Dorothy Caldwell (born 1948) is a Canadian

fibre Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...

artist. Her work consists primarily of abstract textile based wall hangings that utilize techniques such as

wax-resist Resist dyeing (resist-dyeing) is a traditional method of dyeing textiles with patterns. Methods are used to "resist" or prevent the dye from reaching all the cloth, thereby creating a pattern and ground. The most common forms use wax, some type ...

discharge dyeing
stitching, mark-making, and

appliqué Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces or patches of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. It is commonly used as decoration, especially on garments. The technique ...

Biography

Caldwell was born in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, US in 1948. She immigrated to Canada in 1972 to live and work in

Hastings, Ontario Hastings is a community within the municipality of Trent Hills, Northumberland County, in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the Trent-Severn Waterway and the Trans Canada Trail in what is considered to be Ontario's "cottage co ...

. In 1974 Caldwell co-founded and opened the gallery Conqueror Worm, a wholesale and retail craft outlet, in Hastings, Ontario.

Career

Caldwell studied painting at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and received a B.A. in 1970. She was inspired to start working with textile techniques in her painting practice after seeing the

World Crafts Council The World Crafts Council AISBL (WCC-AISBL) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was founded in 1964 to promote fellowship, foster economic development through income generating craft related activities, organize exchange programs, wor ...

1974 exhibition "In Praise of Hands". In 1980 she participated in a fibre-artists interchange at the

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

and made the switch from painting to textile art. Upon receiving a research grant in 2007, she travelled to India to study women’s co-ops and Kantha stitching. Her research has also brought her to Japan, Australia, and the Canadian Arctic. In 1974, Caldwell was a founding member of the

artist-run centre An artist-run space or artist-run centre (Canada) is a gallery or other facility operated or directed by artists, frequently circumventing the structures of public art centers, museums, or commercial galleries and allowing for a more experimental ...

Artspace in

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

. She has artist files in numerous locations across Canada. Caldwell represented Canada at the World's Fair in Osaka in 1991. She has exhibited across Canada, the United States and Australia and is held in permanent collections by 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 mus ...

Permanent Collection in New York, New York, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec, and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario. One notable commission, titled "Landstat", was completed in the mid-1980s for the Red Deer Arts and Theatre Building at

Red Deer College , mottoeng = To Greater Things Through Learning , established = 1964 , type = Public polytechnic institute , president = Stuart Cullum , city = Red Deer , state = Alberta , country = Canada , students = 7,500 , undergrad = , campus = Ur ...

, Alberta. In 1997 Caldwell received a research grant to travel around India and study women's co-ops and

Kantha Kantha also spelled kanta, and qanta, is a type of embroidery craft in the Bangladesh and eastern regions of India, particularly in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha. In Odisha, old saris are stacked on each other and hand-stit ...

stitching. This research led to the exhibition ''Stitching Women's Live: Sujuni and Khatwa from Bihar, India'' co-curated with Dr. Skype Morrison. Caldwell's work can be found in permanent collections including the

in New York, the

Canadian Museum of History The Canadian Museum of History (french: Musée canadien de l’histoire) is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of C ...

, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the

Art Gallery of Peterborough The Art Gallery of Peterborough is a free admission, non-profit public art gallery in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. A registered charity that depends on the support of its members, it was founded in 1974 by an independent board of volunteers. In ...

in Peterborough. Caldwell is represented b
David Kaye Gallery
in Toronto
Mobilia Gallery
in Cambridge, Massachusetts; an
Snyderman-Works Galleries
in Philadelphia.

Awards and recognition

Caldwell received the

Saidye Bronfman Award The Saidye Bronfman Award is a Canadian award for fine craft. It is one of the largest individual visual-arts prizes in Canada. The $25,000 annual prize is administered by the Canada Council for the Arts as one of the Governor General’s Awards i ...

in 1990, given to one Canadian artist each year, and has been nominated for the Governor General's Award. 1990 - Representative EXPO 90, Osaka, Japan, Ontario Pavilion and recipient of the Saidye Bronfman Award 1976 - ''Hand to Hand'' National Craft Exhibition Award for batiked fabric

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Dorothy 1948 births Living people People from Bethesda, Maryland Canadian women artists Temple University Tyler School of Art alumni Canadian textile artists Women textile artists