Amy Putansu was born on the coast of Maine, in a fishing village called Clark Island. She earned her BFA at Rhode Island School of Design in 1995, majoring in textile design. She has been nominated for a US Artists Fellowship (2016), and an American Craft Council Rare Craft Fellowship (2016). Her work is in the permanent collections of the Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian), the National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, China, and the Kyoto International Community House in Japan. Her new work on view consists of handwoven substrates created on a traditional weaving loom, yet using a very rare technique that results in waving lines of threads. Dyes and stitching lend further embellishment. Putansu’s layering of techniques suggests distance and horizon, stemming from her upbringing on the northern seacoast and the experience of many hours staring outward and beyond.
