Laurel Izard Mixed Media Artist

biography

Laurel Izard is an award-winning artist who exhibits her artwork throughout the country. She currently lives and works in Michigan City with her artist husband Edwin Shelton and three cats. She received a BA from Northern Illinois University, with majors in art and anthropology, and a MFA in ceramics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

After college Izard and her husband started a ceramic business called Izwin, and created colorful whimsical tabletop wares for galleries, boutiques, and department stores throughout the country. After twenty-three years of self-employment, she taught art in numerous after-school and summer programs. Her art-teaching career culminated in nine years as art instructor at Marquette High School. After leaving Marquette she has been living her best life making art full time.

Her philosophy as an artist and teacher is that an integral part of being human is to be creative and continues to teach others how to discover their inner artistic resources.

Mixed Media Artist Cat

mixed media artist statement

Making art, for me, is both a meditation and dialogue with the materials and the elements of art. I make art of some kind every day because it feeds me emotionally and spiritually. My studio environment is filled with a large assemblage of artworks, rocks, fossils, pottery, and old lunchboxes that have been collected over the years. Collecting has influenced my work beyond visual cues and such things, as vintage books, ephemera, and old textiles become the materials in my work. I am a collector of images as well and have over 50,000 images of art, science, science fiction, quilts, animals, artists work and you name it stored on Pinterest. My background in anthropology has always played a big part in my art, and interest in how we see the world physically and spiritually. My work has been exhibited in galleries, and art centers all over the country, and I have won awards along the way.

A fascination with sewing and textiles started as early as I could hold a needle, but I never really considered it as my main art making material until 2011. Since then, I have spent hours creating small intensely embroidered images loosely based on the archetypes of the tarot. The Pandemic has been the time of the quilt as I have produced many art quilts that portray endangered animals and express my feelings about the state of the world.

