about
Barbara Heller has exhibited widely locally, nationally, and internationally. Her tapestries have been featured in several books, magazine and newspaper articles, and in 2 catalogues published in conjunction with touring solo shows, Cover Ups and Revelations: the Tapestries of Barbara Heller and Falling from Grace. She is a passionate proponent of the art of tapestry and its place in contemporary art.
In 2022 she was awarded the Jekyll Prize for Leadership in Craft by the Canadian Craft Federation in recognition of her efforts to promote tapestry as an artform. She has represented Canada overseas at symposia and conferences and has lectured on her own work and on the place of Canadian tapestry in the world. She currently sits on the Board of the American Tapestry Alliance as Director of Education. In 1995 she founded the Canadian Tapestry Network and began a tapestry newsletter which continues to this day.
artist statement
My work reflects my concerns about our world – one fraught with inequities and beset by senseless violence. People are in pain, the environment is degrading, and we are increasingly isolated from one another. My most recent work follows two paths. One deals with the racism and hatred expressed today in social media and in real life. The other thread deals with the consequences of yet another war fought for greed.
I draw on personal travels and experiences, my Jewish heritage, my own and old family photos, and the mystical side of world religions to develop a personal iconography which will resonate with the viewer. I want to express what we are losing – our sense of who we are and how we fit into our world – and a hope for the future.
