Some contemporary American tapestry weavers are working in a style that deliberately breaks the link with centuries of European tapestry weaving, which most often aims to be representational or pictorial in content. While a great number of remarkable works by contemporary tapestry artists are produced in this pictorial manner and are well worth consideration and commendation, a strong case can be made for more abstract imagery. The few American tapestry weavers who consciously break from the linkage to European style have developed styles that may be said to be more American, than from other influences. By examining my own work and that of related artists, the paper will discuss how this evolution has taken place. This will include examination of influences that have driven the development of a way of working that is separate from historical tapestry imagery. Time will be spent in showing how connections to historical textiles (such as kimono, tribal rugs, Navaho and Andean textiles) are often addressed and incorporated into the tapestries. Likewise, examples of how political and social issues can be embodied, within the framework of abstract imagery, or at least imagery that is more geometric than representational. Having developed the practice of designing tapestry on the computer screen, analogies between digital and tactile are often drawn, not dissimilar to the grid of the loom. Rather than suggesting this way of working should replace European style tapestry, it is offered as an alternative to broaden the options of artistic expression

Rohde, Michael F.

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings Textile Society of America 2010 Development of a Personal and Non-Pictorial Style in Contemporary Tapestry Michael F. Rohde rugweaver@aol.com Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf  Part of the Art and Design Commons Rohde, Michael F., "Development of a Personal and Non-Pictorial Style in Contemporary Tapestry" (2010). Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 47. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/47 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Textile Society of America at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1  DEVELOPMENT OF A PERSONAL AND NON-PICTORIAL STYLE IN CONTEMPORARY TAPESTRY MICHAEL F. ROHDE mfrohde@mac.com   When many people hear the word Tapestry, the image that comes to mind are monumental weavings produced by workshops by many weavers, from designs created by non-weavers. However, the contemporary tapestry movement embraces tapestries that are designed and woven by the same artist. This direction often means the works are no longer monumental in size.  In the late 1970’s, as I was finding my way as a weaver, the Houston/New York gallery owner Warren Hadler pointed out to me,: the loom operates on a manmade grid; why force it to represent curves? This was the spark I’d been looking for, and away with it I went. No more flowers, faces or folderols for me. In addition, admittedly, much of the push in this direction came from art school training that had strong Bauhaus roots in the teachings of Joseph Albers and Johannes Itten.   Figure 1. Bavarian Desert Sunset, 1984, hand dyed wool rug, twill based weave, 26” x 48”  Diane Itter was a mentor to many and who encouraged me to look at the use of stripes in Andean textiles. This led to many explorations of this format, with color and some loom controlled pattern included. For many years I wove rugs (Fig.1 & 2), exploring the pattern and color possibilities, especially augmented by a strong interest in obtaining colors by mixing my own dyes, for each project, as the starting point.   Figure 2. Electric Blue Grid, 1986, hand dyed  wool rug ,twill based weave, 66” x 39” 2  When I felt I needed to break away from stripes and patterns, I opened up to block weaves, still, often making reference to other textiles. First larger scale patterns (Fig. 3), then, looking for ways to break away from selvedge to selvedge color (in blocks), inlay techniques were added (Fig. 4). By the time I was weaving abstracted kimono, in wool, mind you (Fig. 5), it was apparent I was no longer a rug weaver, but should be considering these to be tapestries, especially as they never were used on the floor.  Figure 3, left. What would Your Mother Say about These Colors, hand dyed wool rug,  twill based weave with discontinuous wefts 57” x 45”  Figure 4, center. Caribbean Windows, hand dyed wool rug, block weave with discontinuous wefts 56” x 31”  by                 Figure 5, right. Oaxaca Dreams, 2000. hand dyed wool rug, block weave with discontinuous weft inlay, 58” x 37”   A complete break from rug weave structures can with the invitation in 2003, to send work to the International Triennial of Tapestry in Lodz Poland. While considering the work I wanted to send, I had the chance to hear a reading of a poem by June Jordan, “The Bombing of Bagdad, with these very powerful lines: “...the enemy traveled from my house to blast your homeland into pieces of children and pieces of sand...”. These lines over ten years earlier, were sadly prophetic for the impending second Gulf War. I needed to make a tapestry that reflected this tragedy (Fig. 6).                 Figure 6. left to right: Summer/Kyoto, Winter/Lake Biwa, Spring/Ginza, Fall/Nara, 2001, each hand dyed wool, block woven with discontinuous weft inlay, each ca. 59” x 48”  3   Figure 7. Left, Houses for Nomads 2007, installation photos and exhibition announcement by Michael F. Rohde Right, From My House to Your Homeland, 2003, tapestry, hand dyed wool and silk, 54” x 98”, seven pieces.  Also, whereas design had always come first, now the idea or concept often preceded the design process. This shift had a tremendous effect on my own creative process, and I would like to think strengthened the tapestries themselves. From here on, my tapestries were still governed by the grid of the loom, but often influenced by politics and travel with concerns about displaced nomads in Tibet (Fig. 7) and loss of their culture (Fig. 8), failed political leaders (Fig. 9), stresses of overpopulation and uncontrolled growth  (Fig. 10), loss of habitat (Fig. 11), global water issues (Fig. 12), the US health care debate (Fig. 13), and even a hope for domestic political concord (Fig. 14). Still, while I recall better times, I maintain hope they will return (Fig. 15).   Figure 8. Erosion 2008, tapestry with hand dyed wool, 36” x 38”   4      Figure 9. Failed Chief 2005, tapestry with hand dyed wool and silk, 16” x 36”   Figure 10. Sustainability, 2007, tapestry with wool, silk, alpaca, mohair, camel indigo,madder, cutch, weld, 66” x 39” Figure 11. No Terra Incognita 2008, tapestry with wool, silk, alpaca, mohair, camel indigo, madder, cutch, weld, 66” x 39”  5                           Figure 12. Water, 2009, tapestry with hand dyed wool and silk, 35” x 48”                    Figure 13. Transect, 2009,tapestry, wool, silk,  indigo and  walnut dyes 75” x 48” Figure 14. Unity, tapestry in wool, silk,  natural dyes, 68” x 48” 6       Figure 15. Recollection, tapestry in wool, silk, natural dyes, 70” x 47”        All tapestries pictured in this paper are by Michael F. Rohde 

