Join Today
Jeanne Benson
biography
Jeanne
Benson has known that she liked to make art since the eighth grade. Benson
received a Bachelors degree in Art in 1970 and has continued her education
in drawing and in design and sewing techniques. She is currently working toward
Certification in Botanical Illustration through Brookside Gardens School of
Botanical Art and Illustration.
Benson is inspired by the geometry in nature every day. She takes that inspiration
into the studio and re-presents it in her appliqués, pen and ink, and
pencil designs.
Two of her quilts are included in exhibitions with SITES (Smithsonian Institution
Traveling Exhibition Service): Ten of Spades with The Full Deck Art
Quilt and Heart of Katell with Women of Taste: A Collaboration Celebrating
Women Artists and Chefs. She teaches and present programs to quilt guilds and
since 1988 for The Smithsonian Associates in Washington, DC, and has regularly
offered introduction to the basics, drafting, and design classes along with
specialty workshops. In 1991 her book, The Art and Technique of Appliqué, was
published, and in 1997 she received a Maryland State Arts Council Individual
Artists Award for her work in appliqué. She has exhibited her quilts
locally and nationally through galleries, art centers and quilt programs and
participated in the US Department of State’s Arts in Embassies Program. Arrangement
for Mixed Greens with Edible Flowers and Raspberry Vinaigrette was juried
into Quilt National ‘05. Since 1999 Benson has exhibited with The New
Image Group, a metropolitan DC area-based fiber art group. Her website
is www.jeannebenson.com
Teaching Philosophy
As a teacher I want my students to learn basic techniques out of the quilt
tradition, to discover the techniques that work best for them, and to understand
not only that quilts reflect American history but also that the quilts they
make can reflect their interests, their gardens, their families, their politics,
their culture — their own history.
In the classroom, I teach how to make quilts through detailed demonstration,
through showing many examples from my own collection and through books, and
through hands-on application. Small classes allow for individual attention
and evaluation.
I want students to understand that quilting isn’t just about sewing.
It’s about developing ideas, executing ideas, problem solving, and learning
to let go of mistakes. Making quilts is making art.
artwork
