Professor Emerita
Department of Art and Art History
State University of New York
Cortland, New York 13045
440 Kent Avenue Apt 7A
Brooklyn, New York 11211
718-963-1250 T/F
libby.kowalski@gmail.com
Cirriculum Vitae
Educational Experience
| 1981 | Cranbrook Academy of Art, M.F.A., Fiber, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Additional courses in History of Textiles and Poetics. |
| 1979 | Colorado State University, B.F.A., Fiber, Fort Collins, Colorado. Includes second major in Printmaking. |
Professional Experience
| Retired 2004 | State University of New York. Emerita Professor |
| 1992-2001 | State University of New York. Professor. (Tenured) |
| 1987-92 | State University of New York. Associate Professor. (Tenured) |
| 1982‑87 | State University of New York. Assistant Professor. Cortland, New York. All levels – Weaving & Surface Design; Design & Color Theory. |
| 1981‑82 | Project START‑FOCUS. Assistant to Project Coordinator, Job Developer, and Volunteer Facilitator. Detroit, Michigan.
Initial psychological testing of developmentally disabled ex-felons, contributing staff member during case conferences and crisis intervention. |
| 1973‑79 | Colorado State University. Accounts Payable. Accounting Technician.
Computation of payments to vendors supplying the university; emphasis on research, problem solving, contact with public, funding and year‑end procedures. |
Selected Exhibitions Group/Solo
| 2016 | Libby Kowalski: A Retrospective in Fibers. Dowd Fine Arts Gallery, Cortland, NY. |
| 2004 | ARCHITECTEXTURE NYC. CPF Gallery. Cortland, NY |
| 2003 | RAISING OUR HEARTS: The Flag in New York City 2001. University Gallery, Tiffin University, Tiffin, Ohio. (Solo show) INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION: Gallery & Guest Artists. Denise Bibro Fine Art. New York, New York. (Invitational) SPRING EXHIBITION. Museum of the Southwest. Midland Texas. ( Juried) FIBER DIRECTIONS 2003. Wichita Center for the Arts. Wichita, Kansas. (Juried) ABSTRACTION 2003. The Stage Gallery, Massapequa, NY. (Juried) URBAN IMAGERY: the Art of the City. Fredericksburg Creative Art Center, Fredericksburg, Virginia. |
| 2002 | CONSTRUCTS. Gallery of Graphic Arts. New York, New York. (two person show) THE NEW PATRIOTISM. Photographic Installation. Dowd Fine Arts Gallery, SUNY Cortland, New York. ART IN EMBASSIES PROGRAM. United States Department of State. American Embassy in Maseru, Lesotho. Two mixed media works on loan for three years. |
| 2001 | ALUMNI FROM COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY. Bayeux Gallery, Denver, Colorado. (Invitational) LINES INTO SHAPES. Art Center. Estes Park, Colorado. (Juried) COLLISION OF THE COOL. Cranbrook Academy of Art. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. (Invitational) |
| 2000 | SNAPSHOT. Contemporary Museum. Baltimore, Maryland. THE NATURE OF FIBER. Stone Quarry Hill Art Park. Casenovia, New York. (Invitational) CENTRAL NEW YORK REGIONAL ART EXHIBITION. Kirkland Art Center, Clinton, New York. (Juried) THREE WAYS TO WEAVE. Silver Cultural Arts Center. Plymouth State College. Plymouth, New Hampshire. (Three person invitational) THE VIRTUAL NOMAD. (Traveling exhibition) Carl Drerup Art Gallery. Plymouth State College. Plymouth, New Hampshire. SQUARED OFF. Rye Art Center. Rye, New York. (Traveling exhibition) |
| 1999 | THE FINE ART OF CRAFT. The Mitchell Gallery, St.John’s University. Anapolis,Maryland. FIBER CELEBRATION 1999. Estes Park Art Center. Estes Park, Colorado. (Juried) THE VIRTUAL NOMAD: TEXTILES AND TECHNOLOGIES. Kansas City Art Institute. Kansas City, Missouri. |
| 1998 | STRUCTURE AND SURFACE: CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE TEXTILES. (In collaboration with Suzanne Tick) Museum of Modern Art. New York, NY. SQUARED OFF. Phoenix Gallery. New York, New York. (Juried) |