Development of a Personal and Non-Pictorial Style in Contemporary Tapestry

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Textile Society of America Symposium 
Proceedings Textile Society of America 
2010 
Development of a Personal and Non-Pictorial Style in 
Contemporary Tapestry 
Michael F. Rohde 
rugweaver@aol.com 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf 
 Part of the Art and Design Commons 
Rohde, Michael F., "Development of a Personal and Non-Pictorial Style in Contemporary Tapestry" (2010). 
Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 47. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/47 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Textile Society of America at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Textile Society of America 
Symposium Proceedings by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
1 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF A PERSONAL AND NON-PICTORIAL STYLE IN CONTEMPORARY TAPESTRY 
MICHAEL F. ROHDE 
mfrohde@mac.com 
 
 
When many people hear the word Tapestry, the image that comes to mind are monumental weavings 
produced by workshops by many weavers, from designs created by non-weavers. However, the 
contemporary tapestry movement embraces tapestries that are designed and woven by the same artist. 
This direction often means the works are no longer monumental in size. 
 
In the late 1970’s, as I was finding my way as a weaver, the Houston/New York gallery owner Warren 
Hadler pointed out to me,: the loom operates on a manmade grid; why force it to represent curves? This 
was the spark I’d been looking for, and away with it I went. No more flowers, faces or folderols for me. 
In addition, admittedly, much of the push in this direction came from art school training that had strong 
Bauhaus roots in the teachings of Joseph Albers and Johannes Itten. 
 
 
Figure 1. Bavarian Desert Sunset, 1984, hand dyed wool rug, twill based weave, 26” x 48” 
 
Diane Itter was a mentor to many and who encouraged me to look at the use of stripes in Andean textiles. 
This led to many explorations of this format, with color and some loom controlled pattern included. For 
many years I wove rugs (Fig.1 & 2), exploring the pattern and color possibilities, especially augmented 
by a strong interest in obtaining colors by mixing my own dyes, for each project, as the starting point. 
 
