Lili Blumenau (1912–1976) was an American fiber artist. She was a pivotal figure in the development of

fiber art Fiber (spelled fibre in British English; from ) is a #Natural fibers, natural or Fiber#Artificial fibers, artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The st ...

s and

textile arts Textile arts are arts and crafts that use fiber crop, plant, Animal fiber, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative Physical object, objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of ...

, particularly

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

, in the United States during the mid-part of the 20th century.

Early life and education

Blumenau was born on November 28, 1912 in Berlin, Germany. Blumenau is a graduate of the , the in Paris, and was the first woman to graduate from the New York School of Textile Technology. She also studied at

Black Mountain College Black Mountain College was a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Black Mountain, North Carolina. It was founded in 1933 by John Andrew Rice, Theodore Dreier, and several others. The coll ...

Work and career

After her education, Blumenau went on to become an instructor in several schools in New York City including Columbia University's

Teacher's College Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

, where she started a weaving workshop. She founded the weaving department at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Design in 1952. In addition to maintaining her own weaving studio on Tenth Street in Manhattan, she served as the curator of textiles at Cooper Union Museum from 1944 to 1950. In 1955 Blumenau authored the text ''The Art and Craft of Hand Weaving, Including Fabric Design,'' which had a significant impact on her field. This text provided technical details and patterns for loom weaving as well as a conceptual approach to the methodologies of hand weaving as "engaging, fully-human, and life-giving". Her work provided inspiration to the

Catholic Worker Movement The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in the United States in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ". One of its guiding prin ...

, a collection of autonomous communities of Catholics to whom she taught weaving to several members at the Peter Maurin Farm. In 1975 Blumenau was awarded ''Fellow of the Council'' by the

American Craft Council The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national non-profit organization that champions craft based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb, the council hosts national craft shows and conferences, publishes a quarterly m ...

. Blumenau died on September 6, 1976 in the Bronx.

Collections

Lili Blumenau's works are in the permanent collection at the Cooper Hewitt Museum and the

Museum of Arts and Design The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the ...

References

Additional sources

Adams, Alice. "Lili Blumenau." ''Craft Horizons'' v.22, no. 2 (March 1962) p.16-20.Blumenau, Lili. "Experiments in Sample Weaving." ''Craft Horizons'' v.17, no. 2 ( March 1957) p. 18-22."Lili Blumenau, 1912-1976." ''Craft Horizons'' v.37, no.1 (February 1977) p. 10.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenau, Lili 1912 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American artisans 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American textile artists 20th-century American women textile artists 20th-century American women writers American art educators American women art educators Artists from New York City Cooper Union faculty Fashion Institute of Technology faculty German expatriates in the United States Textile artists from New York (state) Weavers from New York (state)