| 1997 | NEW YORK STATE CRAFTS; 1997 BIENNIAL EXHIBITION. New York State Museum. Albany, New York. (Juried) |
| 1996 | FROM PRINTED LINE TO WOVEN FLOWER: EXPLORING TEXTILE DESIGN. The Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology. New York, New York. (Invitational) |
| 1993 | FIBEROUS EXTREMITIES. Pyramid Arts Center. Rochester, New York. (Juried) FORT COLLINS FIBER CONNECTION. One West Contemporary Arts Center. Fort Collins, Colorado. (Juried) |
| 1991 | SHADES OF FINE AND BROAD LINES: Drawing Since 1965. State University of New York. Cortland, New York. AMERICAN HANDWEAVERS COMPETITION. International Design Center. NY, NY |
| 1990 | SPACE PLACE FRAGMENT. The Center for Tapestry Arts. New York, New York. (Solo Exhibition) |
| 1989 | SMALL WORKS INVITATIONAL. The Center for Tapestry Arts. New York, New York. FIBER EXPLORATIONS: New Work in Fiberart. University Art Gallery. Staller Art Center, State University of New York. Stony Brook, New York. (Invitational) ITHACA AND NEIGHBORS. New Visions Gallery. Ithaca, New York. |
| 1988 | DRAWING. Chautauqua School of Art Faculty. North Union Gallery. Olean, New York. BLACK AND WHITE. Gayle Willson Gallery. Southampton,N.Y. (Invitational) NATIONAL INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION. Linda Hodges Gallery. Seattle, Washington. 29th ANNUAL EXHIBITION. Three Rivers Arts Festival. Gateway Center. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Juried) FIBER STRUCTURE NATIONAL VI. Downey Art Museum. Downey, California. (Juried) |
| 1987 | ITHACA AND NEIGHBORS. New Visions Gallery. Ithaca, New York. CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL NEW ART FORMS EXPOSITION. Chicago, Illinois. CONTEMPORARY FIBERS. Contemporary Crafts Gallery. Portland, Oregon. (Juried) FIBER STRUCTURE NATIONAL V. Downey Art Museum. Downey, California. (Juried) |
| 1986 | 1st KYOTO CRAFT COMPETITION INTERNATIONAL. Kyoto Craft Center. Kyoto, Japan. 49th EXHIBITION OF CENTRAL NEW YORK ARTISTS. Munson Williams Proctor Institute Museum of Art. Utica, New York. (Invitational) FIBER DIRECTIONS ’86. O’Connor Gallery. Rosary College. River Forest, Ill. (Juried) JURIED EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY CRAFTS. Luckenbach Mills Gallery. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. CONNECTIONS: WORKS IN FIBER. Three Rivers Arts Festival. Gateway Center. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Juried) |
| 1985 | FIBER STRUCTURE NATIONAL IV. Downey Museum of Art. Downey. California. CRAFTS NATIONAL. Uphall Hall. State University of New York. Buffalo, New York. FIBER ART EXHIBITION. Mystic Art Association. Mystic, Connecticut. SEPTEMBER COMPETITION. The Alexandria Museum. Alexandria, Louisiana. FIBER CELEBRATED. Intermountain Weavers Conference. Albuquerque, New Mexico. THREE RIVERS ARTS FESTIVAL. Gateway Center. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PATTERNS. Mill Gallery. Guilford, Connecticut. |
| 1984 | FIBER STRUCTURE NATIONAL. Downey Museum of Art. Downey, California. GROUP SHOW. Yaw Gallery. Birmingham, Michigan. MICHIGAN INVITATIONAL FIBER SHOW. Western Michigan State University. Kalamazoo, Michigan. ARCHITECTURE: OTHER IDEAS. Detroit Artists Market. Detroit, Michigan. INTERFACE: STRUCTURE AND IMAGERY… Geometric Weavings. Kresge Art Museum. Michigan State University. East Lansing, Michigan. (Solo) CRANBROOK CONNECTION: NEW IMAGES IN FABRIC. The Elements Gallery. New York, New York. (Invitational) IMPULSE: NEW IMAGES IN FABRIC. Detroit Artists Market. Detroit, Michigan. |
