Posted Sat, 11/20/2010 - 01:21 by administrator

Background of the artist
(or see full résumé)

Born: 1953, Columbus, Ohio
Residing: in San José, California since 1978

Christine Laffer began her studies in architecture in 1969 at the University
of Illinois in Chicago. After discovering textiles she moved
to the San Francisco Bay area, where she studied tapestry under Jean Pierre
Larochette and Yael Lurie. In 1982 she began weaving images of cloth and
architecture, and in the following years finished several large commissions.
To gain a deeper understanding of tapestry she studied for six months (1984-85)
at the Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins in Paris, receiving a letter of
high recommendation from director Gérard Dehais. She has since completed
her MFA at San Jose State University (1995).

Laffer has shown her work nationally, spoken at professional symposia, and
published articles. Tapestry continues to be her medium of choice, as she
develops a conceptual
meld of bas-relief sculptural form and mute image.
Occasionally she combines these forms with cloth, found objects,
drawing, or prints.

Recently completing 2-1/2 years as Gallery Coordinator at WORKS/San
José, an alternative art and performance space, she works full-time
in her studio. She has acts as Editor of (detail), a journal of art criticism published by the South Bay Area Women's Caucus for Art.
She also was Guest Editor for the June 1998 issue of Switch

(an on-line publication of The CADRE Institute
, with graduate students in computer art at SJSU).