Bio
To listen to Art Waves' radio interview with Mita, click here.
Mita Giacomini is a fiber artist in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. She takes inspiration from nature, particularly fleeting images that work like apertures to a wider reality -- ground shadows tell of the unseen sky above, a bird’s eye hints at an unknown mind. Portraits of birds and other creatures celebrate the meanings and mysteries of our encounters, and invite recognition -- whether anthropomorphic or alien. Other semi-abstract series interpret shadows, waves, silhouettes or reflections – the graceful, organic forms created by the interplay of light and environment.
Fiber is an nuanced, expressive art medium that resonates well with the fabric of nature. Mita practices an original technique she calls “surface weaving,” which combines hand needle-weaving with free-motion machine stitching and quilting. The process is incremental and contemplative, generating rich textures and myriad color interactions. The final effect is similar to neo-impressionist brushwork, with an added dimension of intricacy that’s unique to fibre. Surface-woven textiles exhibit complexity at every visible scale -- from across the room, to up close, to under a microscope. In this way, the artworks echo nature’s own geometries of scale. This quality enlivens the image and offers something new to see with every look.
Mita’s work has been exhibited at art galleries and museums across Canada, as well as in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. She is a juried artist member of both Carnegie Gallery in Dundas and the international Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA).
For more on surface weaving, see Technique.
C.V.
SOLO EXHIBITS
2019
Other Words for Birds, Carnegie Gallery
Surface Weavings, Carnegie Gallery
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITS (juried or invited)
2024
Aviary, Gadsden Arts Center & Museum, Florida
Proof, Carnegie Gallery
Art of Birds, Museum of Northern History
Susurrations, Carnegie Gallery
Minimalism, PPM Quilt Show, Brno, Czech Republic
Intertwined, Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Art Museum
Sybil, Orillia Museum of Art & History; Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre
The Thread of the Story, Bruce County Museum
Sybil, Orillia Museum of Art & History
2023
Carnegie Craft Juried Biennial Exhibition, Carnegie Gallery
Art Evolved: Intertwined, Yellowstone Art Museum; Pacific Northwest Museum of Quilts & Fiber Art
Minimalism, European Patchwork Meeting (France)
In Media Res, Westland Gallery
Artist Member Exhibit, Carnegie Gallery
Colour with a U, Campbell House & Museum
2022
Art in the Forest, Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Refuge
Art in Bloom, Carnegie Gallery
Fibre Art at Joshua Creek, Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre
Re: Collections, Bruce County Museum
Colour with a U, Buhler Gallery, Winnepeg; Orillia Museum of Art & History
2021
Recharge, Carnegie Gallery
Off the Page, Grimsby Public Art Gallery
Re: Collections, Wellington County Museum; Bruce County Museum
Colour with a U, Museum of Industry, Nova Scotia
2020
Intersect Chicago 2020, SAQA room
Carnegie Craft Biennial, Carnegie Gallery
Colour with a U, Homer Watson Gallery; St. Francis Xavier University Art Gallery
Expressions, Carnegie Gallery
Fibre Content 2018, Orillia Museum of Art & History
2019
Re: Fashion, Bruce County Museum, Wellington County Museum
Birds: Adapted for Flight or Fancy, Teresa Seaton Gallery
Fibre Content 2018, Thunder Bay Museum; Timmins Museum; Simcoe County Museum; Lake of the Woods Museum; Dryden and District Museum; Fort Frances Museum
2018
Excellence in Fibers, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, USA
Signs of Life, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Selections from Connections, Stratford Perth Museum
Fibre Content 2018, Art Gallery of Burlington
My Corner of the World – International, Mississippi Valley Textile Museum
My Corner of the World – Canada, Craft & Quilt Fair, Australia; Rosehill Gardens Event Ctr., Australia
Concrete and Grasslands, Festival of Quilts, U.K.; Alexandra Palace, U.K.; RDS Simmonscourt, Ireland; Harrogate International Centre, U.K.
