"The imagery of my work has been inspired by tribal cultures, and by objects and symbols that accompany their rituals. Looking at these objects, one can sense their power and mystery. Fragments of these ongoing symbols have been incorporated into my work."
Dorothy Caldwell
For Dorothy Caldwell, art is a vehicle for searching and exploration and allow her to experience place in many different ways. Her travel and research in India, Japan, and Australia has influenced her work both as sources of dyeing and stitching practices and as places where textile artists share her beliefs in the integration of historical work in contemporary contexts. She studied painting and sculpture at Temple University, Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, from 1969 through 1971, and spent most of 1969 studying in Rome, Italy. She’s now a textile artist and lives in Ontario.
Dorothy Caldwell is known for her large constructions that combine dyed and stitched fabric with wood, stone and other elements found and collected during her explorations. Her smaller quilts and constructions contain fragments from the landscape as well as contemporary and primitive symbols, and reflect her love of African textiles.
Frequently exhibited throughout Canada and the United States, her work is represented in many public and private collections and she has executed many major commissions.
Caldwell has been invited to serve as a guest curator, workshop leader, and juror for various arts organizations. She has lectured at Canadian and American universities and art schools. Dorothy Caldwell is a founding member of Surfacing: Textile Dyers and Printers Association.
Selected work
