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JAWORSKA, Tamara Hans
- Born
- Arkhangelsk, Russia, 1926
- Died
- Toronto, Ontario, 2015
- Biography synopsis
- Prior to emigrating to Canada and settling in Toronto in 1969, Tamara Jaworska had already been recognised for her textile works in Poland, Russia and other European countries. After completing studies in painting and design at the Polish State Academy of Fine Art, obtaining a Master's degree from the Faculty of Design and Weaving, she was hired to teach at the school. She was awarded the Gold Medal at the Triennial of Milan (1957), and the Gold Medal by the Accademia Italia delle Arti e del Lavoro. The French Gobelin technique deployed in her tapestries represented both figurative and abstract landscapes. Jaworska also used a wide range of materials including wool, silk, sisal, horse hair, gold thread, and feathers among others. Soon after arriving in Toronto, she had a solo exhibition at the Merton Gallery in 1970. In 1974 she received a first commission for a large tapestry entitled "Unity" which was integrated in the architecture of Place Bell Canada in Ottawa. Another monumental work "Quartet Modern" was comprised of four large panels, and was installed at the Bank of Montreal Tower in Toronto. From 1980-1990 Jaworska conducted seminars for post-graduate students in the Faculty of Design and Fibre Art at the Ontario College of Art. She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts In 1994, received the Governor General’s commemorative medal, was elected to the Order of Canada (1994) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Canadian art. Additionally she was granted the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee medal. She is the only North American fiber artist represented by the renowned Galerie Inard at the Centre National de la Tapisserie d'Aubusson in Paris (1991), a gallery representing well-known artists including Calder, Dali, Cocteau, Kandinsky, and Sonia Delauney. Her work can be found in the Pushkin National Museum in Moscow, the National Museum in Warsaw, the National Museum of Textile Arts in Lodz, and the Scottish Art Institute in Galashields.
- Media used
- Tapestry
- Textiles
- Memberships
- Ontario Society of Artists
- Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
- File & Archive locations
- Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
- Artexte Information Centre, QC - Documentation Centre
- Edmonton Art Gallery, AB - Library
- Hamilton Public Library, ON - Local History and Archives Department
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts / Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, QC
- National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
- University of British Columbia - Fine Arts Library
- University of Calgary Library, AB
- Vancouver Art Gallery, BC - Library
- Winnipeg Art Gallery, MA - Clara Lander Library
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
Writings about- "Brazilian Brilliance and Poland Subtlety." The Glasgow Herald 22 Feb. 1968: 5
- "Renaissance Woman" Ontario Craft 201, Spring 1995: 4
- "Tamara Jaworska" Canadian Artists of Eastern European Origin Montreal: Department of Art History, Concordia University, 1998
http://art-history.concordia.ca/eea/artists/jaworska.html - “Tamara Jaworska.” Cambridge International Biographical Centre Cambridge: International Biographical Centre, 2001: 130
- Alfoldy, Sandra. The Allied Arts: Architecture and Craft in Postwar Canada Montreal, Quebec: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2012
- Chwojko-Srawley. Ewa. “Polish Footprint on Canadian Art.” Polish Review, vol. 63, no. 1, 2018, pp. 49–54. 63.1 (2018): 49-54
- Cowan, H.. "Fibre Art: A Canadian View." Artmagazine (Canada) 9.37 (1978): 52-56.
- Crawford, Gail. A Fine Line: Studio Crafts in Ontario from 1930 to the Present Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1998
- Duval, Paul.. Tamara Jaworska: Tapisseries. Paris: Centre culturel canadien, 1981., 1981
- Ferrier McKay, Susan. "Fibre Artist was a Cultural Treasure: Celebrated Weaver found a Safe Haven in Canada, which provided Themes and Images for some of Her Masterpieces." The Globe and Mail 23 2015: 1 The Globe and Mail 23 2015: 1 (2015: 1
- Kritzwiser, Kay. "Tapestry Impressions of Canada." The Globe and Mail 07 Oct 1972: 32.
- Kritzwiser, Kay. "Textiles Become Dramatic Sculptures." Globe and Mail 27 Oct. 1973: 30
- Miller, Maja. "The Weaver's Tale" Imperial Oil Review 76.405, Summer 1992: 24-27
- Parkin, Jeanne, William J.S. Boyle. Art in Architecture: Art for the Built Environment in the Province of Ontario. Toronto, Ontario: Visual Arts Ontario, 1982
- Santana, Hubert de. "Weaving Modern Visions into an Ancient Art Form" EnRoute Sept., 1961: 20-25, 125-131
- Sweet, Lois. ."She weaves Enduring Works of Art: Tamara Jaworska's Classic Tapestries have won her International Acclaim but little Recognition in her own Country.” Toronto Star 10 Jan 1986: F1
- Taszycka, Magdalena. "The Transcendent Tapestries of Tamara Jaworska." Ontario Craft (Winter 1982): 11-13.
- Vollmer, John E. "Tamara Jaworska: a pioneer in reviving contemporary techniques." Fiberarts 19.5 (1993)): 36.
- Vollmer, John E.. Tamara Jaworska. Tapestries-Tapisseries. Oakville, Ontario: Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and Mosaic Press, 1992
Writings by- Jaworska Tamara and Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.. Tamara Jaworska : Tapestries /Tapisseries. Toronto: Mosaic Press, 1992
- Jaworska, Tamara. Tamara: The Art of Weaving Peplin, Poland: Bernardinum, 2009