Threadworks, Scugog Shores Museum
2017
Running With Fibre, Gallery Stratford
Fabrications, Quest Art School Gallery
Concrete and Grasslands, 9th Asia Quilt Festival, China
Fibre Content 2016, Orillia Museum of Art and History; Gibson Gallery; Simcoe County Museum
My Corner of the World – Canada, Ailsa Craig Recreation Centre; European Patchwork Meeting, France; Abilmente Mostra-Atelier Internazionale della Manualita Creativa, Italy; In Australia: Perth Convention & Exhibition Ctr.; Exhibition Park; Newcastle Entertainment Centre; Goyder Pavilion; Royal Exhibition Building
My Corner of the World – Internattional, Thunder Bay Museum
Threadworks, Dryden and District Museum; Lake of the Woods Museum; Thunder Bay Museum; Temiskaming Art Gallery; Arthur Child Heritage Museum
2016
Catch the Weave II, Earls Court Gallery
Fibre Content 2016, Art Gallery of Burlington
My Corner of the World - International, Stratford-Perth Museum
My Corner of the World – Canada, Stratford-Perth Museum; Thunder Bay Museum
Concrete and Grasslands, Grant’s Pass Museum of Art, U.S.A
Threadworks, Wellington County Museum; Museum of Northern History; Bruce County Museum; Fort Frances Museum
Edge of the Forest, in British Columbia: Fish Creek Community Library; Coast Collective Arts Centre; Fibreworks Gallery
2015
Edge of the Forest, Richmond Hill Ctr. Performing Arts; Art Square Gallery; John M. Parrott Gallery; Fibre Arts 2015 Conference, NL
2014
Fibre Content 2014, Art Gallery of Burlington
2012
Art Quilts XVII: Integrating a Paradox, Chandler Centre for the Arts, U.S.A
PRESENTATIONS & ARTIST TALKS
2023 Taking a Dot for a Swim: The Art of Surface Weaving, Hamilton Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science, and Art
2023 Strategies for Solo Critique, Studio Art Quilts Associates Annual Conference, Toronto
2020 Mita Giacomini, Artist Talk, Intersect Chicago: The Future of SOFA 2020
2019 Adventures in Technique and Colour, Carnegie Gallery Lecture Series, Dundas
2018 How I Do What I Do When I Don't Know What I'm Doing, Art Gallery of Burlington
2016 Surface Weaving, Art Gallery of Burlington
2016 Welcome to the World of Fibre Art, Art Gallery of Burlington (Junior Guilds)
2015 Surface Weaving, SAQA Central Canada (AGB)
2016 Fibre Content 2016 Interactive Exhibit (creator, curator), Art Gallery of Burlington & travelling
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
2024 Contemporary Art Award for Best Originality, Art of Birds, Museum of Northern History
2023 Excellence in Textiles Award, Carnegie Craft Juried Biennial Exhibition, Carnegie Gallery
2019 Jurors’ First Place Award, Birds: Adapted for Flight or Fancy exhibit, Teresa Seaton Gallery
2017 Excellence in Fibres 2018, selected for international exhibit, Fiber Art Network
IN THE MEDIA
Hamilton Spectator, 13 Apr 2024, "Bird whisperers: Four women artists, four types of art, lots of birds"; image: "Two Minds"
Hamilton Spectator, 21 Oct 2023, "Carnegie biennial showcases outstanding work by 36 artists"; image: "Unfurled"
M. Sielman, Stitched Journeys with Birds (book), 2023; featured artist, pp. 16, 39, 79, 82, 96, 103, 206
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2023, issue 30, images: "Metatextiles", "Dance Lessons"
M. Sielman, Museum Quality: Exploring Art Quilts Vol 3 (book), 2022, Schiffer Publishing Ltd.; featured artist, pp. 41, 98-101
Hamilton Spectator, 15 Jan 2022, "Artful Arrangements: Art in Bloom"; image: "Dance Lessons"
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2021, (article & interview),“Artist to Watch: Mita Giacomini”
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2021, issue 25; image: "Wild Mother Goose"
Hamilton Spectator, 19 Dec 2020, "An Artful Christmas: Artists aim to make this miserable year's holidays happy" (image: "Cheers")
