 577; 577 Foundation; Perrysburg, Ohio.
2014- 8th Annual Contemporary Woman; Chico Arts Center; Chico, California.
2014- Contextile 2014- Contemporary Textile Art Biennial; Guimarães, Portugal.
2014- Repurpose; The Hipp; Gainesville, Florida.
2014- MASS 4; The Wooly; Gainesville, Florida.
2014- Fresh stArt; Arena 1 Gallery; Santa Monica, California.
2013-Group Show, Ghost Gallery; Seattle, Washington.
2012- Group Show, Circle Square; Gainesville, Florida.
2012-Group Show, Campfire Gallery; San Francisco, California.
2012- Contextile Biennial Textile and Contemporary Art; Guimarães, Portugal.
2012- Bad A** Fiber Show II, Foe Gallery; Northampton, Massachusetts.
2012- Fiber show, C...