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ANNSAVAGEAU

Six decades of making, teaching and looking closely.

A record of exhibitions, installations, lectures, writing and press, from a first degree at Stanford in 1967 to the Guardians exhibitions of the present decade. Arranged by decade rather than by category, so the work reads as a life rather than a list.

Entries marked with a dot are tied to a work held on this site. Hover to see it. A complete, unabridged CV is available on request.

1967 – 1979

Study in California, Michigan and Kassel, then a lectureship at the University of Michigan that would last twenty-five years. The decade's public work is spoken rather than exhibited: fiber art carried by lecture between the United States and Europe.

Education

  • 1978MFA, Wayne State UniversityDetroit, Michigan
  • 1977Graduate studies, Gesamthochschule KasselKassel, Germany
  • 1969Teaching Certification, California State UniversitySan Jose, California
  • 1967A.B. with Great Distinction, Stanford UniversityStanford, California

Appointments

  • 1978 – 03Lecturer, Residential College, The University of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan

Lectures & Workshops

  • 1978Contemporary European Fiber ArtArt Department, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI
  • 1978European Fiber Art of the '70sPublic lecture, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
  • 1977Textile Objekte von Ann SavageauPublic lecture, Universität Göttingen, Germany
  • 1977Textile Objekte in der USAPublic lecture, Gesamthochschule Kassel, Germany
  • 1977Contemporary American Fiber ArtUnion of Polish Artists, Warsaw, Poland
  • 1976Contemporary American Fiber ArtGerrit Rietveld Akademie, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Exhibition catalogs and journal citations from 1978 and 1979 are held in the full CV.

1980s

Solo exhibitions in Michigan, Colorado and Western Australia, and a long Australian teaching circuit. The Kassel years return as lecture material: Dokumenta 7 and K-18 Stoffwechsel carried to Canberra, Perth, Honolulu and Cranbrook.

Solo Exhibitions

  • 1984Solo exhibition, Editions GalleryPerth, Western Australia
  • 1982Solo exhibition, Ann Arbor Art AssociationAnn Arbor, Michigan
  • 1981Solo exhibition, Lincoln Community CenterFort Collins, Colorado

Lectures & Workshops

  • 1985My Artistic CareerLecture Series, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
  • 1984Workshop on repeatable elementsUniversity of Wollongong, Australia
  • 1984Contemporary American Fiber ArtFibre Interchange National Textile Conference, Canberra, Australia
  • 1984A Survey of International Art 1982Canberra School of Art, Australia
  • 1983Contemporary American Fiber ArtArtists of Western Australia, Perth
  • 1983A Survey of International Art 1982: Dokumenta 7 and K-18 StoffwechselHandweavers Guild, Honolulu, Hawaii · Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
  • 1983Workshop on handmade feltCanberra School of Art, Australia

Publications Cited In

  • 1984Fibre ForumThe Fibre Magazine of the Australian Region, Vol. 3, No. 3
  • 1983The Fiberarts Design Book IIHastings House Publishers, New York
  • 1982American CraftFebruary/March, Vol. 42, No. 1
  • 1981Michigan Artists 80–81Catalog, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
  • 1980The Fiberarts Design BookHastings House Publishers, New York
  • 1980FiberartsJanuary/February, Vol. 7, No. 1

Eight further exhibition catalogs from this decade, including K-18 Stoffwechsel (Kassel) and Breaking the Bindings (Madison), are held in the full CV.

Juror & Curatorial

  • 1986Juror, Fibers Category, The Ann Arbor Street Art FairAnn Arbor, Michigan

1990s

Installation work takes over from the object: Earth/Works in a concert hall, books and memory pieces at the Institute for the Humanities. The decade also opens the curatorial thread with Michigan prisoners that runs into the 2000s.