| 1983 | INTERFACE: STRUCTURE AND IMAGERY. Dowd Fine Arts Center. State University of New York. Cortland, New York. (Solo) FIBER IN FOCUS. Jacques Baruch Gallery. Chicago, Illinois. (Two Person) TEXTURES: Important Work from the US and Canada. Nimbus Gallery. Dallas, Texas. WOMEN IN FIBER ‑ A Michigan View. Saginaw Art Museum. Saginaw, Michigan. |
| 1982 | DIVERGENT VIEWS. State University of New York. Albany, New York. ARTSPACE. Swan Gallery. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WEAVINGS. Detroit Artists Market Other Space. Detroit, Michigan. (One Person) |
| 1981 | 11TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF WORKS ON PAPER. Etchings International. New York, New York. FOUR DETROIT ARTISTS. Gallery Renaissance. Detroit, Michigan. SUMMER SHOW. Detroit Artists Market. Detroit, Michigan. FIBER STRUCTURE NATIONAL. Downey Museum of Art. Downey, California. IVORY TOWERS. Farwell Building. Detroit, Michigan. |
| 1980 | CRANBROOK FIBER. The Art Gallery. Ohio State University. Newark, Ohio. FIBRE INTERCHANGE. Walter Phillips Gallery. Banff Centre of Fine Art. Banff, Alberta, Canada. |
Included in Publications
| 2010 | TRANSMATERIAL 3: A Catalog of Materials that Redefine Our Physical Environment. Blaine Brownell, Assoc. Professor/Director, Master of Architecture Program. Univ. of Minnesota. |
| 2006 | TRANSMATERIAL: A Catalog of Materials that Redefine Our Physical Environment. Blaine Brownell, Assoc. Professor/Director, Master of Architecture Program. Univ. of Minnesota. |
| 2003 | SURFACE DESIGN JOURNAL. “Informed Source”. Article by Patricia Malarcher, Editor. |
| 2000 | BEAUTIFUL THINGS. The Guild. |
| 1992 | THE GUILD: Architects & Designers Sourcebook. Krause Sikes International. TEXTILE DESIGNS: Ideas and Applications. Joel Sokolov. PBC International. |
| 1991 | MIRABELLA. August. INTERIORS. August. CONTRACT DESIGN. June. INTERIORS. June. |
| 1990 | AMRICAN CRAFT MAGAZINE. December. FIBERARTS. Recent Shows & Exhibitions. December. SHUTTLE, SPINDLE AND DYEPOT. March. INTERIORS. Juror for textiles and contract trends. Association of Contract Textiles |
| 1989 | PHOEBE. (Cover) State University of New York. Oneonta, New York. ITHACA WOMEN’S ANTHOLOGY. (Poetry). Ithaca, New York. |
| 1986 | GEOMETERIC DESIGN IN WEAVING. Else Regensteiner. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. West Chester, Pennsylvania. AMERICAN CRAFT. Portfolio. August/September. AMERICAN CRAFT. Gallery. February/March |
| 1983 | FIBERARTS. Recent Shows and Exhibitions. November/December. AMERICAN CRAFT. Gallery. |
| 1981 | DESIGNING FOR WEAVING. Carol S. Kurtz. Hastings House. New York |
| 1980 | SWEAT BOMBS. Cranbrook Academy of Art Publications. Bloomfield Hills, Mich. |
| 1979 | FIBERARTS DESIGN BOOK. Hastings House, New York. New York. |
Awards and Grants
| 2015 | German Design Award. Special Mention. German Design Council. |
| 2006, 2005 | ADEX Award for Design Excellence, Platinum. |
| 2005 | Best of NeoCon. Silver Winner, Kira Silver |
| 2004 | Best of NeoCon. The Editor’s Choice Award, Krystal Weave Collection. Material ConneXion. Certificate of Excellence in Material Development. Krystal Weave |
| 2001 | Individual Development Award. NYS UUP Joint Labor Management Program. Chairholder, Color Marketing Group. |
| 2000 | Advisory Board. Textile/Surface Design Department. Fashion Institute of New York. New York, New York |
| 1997 | Grant. Faculty Research Program. State University of New York |
| 1986 | Stipend. The Research Foundation of State University of New York. |
| 1985-86 | Grant. Visual Artists Sponsored Project. Visual Artists Program. New York State Council on the Arts. |
| 1985 | Fibers Celebrated: 1985. Intermountain Weavers Conference. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Best of Show. |
| 1981 | Fibre Interchange. Banff Centre of Fine Art. Banff, Alberta. Full scholarship for Fibers summer program. |