Laurel Izard Mixed Media Artist Desk

selected juried and invitational exhibitions

Quilted Bat Laurel Izard Mixed Media Artist

2023 Art Evolved: Intertwined, juried by Beth C. McLaughlin, Jane Sauer, and Lisa Ranallo, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
sustainABILITY, Neely and Biggs Gallery, Windgate Museum of Art, Arkansas
24th International Open, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
11th Annual Bridgeport Art Center’s Art Competition, Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, Illinois
MAAC in the Box 2023, Box Factory for the Arts, St. Joseph, Michigan
2023-Women in Art, sponsored by Las Laguna Art Gallery, Las Laguna, California (online)
29th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Art Barn School of Art, Valparaiso, Indiana
Tenuous Threads: Atlantic Gallery 2023 Juried Exhibition, juried by Patricia Miranda, Atlantic Gallery, New York, New York
COLOR, juried by Ann Rintz, ARC Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
6th Annual Birds of a Fiber Exhibit, Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum, LaConner, Washington
2022 Small Matters, juried by Pattie Chalmers, 437CO Art Gallery, Colorado Mesa University, Mesa, Colorado
44th Elkhart Juried Regional, Midwest Museum of Art, Elkhart, Indiana
sustainABILITY, juried by Tali Weinberg, New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts
Mark My Words, Curated by Hannah Hamond hagman, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
Extreme Craft, Curated by Thom Maltbie, Dillsboro Arts Friendshp Center, Dillsboro, Indiana
Threads, Christopher Gallery, curated by Beth Shadur, Prairie State College Chicago Heights, Illinois
5th Annual birds of a Fiber Exhibit, Curated by Amy Green, Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum, LaConner, Washington (catalogue)
79th Annual salon Show, juried by Chris Cosnowski, South Shore arts, Munster, Indiana
Art from the Heartland 2022, juried by Jean Robertson, Indianapolis Art center, Indianapolis, Indiana
Michigan Fine Arts Competition, juried by Marina Pacini, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Birmingham, Michigan
Michiana Annual Art Competition, juried by Thea Grigsby, Box Factory for the Arts, St. Joseph, Michigan
Chesterton Women’s Show, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana, Honorable Mention
Dune Birds in Art, juried by Kristina Knowski, Indiana Dunes Center, Chesterton, IN
Sacred Threads, Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, Virginia
Extinction, Save the Planet, Online exhibition hosted by Gallerium Art Exhibitions
Undomesticated, juried by Jane Kim, Gallery One Visual Arts Center, Ellensburg, Washington
Best of 2022, juried by Betty Talbot, Ohio Craft Museum, and CVA Gallery at Kent State University, Ohio
OH + 5 , juried by Quinn Alexandria Hunter, Emily Prentice, Shoji Satake, Dairy Barns Arts Center, Athens, Ohio
2021 4th Midwest Open, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
The Valdosta National, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia, (online exhibition)
Small Works Big Talent, Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach California, (online exhibition)
2021 All Women Artist, Contemporary Art Gallery Online, (Online exhibition)
Animal? Mineral or Vegetable? 2D National Juried Exhibition, Dallas Metro Arts Contemporary, Dallas, Texas
Bridgeport Art Center 9th Annual Art Competition, Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, Illinois (catalogue)
12th Annual 10 x 10 x 10 Tieton, Tieton Arts and Humanities, Tieton, Washington (catalogue)
78th Annual Salon Show, South Shore Arts, Munster, Indiana (Suzanne Cooley Memorial Award)
Art Prize, Atwater Brewery, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Words Fail, SAQA Virtual Gallery
Uncommon Threads: Fiber – Quilting – Weaving Art, San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center, San Fernando, California-Online Exhibition
2020 Found Again, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio
Circles and Cycles, SAQA Regional Show, Marathon Center for the Performing Arts, Findlay, Ohio
11th Annual 10 x 10 x 10 Tieton, Tieton Arts and Humanities, Tieton, Washington (catalogue)
Small Works Show 2020, Core New Art Space, Denver, Colorado
Wild Things, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, virtual exhibit, https://www.cultural-center.org/wildthings
A Common Thread 2020, Textile Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Local at LCA: 40th Anniversary of the Area Artists Association, Brinka Gallery, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
25 Million Stitches, Verge Center for the Arts, Sacramento, California
Color My World, Area Artists Association virtual show, https://www.areaartistsassociation.org
2019 Small Works Big Talent, Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, California
The Best of 2019, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio
The Crow Show, The Studio Door, San Diego, California
30 Years of QSDS, Dairy Barn-Chaddock Morrow Gallery, Athens, Ohio
Speaking of Fibers! Stories of Importance, Missouri Fiber Artists, Morton J. May Gallery, Maryville University, St. Louis, Missouri
Chesterton Women’s Club Show, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
Endangered, St. Louis Artists Guild Galleries, St. Louis, Missouri
Small and Smaller, Site: Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York
2018 The Best of 2018, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio
Art of the Book, Gallerie Renee Marie, Benicia, California
Celebrating Women, Location 1980, Costa Mesa, California
Art From the Heartland 2018, Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
10 x 10 x 10 Tieton, Tieton Arts and Humanities, Tieton, Washington
The Fool’s Journey Through Life, The Studio Door, San Diego, California (catalog)
64 Arts Exhibition, Buchanan Center for the Arts, Monmouth, Illinois
Art Comp 2018, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
Craft Forms 2018, 24 International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, Pennsylvania
The Dark Arts II, Squid Ink Online Gallery
Critters II, Artless Bastard, LaPere, Wisconsin
FASA 44th Annual Juried Fiber Art Exhibition, Say Si, San Antonio, Texas