Solo Exhibitions

  • 1998Earth/Works, installationPower Center for the Performing Arts, Ann Arbor, MI
  • 1997Books, Memories, ReflectionsInstitute for the Humanities, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 1992The Armchair TravelerClare Spitler Works of Art, Ann Arbor, MI

Honors & Awards

  • 1997Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in the ArtsWashtenaw Council for the Arts
  • 1995Excellence in Education AwardThe University of Michigan

Lectures & Panels

  • 1998Slide lecture on installationInstitute for the Humanities, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 1997Lecture on exhibitionInstitute for the Humanities, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 1995PanelistBuckham Gallery, Flint, Michigan

Juror & Curatorial

  • 1999Co-curator, Fourth Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan PrisonersThe University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 1996Juror, Annual Intermedia Student ExhibitionArt Department, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

Press & Citations

  • 1998Bound and Gagged: the Sculptural BookCranbrook Art Museum · The Detroit Free Press, June 21
  • 1998Saints and MysticsThe Ann Arbor Observer, December
  • 1997Annie Awards Salute VIPs of County Arts SceneThe Ann Arbor News, April 26
  • 1994Neo-Dada Artists Take New DirectionsThe Ann Arbor News, November 20
  • 1993Ann Savageau Takes It on the RoadThe Michigan Daily, March 3
  • 1992Surface Design JournalVol. 16, No. 2
  • 1991War and Peace: Spitler Show a Timely Reminder of This Year's Extraordinary EventsThe Ann Arbor News, December 29

Further group-exhibition catalogs and regional press from 1995 to 1999 are held in the full CV.

2000s

The move west, and the turn toward sustainability as both subject and teaching method. Lifeline: a climber's life and At the Crossroads stand at either end of the decade: one a memorial, the other a warning.

Appointments

  • 2006 – 11Associate Professor, Department of Design, University of California, Davis
  • 2003 – 05Lecturer, Program in Nature and Culture, University of California, Davis

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2007At the Crossroads, installationWashtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MI
  • 2001Lifeline: a climber's lifeUniversity of Michigan Residential College Art Gallery

Group & Invitational Exhibitions

  • 2009SOFA Chicago 2009Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • 2009The Consilience of Art and SciencePence Gallery, Davis, CA
  • 2009ReMake ItSanta Fe Complex, Santa Fe, NM
  • 2008SOFA Chicago 2008Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, IL
  • 2008The Baseball ShowJean Albano Gallery, Chicago, IL

Lectures & Conferences

  • 2008Bringing It Home: Making Sustainability a Reality for StudentsSeventh Annual UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
  • 2004Art in Response to the EnvironmentArt Department, Shanghai University, China
  • 2002Lecture on the Life/Line installationUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
  • 2001Lecture on the LifeLine installationResidential College, The University of Michigan
  • 2000Spring Seminar guest speakerInstitute for the Humanities, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Publications Authored

  • 2009Bags Across the Globe: Bagging the Waste for a Sustainable FutureMaking Futures, Plymouth College of Art, England · Online proceedings
  • 2006Nurturing Childhood Creativity Through NatureIn Where do the Children Play?, ed. Elizabeth Goodenough, Wayne State University Press

Honors, Awards & Grants

  • 2008Architectural Energy Corporation grantFor the lecture series The Power of Design: Energy and Sustainability
  • 2007Sustainability Award, University of California, DavisBuildings and Grounds and Design 199 Waste Reduction Campaign
  • 2005Honorable Mention, National Open ExhibitionLong Beach Arts, California

Juror & Curatorial

  • 2007Curator, Stories through Needle and Thread, solo exhibition by Ray MatersonDesign Museum, University of California, Davis
  • 2007Juror, Art in the RedwoodsGualala Arts Center, Gualala, CA
  • 2007Juror, Ellen Hansen Memorial PrizeUniversity of California, Davis
  • 2001Co-curator, Sixth Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan PrisonersThe University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 2000Co-curator, Fifth Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan PrisonersThe University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Press & Citations