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2020, issue 21, cover image & feature article: “Artist to Watch: Mita Giacomini”
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2020, issue 20, image: “Colour Theories”
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2020, issue 18, image: “Three Sixty”
Hamilton Spectator, article: “Fine feathered friends: Mita Giacomini embraces her encounters with birds in her art,” 19 July 2019; https://www.thespec.com
Art Waves FM101.5 Hamilton, 21 July 2019, “Interview with Mita Giacomini,” https://archive.org
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2019, issue 13, image: “Trio”
Hamilton Spectator, Aug 4, 2018, "Looking for life in all the right places"; https://www.thespec.com (image: “Still Spring”)
Fiber Art Now, January 2018, vol 7, issue 2, Excellence in Fibers group exhibit in print (image: “Alight”)
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2018, issue 10, image: “Ebb Tide”
JURIED ARTIST MEMBERSHIPS
Carnegie Gallery, Dundas, www.carnegiegallery.org
Studio Art Quilt Associates, www.saqa.com
EDUCATION
Graphic Design, UC Davis Extension, (6 courses), 1984
Ad hoc fine art classes in California, Washington D.C., Ontario, 1980 – present
Graduate degrees in non-art fields: PhD, MPH, MA; academic training and career details on request
2019
Other Words for Birds, Carnegie Gallery
Surface Weavings, Carnegie Gallery
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITS (juried or invited)
2024
Aviary, Gadsden Arts Center & Museum, Florida
Proof, Carnegie Gallery
Art of Birds, Museum of Northern History
Susurrations, Carnegie Gallery
Minimalism, PPM Quilt Show, Brno, Czech Republic
Intertwined, Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Art Museum
Sybil, Orillia Museum of Art & History; Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre
The Thread of the Story, Bruce County Museum
Sybil, Orillia Museum of Art & History
2023
Carnegie Craft Juried Biennial Exhibition, Carnegie Gallery
Art Evolved: Intertwined, Yellowstone Art Museum; Pacific Northwest Museum of Quilts & Fiber Art
Minimalism, European Patchwork Meeting (France)
In Media Res, Westland Gallery
Artist Member Exhibit, Carnegie Gallery
Colour with a U, Campbell House & Museum
2022
Art in the Forest, Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Refuge
Art in Bloom, Carnegie Gallery
Fibre Art at Joshua Creek, Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre
Re: Collections, Bruce County Museum
Colour with a U, Buhler Gallery, Winnepeg; Orillia Museum of Art & History
2021
Recharge, Carnegie Gallery
Off the Page, Grimsby Public Art Gallery
Re: Collections, Wellington County Museum; Bruce County Museum
Colour with a U, Museum of Industry, Nova Scotia
2020
Intersect Chicago 2020, SAQA room
Carnegie Craft Biennial, Carnegie Gallery
Colour with a U, Homer Watson Gallery; St. Francis Xavier University Art Gallery
Expressions, Carnegie Gallery
Fibre Content 2018, Orillia Museum of Art & History
2019
Re: Fashion, Bruce County Museum, Wellington County Museum
Birds: Adapted for Flight or Fancy, Teresa Seaton Gallery
Fibre Content 2018, Thunder Bay Museum; Timmins Museum; Simcoe County Museum; Lake of the Woods Museum; Dryden and District Museum; Fort Frances Museum
2018
Excellence in Fibers, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, USA
Signs of Life, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Selections from Connections, Stratford Perth Museum
Fibre Content 2018, Art Gallery of Burlington
My Corner of the World – International, Mississippi Valley Textile Museum
My Corner of the World – Canada, Craft & Quilt Fair, Australia; Rosehill Gardens Event Ctr., Australia
Concrete and Grasslands, Festival of Quilts, U.K.; Alexandra Palace, U.K.; RDS Simmonscourt, Ireland; Harrogate International Centre, U.K.