| 1980 | Honorarium. Handweavers Guild of America. |
Lectures and Workshops
| 2001 | Studio visit. Third year students and faculty, Contextual and Critical Studies, Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, United Kingdom |
| 2000 | Curated. 4:1. Exhibition of 4 students and one faculty member from J. E. Purkyne Universita, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic. State University of New York. Cortland, New York.
Curated. Two person exhibit. Lucie and Alexander Peroutka. State University of New York. Cortland, New York Lecture on own work and design trends in textile industry. Faculty and students from Gray’s School of Art. Aberdeen, United Kingdom. |
| 1999 | For All You’ve Done for Us. Amoco Fabrics and Fibers Student Design Competition awards ceremony. NeoCon. Chicago, Illinois.
Lecture. Art/Inspiration. Art/Textiles. Art/Fashion. Art/Mills. Art/My Art. Students and Faculty. Kansas City Art Institute. Kansas City, Missouri Lecture. Career Opportunities in Textiles. Fibers Department. Kansas City Art Institute. Kansas City, Missouri. Lecture and studio visit. Textile students, Gray’s School of Art. Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. |
| 1998 | Representative and lecturer to J. E. Purkyne Universita in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic. Lecture and workshops to continue dialogue for Purkyne/SUNY student and faculty exchanges.
Workshop. Color Marketing Group. The Association for International Color Directions. Lecture. Pertinent, Passionate, and Personal: Dare to be an Individual. Textile and color trends. Skidmore University, New York, New York. Juror, Urban Textures. New York Handweavers Guild. American Craft Museum, NY, NY Lecture. Silk mills in India, Seven Valley Weavers Guild, Cortland, New York. Lecture. Textile design and color trends. For woven and surface design graduate/undergraduate students from Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK. New York, NY. |
| 1997 | Guest Designer. Bharat Silk Mill. Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Designed collection of 100 silk iridescent fabrics and co-coordinating patterns.
Curated “Transformation: Fiber Orientations. Dowd Fine Art Gallery. State University of New York. Cortland, New York. Matrilineage Symposium: Women, Art and Change. Discussion of own work and experiences as a woman artist, educator and professional. Syracuse University. Syracuse, New York. Lecture on own work, textile design and current trends. Fine Art Department, Skidmore College. New York, New York. Juror. The New York Handweavers Guild. American Craft Museum. New York, New York. Lecture on current textile trends for the year 2000. Students from the Scottish College of Textiles. Galashiels, Scotland. NY, New York. Lecture and demonstration of current CAD systems within the textile fields. Cortland Weavers Guild. SUNY Cortland, New York. |
| 1996 | Lecture on own work and CAD in the textile design field. Faculty and students from The Scottish College of Textiles, Herriot Watt University. Netherdale, Galashiels, Scotland. NY, NY. |
| 1995 | Lecture on textile trends, portfolio presentations and interview methods, critique of student works. Faculty of Art and Design and advanced students. The Department of Textiles/ Fashion of Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK. New York, NY.
Workshop. (2 day workshop on multi-harness weave structures) Maryland Institute College of Art. Baltimore, Maryland. Panel member. “CAD for Fashion Shows.” International Fashion Fabric Exhibition. Jacob Javits Center, New York, New York. |
| 1994 | Lecture on own work. Princeton Weavers Guild. Princeton, New Jersey. Studio visit followed.