  • 2007Exhibit's loud and clear: Crossroads delivers alarming environmental messageThe Ann Arbor News, April 8
  • 2006Found Objects, New Identity as ArtThe Reporter, October 20
  • 2003Secret Spaces of ChildhoodElizabeth Goodenough, ed., The University of Michigan Press
  • 2002Books, Boxes, Bravo!The Sacramento Bee, December 15
  • 2002A Mother's Love Expressed in Memorial Exhibit at the Porter Faculty GalleryUC Santa Cruz Currents Online, February 18
  • 2001Life/Line: A Climber's Life Chronicled in Mixed MediaThe Ann Arbor News, October 13
  • 2000Michigan Quarterly ReviewVol. 39, No. 2, Spring, pp. 248–278

2010s

The densest decade. Bags Across the Globe travels from Davis to SOFA Chicago to the Smithsonian; Instinct/Extinct follows the Pacific Flyway across four California museums. Sustainability pedagogy becomes published research, and the professorship becomes emerita.

Appointments

  • 2014 –Professor Emerita, University of California, Davis
  • 2012 – 14Professor, Department of Design, University of California, Davis

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2013Bags Across the Globe, installationState University of New York, Fredonia
  • 2012Bags Across the Globe, installationSOFA Chicago
  • 2012Bags Across the Globe, installationUC Davis at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington, DC
  • 2011Bags Across the GlobeUC Davis Design Museum, Davis, CA

Group & Invitational Exhibitions

  • 2018It's Bugged: Insects' Role in DesignUC Davis Design Museum
  • 2016 – 18 Instinct/Extinct: The Great Pacific Flyway, traveling exhibition
    • Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah, CA — 2016
    • Art Space, Turlock, CA — 2017
    • UC Davis Design Museum — 2017
    • Los Altos History Museum, CA — 2018
  • 2016Art/Science Fusion Juried ExhibitionPence Gallery, Davis, CA
  • 2012 – 14 Ignite! The Art of Sustainability, traveling exhibition
    • UC Davis Design Museum · Humboldt State University — 2012
    • Arte Americas, Fresno · Pasadena Museum of California Art — 2013
    • UC Merced · Museum of History and Art, Ontario, CA — 2014
  • 2011IV International World Textile Art Biennial, Salon Small Format Textile ArtXalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
  • 2010Suave 4, international traveling exhibitionCosta Rica and Spain
  • 2010Play Ball: The Art of America's Favorite PastimeSpringfield Art Association, Springfield, IL

Lectures, Conferences & Workshops

  • 2018Guest lecture, opening reception, It's Bugged: Insects' Role in DesignUniversity of California, Davis
  • 2017Guest lecture, Environmental ArtTuleyome
  • 2016Guest lecture, American Center, United States ConsulateHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • 2013Featured speaker, opening reception, Ignite! The Art of SustainabilityArte Americas, Fresno, CA
  • 2012Artist lecture, SOFA Chicago
  • 20128th International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social SustainabilityVancouver, Canada · Invited presentation
  • 2012NorCal Reuse Alliance SummitInvited presentation
  • 2012California Higher Education Sustainability ConferenceInvited presentation
  • 2011 – 14Invited speaker, Sustainability SummitUniversity of California, Davis
  • 2011Workshop on sustainabilityUniversidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia
  • 2011Workshop on sustainabilityKyoto University of Art and Design, Kyoto, Japan
  • 2010Invited lectureLa Escuela de Arte, Madrid, Spain

Publications Authored

  • 2013Let's get personal: making sustainability tangible to studentsInternational Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 14, Iss. 1, pp. 15–24
  • 2010Textile Waste and Sustainability: A Case StudyResearch Journal of Textile and Apparel, Vol. 15, No. 1

Honors & Awards

  • 2014Outstanding Paper of 2013International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
  • 2012Invited to represent the University of California, Davis at the Smithsonian Folklife FestivalWashington, DC
  • 2012Invited to create installation at SOFA Chicago

