TEXTILES: Bonnie Peterson & Diane Cooper

Exhibition: May 24 - June 18, 2013

Houghton, Michigan artist Bonnie Peterson uses embroidery on textiles to communicate provocative environmental and social issues. Chicago artist Diane Cooper displays a Japanese aesthetic in her work. Her constructions employ fiber, leather, wood and bits of society’s detritus.

Bonnie Peterson has received several grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a grant from the Illinois Committee, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and other awards. She was an Artist-In-Residence at Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Isle Royale, and Crater Lake National Parks. Her work is in the collection of the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC, the National Park Service, private collections, and she has an extensive exhibition record. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois-Urbana and an MBA from DePaul University.

Turning Green, Bonnie Peterson

Accelerating Antarctica, Bonnie Peterson

Peterson's Artist Statement:
My art chronicles my adventures through life and in the National Park or Forest wilderness areas… multi‐week backpacking trips navigating the backcountry over passes and snow covered trails. Being surrounded by the awe of granite peaks has inspired much of my artwork. My current work examines geophysical climate issues. It combines scientific texts and graphs, photos and maps gathered from research and collected on my adventures. Its intent is to provoke viewers to think about the environment and their relationship to nature.
From my collaboration with University of Wisconsin scientists (It’s Just Math), to researching and tracing the steps of Yosemite explorers’ journals on glaciers (Glacier Survey), to crisscrossing trails in the Swiss Alps (Bluemlisalp Glacier), my work explores climate change, water rights and water use, Earth’s history and topography. Locally, Chicago Portage tells the story of Chicago’s foundation, its geography, early transportation routes, Native American History and eventual development into a major metropolis.


Diane Cooper graduated from Eastern Michigan University and went on to study with well‐known artists in Japan and England. Japan and the Japanese aesthetic were especially influential in her art and her education. Cooper now resides in Chicago. Her work has been exhibited in Tokyo, London, Boston, New York and throughout the Midwest. She is represented by Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago.

Renkoto No. 10, Diane Cooper

Cooper's Artist Statement:
Living in Japan, a culture much older than our own, developed within me a love for the aged and worn surface. The Japanese aesthetic has been a major influence on my work.

This work embodies the concept of seeing beauty in life’s detritus. Materials consisting of used bits and pieces of everyday life, including wood, leather, fiber and metal are often used in the condition in which they are found.

My style of working is intuitive. Each piece takes inspiration from the material with which I have chosen to work.

Utsukushi No. 6,Diane Cooper