Threadworks, Scugog Shores Museum
2017
Running With Fibre, Gallery Stratford
Fabrications, Quest Art School Gallery
Concrete and Grasslands, 9th Asia Quilt Festival, China
Fibre Content 2016, Orillia Museum of Art and History; Gibson Gallery; Simcoe County Museum
My Corner of the World – Canada, Ailsa Craig Recreation Centre; European Patchwork Meeting, France; Abilmente Mostra-Atelier Internazionale della Manualita Creativa, Italy; In Australia: Perth Convention & Exhibition Ctr.; Exhibition Park; Newcastle Entertainment Centre; Goyder Pavilion; Royal Exhibition Building
My Corner of the World – Internattional, Thunder Bay Museum
Threadworks, Dryden and District Museum; Lake of the Woods Museum; Thunder Bay Museum; Temiskaming Art Gallery; Arthur Child Heritage Museum
2016
Catch the Weave II, Earls Court Gallery
Fibre Content 2016, Art Gallery of Burlington
My Corner of the World - International, Stratford-Perth Museum
My Corner of the World – Canada, Stratford-Perth Museum; Thunder Bay Museum
Concrete and Grasslands, Grant’s Pass Museum of Art, U.S.A
Threadworks, Wellington County Museum; Museum of Northern History; Bruce County Museum; Fort Frances Museum
Edge of the Forest, in British Columbia: Fish Creek Community Library; Coast Collective Arts Centre; Fibreworks Gallery
2015
Edge of the Forest, Richmond Hill Ctr. Performing Arts; Art Square Gallery; John M. Parrott Gallery; Fibre Arts 2015 Conference, NL
2014
Fibre Content 2014, Art Gallery of Burlington
2012
Art Quilts XVII: Integrating a Paradox, Chandler Centre for the Arts, U.S.A
PRESENTATIONS & ARTIST TALKS
2023 Taking a Dot for a Swim: The Art of Surface Weaving, Hamilton Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science, and Art
2023 Strategies for Solo Critique, Studio Art Quilts Associates Annual Conference, Toronto
2020 Mita Giacomini, Artist Talk, Intersect Chicago: The Future of SOFA 2020
2019 Adventures in Technique and Colour, Carnegie Gallery Lecture Series, Dundas
2018 How I Do What I Do When I Don't Know What I'm Doing, Art Gallery of Burlington
2016 Surface Weaving, Art Gallery of Burlington
2016 Welcome to the World of Fibre Art, Art Gallery of Burlington (Junior Guilds)
2015 Surface Weaving, SAQA Central Canada (AGB)
2016 Fibre Content 2016 Interactive Exhibit (creator, curator), Art Gallery of Burlington & travelling
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
2024 Contemporary Art Award for Best Originality, Art of Birds, Museum of Northern History
2023 Excellence in Textiles Award, Carnegie Craft Juried Biennial Exhibition, Carnegie Gallery
2019 Jurors’ First Place Award, Birds: Adapted for Flight or Fancy exhibit, Teresa Seaton Gallery
2017 Excellence in Fibres 2018, selected for international exhibit, Fiber Art Network
IN THE MEDIA
Hamilton Spectator, 13 Apr 2024, "Bird whisperers: Four women artists, four types of art, lots of birds"; image: "Two Minds"
Hamilton Spectator, 21 Oct 2023, "Carnegie biennial showcases outstanding work by 36 artists"; image: "Unfurled"
M. Sielman, Stitched Journeys with Birds (book), 2023; featured artist, pp. 16, 39, 79, 82, 96, 103, 206
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2023, issue 30, images: "Metatextiles", "Dance Lessons"
M. Sielman, Museum Quality: Exploring Art Quilts Vol 3 (book), 2022, Schiffer Publishing Ltd.; featured artist, pp. 41, 98-101
Hamilton Spectator, 15 Jan 2022, "Artful Arrangements: Art in Bloom"; image: "Dance Lessons"
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2021, (article & interview),“Artist to Watch: Mita Giacomini”
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2021, issue 25; image: "Wild Mother Goose"
Hamilton Spectator, 19 Dec 2020, "An Artful Christmas: Artists aim to make this miserable year's holidays happy" (image: "Cheers")
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2020, issue 21, cover image & feature article: “Artist to Watch: Mita Giacomini”
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2020, issue 20, image: “Colour Theories”
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2020, issue 18, image: “Three Sixty”
Hamilton Spectator, article: “Fine feathered friends: Mita Giacomini embraces her encounters with birds in her art,” 19 July 2019; https://www.thespec.com
Art Waves FM101.5 Hamilton, 21 July 2019, “Interview with Mita Giacomini,” https://archive.org
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2019, issue 13, image: “Trio”
Hamilton Spectator, Aug 4, 2018, "Looking for life in all the right places"; https://www.thespec.com (image: “Still Spring”)
Fiber Art Now, January 2018, vol 7, issue 2, Excellence in Fibers group exhibit in print (image: “Alight”)
Art Quilt Quarterly, 2018, issue 10, image: “Ebb Tide”
JURIED ARTIST MEMBERSHIPS
Carnegie Gallery, Dundas, www.carnegiegallery.org
Studio Art Quilt Associates, www.saqa.com
EDUCATION
Graphic Design, UC Davis Extension, (6 courses), 1984
Ad hoc fine art classes in California, Washington D.C., Ontario, 1980 – present
Graduate degrees in non-art fields: PhD, MPH, MA; academic training and career details on request