Juror & Curatorial

  • 2018Co-curator, It's Bugged: Insects' Role in DesignUniversity of California, Davis
  • 2013Juror, Ellen Hansen Memorial PrizeUniversity of California, Davis

Press & Citations

  • 2018Instinct Extinct: The Great Pacific FlywayLeonardo, Vol. 52, No. 1, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA
  • 2017The Amazing Story of the Great Pacific Flyway and Its Migrating BirdsThe Washington Post, November 6
  • 2012Wasting Not: Ann SavageauAmerican Craft, April/May, pp. 62–63
  • 2010Journal of Wuhan Textile University
  • 2010Art hard to stomach: plastic bags that killed camel go on showThe National, Dubai

2020s

The Guardians years. A body of protective figures shown at UC Davis, at the Morris Graves Museum and back at the Residential College where the teaching began, alongside a return to Michigan as visiting artist and Robertson lecturer.

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2024Guardians: Spirits of ProtectionUniversity of Michigan Residential College Art Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI
  • 2024Guardians: Spirits of ProtectionMorris Graves Museum, Eureka, CA
  • 2021Guardians: Spirits of ProtectionDesign Museum, University of California, Davis

Group & Invitational Exhibitions

  • 2025Roots International Art ProjectVirtual exhibition
  • 2025Art in the RedwoodsGualala Art Center, Gualala, CA
  • 2025Blue Marble, invitational exhibitionGualala Art Center, Gualala, CA
  • 2022Unrevealed: Mask Show, invitational exhibitionHigher Art Gallery, Traverse City, MI
  • 2022PULP: Book and Paper ArtsSebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA
  • 2021ICON: A National Exhibition of Artworks Inspired by Momentous Artists and Artistic Movementsd'Art Center, Alexandria, VA

Lectures

  • 2025Guest lecture, undergraduate classesUniversity of California, Davis
  • 2024Robertson LectureUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • 2024Guest lecture, ten undergraduate classesThe Residential College, University of Michigan
  • 2022Guest lecture, Love Letters to the PlanetWEAD, Women Eco Artists Dialog

Publications Authored

  • 2024Guardians: Spirits of Protection, catalogWith an essay by Dr. Rina Faletti

Honors, Awards & Grants

  • 2024Robertson Endowed LectureThe Residential College, University of Michigan
  • 2024Visiting artistThe Residential College, University of Michigan
  • 2021Second Place, ICON: A National Exhibitiond'Art Center, Alexandria, VA
  • 2020Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professorship AwardFor Guardians: Spirits of Protection

Juror & Curatorial

  • 2024Judge, Art in the RedwoodsGualala Art Center, Gualala, CA

Press & Citations

  • 2024KGUA, interview on Bags Across the Globe
  • 2024Interview, University of Michigan
  • 2022Wax, Wings, and Swarms: Insects and their Products as Art MediaBarrett Klein, Annual Review of Entomology, Vol. 67, pp. 281–303
  • 2022Interview, UC Davis Design Museum: Guardians, Spirits of ProtectionYouTube
  • 2022Guardians: Spirits of Protection expands to ArboretumThe Davis Enterprise, April 21
  • 2022Guardians: Spirits of Protection follow-up project encourages community to submit cathartic poetryThe California Aggie, March 11

Commissions & Public Collections

  • Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area HeadquartersPermanent collection
  • Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MIPermanent collection, Bookworm
  • The Residential College, The University of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
  • University of Michigan Undergraduate LibraryAnn Arbor, Michigan
  • The Charles Reinhart Company, Ann Arbor, MIOverlap
  • The Islamic School of Ann Arbor, MIWomen, Heaven, Allah
  • Soho MyridSeries of sculptures on a sports theme
  • St. Mary's Chapel, Ann Arbor, MIBanners