recent group exhibitions

2023 QSDS Challenge, 2023, Crane Building, Columbus College of Art and Design
The Illustrated Accordion, KBAC Gallery, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan
2022 Small Works Members Show, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
Members Show, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
Box Factory Members Show, Box Factory for the Arts, St. Joseph, Michigan
Self-Portrait Show, John James Audubon Museum, Henderson, Kentucky
Threads, Christopher Gallery, Prairie State College Chicago Heights, Illinois
2022 Quilt Challenge, Fine Art and Fibers, John James Audubon Museum, Henderson, Kentucky
Around the Bend, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, Indiana
Emergence, Buchanan Art center, Buchanan, Michigan
Collaboration 2021, Southwest Indiana Arts Council, Evansville, Indiana
2021 Color My World, A Virtual Area Artist Association Gallery Show
25 Million Stitches, Verge Center for the Arts, Sacramento, California
Collaboration 2021, John James Audubon Museum, Henderson, Kentucky
A Common Thread 2021, Textile Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
A New Beginning, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
Members Show, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
2020 A Common Thread 2020, Textile Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Local at LCA: 40th Anniversary of the Area Artist Association, Brinka Gallery, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
2019 A Common Thread 2019, Textile Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Artist’s Narrative, Indiana Welcome Center Gallery, Hammond, Indiana
Threads of Life, The Rising Phoenix Gallery, Michigan City, Indiana
International Women’s Day Exhibition, The Nest, Michigan City, Indiana
The Illustrated Accordion, KBAC Gallery, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan
5 x 5 at the Depot, The Depot Gallery and Museum, Beverly Shores, Indiana
Fiber Art, Artspace Uptown Artist Lofts, Michigan City, Indiana
Layering, Laurel Izard and Edwin Shelton, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
2018 A Common Thread 2018, Textile Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Deliberate Strokes, Valparaiso Art House Gallery, Valparaiso, Indiana
Artist Journey, Marshal J. Gardner center for the Arts, Miller Beach Arts and Creative District, Miller Beach, Indiana
Material Culture, Nipsco Education Studios, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
5 x 5, The Depot Gallery and Museum, Beverly Shores, Indiana
2018 CSA Valpo Preview Exhibition, South Shore Arts at the Artful Garden, Crown Point, Indiana
Fold! Staple! Riot! The Oilwick Gallery, Indianapolis, Indiana
10 x 10, Blink Contemporary Art, Michigan City, Indiana
Vessel, A Group Exhibition, The Depot Gallery and Museum, Beverly Shores, Indiana
Regional Impressions, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana

Quilted Skull Laurel Izard Fiber Artist

recent solo exhibitions

2023 Laurel Izard Art Quilts, First Presbyterian Church of Michigan City, Michigan City, Indiana
2022 4 the Birds, The Depot Gallery and Museum, Beverly Shores, Indiana
2021 Laurel Izard: Robots and Dinosaurs, SFC Gallery, Michigan City, Indiana
2020 On the Edge: Quilts of Endangered Animals, Art Barn School of Art, Valparaiso, Indiana
2019 Embroidering the Imagination, Work by Laurel Izard, Art Barn School of Art, Valparaiso, Indiana
2018 World and Work of Laurel Izard, The Rising Phoenix Gallery, Michigan City, Indiana
2016 Laurel Izard, Riverwalk Gallery, Box Factory, Saint Joseph, Michigan
2015 Goddesses and Aliens, Nipsco Gallery, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
2014 Embroidered Archetypes, Brinka/Cross and North View Galleries, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana

awards and grants

2022 Fiber Arts Honorable Mention, Michiana Annual Art Competition, Box Factory for the Arts, St. Joseph, Michigan
Merit Award, 79th Annual Salon Show, South Shore Arts, Munster, Indiana
2021 Suzanne Cooley Memorial Award, 78th Annual Salon Show, South Shore Arts, Munster, Indiana
Tri Kappa Associates Award, Chesterton Women’s Show, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
2020 Best of Show, Small Works Show 2020, Core New Art Space, Denver, Colorado
2019 On-Ramp 2019 Fellowship, Indiana Arts Commission
Brian Lonsway Award for Humor in Craft, Best of 2019, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio
Merit Award, Chesterton Woman’s Club Art Show, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
2018 Second Place, Art of the Book, Gallerie Renee Marie, Benicia, California
2017 First Place, Illiana Artist’s 17th Regional Juried Exhibition, Chesterton Art Center, Chesterton, Indiana
First Place, Fiber Artists of San Antonio 43rd Annual Juried Fiber Art Exhibit, Kelso Art Center, San Antonio, Texas
Merit Award, Michiana Annual Art Competition, Box Factory for the Arts, St. Joseph, Michigan
2015 Renee & Sam Denmark Memorial Award, 72nd Annual Salon Show, South Shore Arts, Munster,Indiana
2011 Second Place two-dimensional work, Lakefront Art Festival, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
Robots