Lecture on trends/directions for textile design in America to members of delegation from the Nyshijin Weaving Guilld, Kyoto, Japan and faculty from Seian University of Art and Design, Ohtsuhi, Japan. New York, New York. Curated “Southeast Asian Textiles. Selections from the Gerhardt Knodel Collection.” Dowd Fine Arts Gallery. State University of New York. Cortland, New York. Lecture followed. Presentation/demonstration Computer Aided Design in Textiles. Teaching and Learning Conference on Technology and the Classroom. SUNY. Cortland, New York. |
| 1993 | State of the Art: Contemporary Fiber. Panel member, Fiber Symposium. Loveland Museum and Gallery, Loveland, Colorado.
Lecture on own work, textile design, CAD/CAM textile design systems, and graduate critique. Colorado State University. Fibers Department. Fort Collins, Colorado Visual Arts Panel. Thayer Fellowship Committee. State University of New York. Programs in the Arts. Albany, New York. |
| 1993-2001 | Presented textile designs at Designer’s Atelier Heimtexil. Frankfurt, Germany. |
| 1992 | Invited to lecture on own work and textile design: Students from internship program at Cooper Hewitt Museum Design students from Trident School of Design, Nagoya, Japan |
| 1990-91 | Exhibit textile designs at Surtex. Jacob Javitts Center. New York, New York. |
| 1991 | The Importance of a CAD System in Freelance Textile Design. Paper presented at the first Computer Integrated Textile Design Association conference. Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science.
Juror and opening speaker – Textile Trends for the 90’s. Seminar at Fashion Institute of Technology for the American Society of Interior Designers and members of the furniture and contract textiles industry. Invited to lecture on own work and textile design: |
| 1990 | Invited to lecture on own work. Syracuse University Center for Tapestry Arts – Opening reception for solo exhibition American Craft Museum docent study group Student groups from Galashiels, Scotland Liverpool Polytechnic Chair. Visual Arts Panel. Thayer Fellowship Committee. State University of New York. Programs in the Arts. Albany, New York. |
| 1989 | Lecture. Computer Applications in Art and Textile Design. SUNY, Cortland, NY
Workshop. Geometric Relationships and Form. University Art Gallery. Staller Arts Center. Stony Brook, New York. Chair. Visual Arts Panel. Thayer Fellowship Committee. State University of New York. Albany, New York. Eight Years Later. Lecture on own work. Fibers Department, Cranbrook Academy of Art. New York, New York. Design: What, When, How. Lecture on own work, students’ work and critique. Syracuse Weavers Guild. Syracuse, New York. |
| 1988 | Lectures on own work: New York Textile Study Group. New York, New York. Fibers program. Parsons School of Design. New York. |
| 1987 | Art and Artists Program. Lecture on own work. Ithaca, New York.
Co-curator. IDEAS AND IMAGES THROUGH PAPER. Cortland State University, Cortland, New York. Lecture on artists in exhibition. |
| 1986 | Panel Member. Visual Artists Sponsored Projects Program. New York State Council on the Arts. New York, New York. Cortland Arts Council. Lecture – The Artist’s Eye. Cortland. Exhibition Committee. Cortland Arts Council. |
| 1986-2000 | Faculty Coordinator. Art and Design in New York City. Annual field trip for SUNY Cortland students to New York City. Four days of intensive immersion into the textile, fine art and design work. |
| 1985 | Workshop. Ikat and Synthetic Dyes. North Country Community College. Saranac Lake, New York. |
Current Membership In
Be Original. Founding member. 2014
Textile Society of America
The Textile Study Group of New York
Handweavers Guild of New York
Permanent and Private Collections
The Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology
I B M Corporation.
UNISYS.
State University of New York, College at Cortland.
Kresge Art Museum. The Alice Schmid Memorial Fund. Michigan State University.
North American Communications.
Automobile Association of America.
General Motors.
Kresge Corporation.
Work in private collections also