Ulrika Leander

Degree: MA, Fiber Art and Design Education: Handarbetets Vanners College of Art and Interior Design, Stockholm, Sweden Nyckelvik's School of Art, Stockholm, Sweden Carl Malmsten's School of Art, Oland Sweden Professional experience: Established and directed the Fiber Arts Department, Lund University Course Center, Lund, Sweden. Established and directed the Center for Contemporary Tapestry Weaving, Oak Ridge, TN. Maintained independet tapestry studio since 1970. Owner of The Gallery By The River, Royal Oak, MD. Awards: Design Excellence Award, Design Journal, 2010. East Tennessee Foundation Artist Fellowship, 1989. Selected collections: GROCO, Kent sland, MD. Untited States District Court of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC. Cook, Inc., Bloomington, IN. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Headquarters, Milwaukee, WI. Corporate Office Properties, Columbia, MD. Whilmer/Hale Law Office, Boston, MA. Pharmacia Upjon Corporation, World Headquarters, Peapack, NJ. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN. UT College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, TN. Saint Vincent Health Center, Erie, PA. Fort Sander's Hospital, Knoxville, TN. St. Michael's Hospital, Texarkana, TX. St. Mary's Hospital, Huntington W. VA. MEDIC Regional Blood Center, Knoxville, TN. Oak Ridge Methodist Hospital, Oak Ridge, TN. St. Joseph Catholic Church, Downingtown, PA. Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Waynesboro, VA. Seacost Community Church, Encinita, CA. The Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church, Little Rock, AR. Grace Lutheran Church, Oak Ridge, TN. The Norwegian Seamen's Church of Houston, Houston, TX.

My Artist Statement

I design and hand-weave tapestries on vertical looms and I am the only person involved in the entire process from the creation of watercolor designs through to the ancient craft of hand-weaving the tapestry; each tapestry is a unique creation using the highest quality natural fibers and the designs are never repeated. My large custom-built vertical loom enables me to work over a wide range of size scales with some of my larger tapestries being 12 ft. in one dimension and over 30 ft. in the other. Many of my tapestries are woven for clients who bring, to varying degrees, their own concepts of theme, space and color, and i find this confluence of ideas, inspiration and personal interaction immensely rewarding. When I design and weave for a client, the tapestry ultimately represent my own design imperative - to ensure that the final tapestry fulfills the client's expectations for a work of enduring beauty and worth. From my personal perspective, weaving a tapestry draws on many parts of my being; the artist's imagination, the weaver's skill and the human ability to create.