 
Figure 2. Electric Blue Grid, 1986, hand dyed  wool rug ,twill based weave, 66” x 39” 
2 
 
When I felt I needed to break away from stripes and patterns, I opened up to block weaves, still, often 
making reference to other textiles. First larger scale patterns (Fig. 3), then, looking for ways to break 
away from selvedge to selvedge color (in blocks), inlay techniques were added (Fig. 4). By the time I was 
weaving abstracted kimono, in wool, mind you (Fig. 5), it was apparent I was no longer a rug weaver, but 
should be considering these to be tapestries, especially as they never were used on the floor. 
 
Figure 3, left. What would Your Mother Say about These Colors, hand dyed wool rug,  
twill based weave with discontinuous wefts 57” x 45”  
Figure 4, center. Caribbean Windows, hand dyed wool rug, block weave with discontinuous wefts 56” x 31”  by                 
Figure 5, right. Oaxaca Dreams, 2000. hand dyed wool rug, block weave with discontinuous weft inlay, 58” x 37”  
 
A complete break from rug weave structures can with the invitation in 2003, to send work to the 
International Triennial of Tapestry in Lodz Poland. While considering the work I wanted to send, I had 
the chance to hear a reading of a poem by June Jordan, “The Bombing of Bagdad, with these very 
powerful lines: “...the enemy traveled from my house to blast your homeland into pieces of children and 
pieces of sand...”. These lines over ten years earlier, were sadly prophetic for the impending second Gulf 
War. I needed to make a tapestry that reflected this tragedy (Fig. 6). 
 
               
Figure 6. left to right: Summer/Kyoto, Winter/Lake Biwa, Spring/Ginza, Fall/Nara, 2001, each hand dyed wool, 
block woven with discontinuous weft inlay, each ca. 59” x 48”  
3 
 
 
Figure 7. Left, Houses for Nomads 2007, installation photos and exhibition announcement by Michael F. Rohde 
Right, From My House to Your Homeland, 2003, tapestry, hand dyed wool and silk, 54” x 98”, seven pieces. 
 
Also, whereas design had always come first, now the idea or concept often preceded the design process. 
This shift had a tremendous effect on my own creative process, and I would like to think strengthened the 
tapestries themselves. From here on, my tapestries were still governed by the grid of the loom, but often 
influenced by politics and travel with concerns about displaced nomads in Tibet (Fig. 7) and loss of their 
culture (Fig. 8), failed political leaders (Fig. 9), stresses of overpopulation and uncontrolled growth  
(Fig. 10), loss of habitat (Fig. 11), global water issues (Fig. 12), the US health care debate (Fig. 13), and 
even a hope for domestic political concord (Fig. 14). Still, while I recall better times, I maintain hope they 
will return (Fig. 15). 
 
 
Figure 8. Erosion 2008, tapestry with hand dyed wool, 36” x 38”  
 
4 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 9. Failed Chief 2005, tapestry with hand dyed wool and silk, 16” x 36” 
 
 
Figure 10. Sustainability, 2007, tapestry with 
wool, silk, alpaca, mohair, camel indigo,madder, 
cutch, weld, 66” x 39” 
Figure 11. No Terra Incognita 2008, tapestry 
with wool, silk, alpaca, mohair, camel indigo, 
madder, cutch, weld, 66” x 39” 
 
5 
 
  
 
                     
 
Figure 12. Water, 2009, tapestry with hand dyed wool and silk, 35” x 48” 
 
 
                 
Figure 13. Transect, 2009,tapestry, wool, silk,  
indigo and  walnut dyes 75” x 48” 
Figure 14. Unity, tapestry in wool, silk,  
natural dyes, 68” x 48” 
6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 15. Recollection, tapestry in wool, silk, natural dyes, 70” x 47”  
 
 
 
 
 
 
All tapestries pictured in this paper are by Michael F. Rohde 


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