publications

2022 Sustainability Catalogue, Studio Art Quilt Associates, Hebron, Connecticut
PAN-O-PLY, Story and Art Michianna, Spring 2022 issue, panoplymichiana.com
10x10x10 Tieton, A Juried Exhibition of Art, (catalogue) Tieton Arts and Humanities, Tieton, Washington
5th Annual Birds of a Fiber, exhibition catalogue, Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum, La Conner, Washington
2020 10x10x10 Tieton, A Juried Exhibition of Art, (catalogue) Tieton Arts and Humanities, Tieton, Washington
September Artist of the Month Pan-O-Ply Story and Art Michiana, panoplymichiana.com
“A Life of Imagination and Creativity”, Linda Weigel, The Beacher, Volume 36, Number 45, November 12, www.thebeacher.com/pdf/2020/BeacherNov12.pdf
Brush it UP, Area Artist Association Interview: https://vimeo.com/486612126
Five Woman’s Works Feature in Christopher Art Gallery’s Online Exhibit Entitled Threads, Jessi Virtusio, Daily Southtown, Chicago, Tribune, December https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-ent-prairie-threads-st-0101-20201222-guffqu6ioredlmdmt5rotruz2i-story.html
2018 10x10x10 Tieton, A Juried Exhibition of Art, (catalogue), Tieton Arts and Humanities, Tieton, Washington
2017 Global Murmurs Exhibit (catalogue) Textile Society of America, Times Square Building Gallery, Rochester, New York
10x10x10 Tieton, A Juried Exhibition of Art (catalogue) Tieton Arts and Humanities, Tieton, Washington
2016 Urban Murmurs Exhibit (catalogue) Textile Society of America, Times Square Building Gallery, Rochester, New York
2012 “Carve it Up”; Cloth Paper Scissors, March/April 2012, issue 41

professional experience

2023 April Artist Presentation for SAQA NY NJ monthly Zoom Meeting
Mentor for the SAQA Mentorship Program
January Artist Presentation for SAQA Indiana monthly Zoom Meeting
2022 Gallery Talk, Midwest Museum of American Art, Elkhart, Indiana
“Gotta Make Stuff”, presentation for the Hoosier Art Patrons, Michigan City Library, Michigan City, Indiana
November Artist Presentation, Surface Design Association-Indiana, Zoom Meeting
On Ramp 2022 visual artist grant panelist, Indiana Arts Commission
2019-20 Education Coordinator, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
2019 Docent for Exhibitions, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
2019 On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Course, May 10-12, Nashville, Indiana
2016 Artist Section Committee, Art Space, Michigan City, Indiana
Regional Initiative Grant Panelist, Arts Operating Support, Region 1, South Shore Arts, Munster, Indiana
2007-16 Visual arts teacher, Marquette Catholic High School, Michigan City, Indiana.
2015 Art Journaling, Visual Arts Class at The Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
Gelli Plate Printing, Visual Arts Class at The Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
2010 Quality Assurance Team member, AdvncED review of North Side High School, Fort Wayne, Indiana
2004-09 Art Instructor for the Northwest Athletic Club. Michigan City, Indiana.
Ceramics Instructor for the clients of Michiana Resources, at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana
1982-2004 Co-owner and designer for Izwin Inc., Producing handmade whimsical earthenware products for the home

education

2008 Transition to Teach Program, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana
2005 Master Practitioner of Neurolinguistic Programming, SCS Matters, LLC Holistic Alliance, St. Joseph, Michigan
1981 Master of Fine Art, Ceramics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
1979 Bachelor of Arts, Art and Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
Magic Bringer