Meet Amy Ahlstrom | Textile Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Ahlstrom and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in Waukegan, Illinois, a working-class suburb of Chicago. My mom sewed and my grandmother quilted, and there were several artists on my dad’s side of the family, so it wasn’t a surprise when I started sewing and drawing concurrently at the age of five. I spent most of my time as a kid creating; drawing comics, making dioramas, sewing, writing, and reading a lot of science fiction at the library. Although Waukegan wasn’t rich in the conventional sense, it was rich in terms of racial and cultural diversity and (during the 70’s and 80’s at least) in unique, experimental public schools; a new magnet school opened in 1980 and I was fortunate to attend from 4th-6th grade. I briefly met famed Sci-Fi author Ray Bradbury when I was 11; a few years later, he wrote the forward for an art and literary magazine my friends and I founded in high school, a new, small school-within-a-school called the International Studies Program. Looking back, I’m grateful for these educational opportunities that prioritized creative expression and critical thinking, both of which are foundational to my art practice. Later on, when I graduated from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago with my MFA, it was especially meaningful because my uncle (a painter) previously earned his MFA there. My family and hometown definitely inspired and encouraged me as an artist.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I make modern quilted art with cotton and silk. For many years, I designed quilts based on street photography, creating digital compositions and patterns that I employed to make hand-cut fabric images. These images would be fused onto a background, quilted, and stretched over a rectangular canvas. Recently, I’ve changed my design process, working in an improvisational way directly with the material. I start with circles and squares that I cut up and reassemble to form curvy, unusually shaped backgrounds. Next, I create a composition of hand-cut fabric images that I fuse to the surface. Finally, I add a layer of batting and a backing fabric, and I quilt the piece using a technique known as hand-guided machine quilting; I move the fabric under the needle to create intricate patterns. I’m really excited to embark on this new way of working; while I still love my earlier quilts, I found that after nearly 20 years of working in the same way, it was time to reinvent myself artistically. I’m proud of taking that leap, and while my work thematically has also evolved over the years, I’m still focused on telling a story with textiles. Initially, that story was about creating portraits of neighborhoods, then portraits of people. Over the last five years, the story became more personal; I made a series about my mental health challenges with anxiety and depression. In the summer of 2021, this body of work became a solo show entitled “All Or Nothing”. My new series has a broader scope, focusing on our collective environment; personal, political, and as it relates to climate change and weather. Specifically, these quilts visualize my internal mental state as a type of weather in relationship with external ‘weather’; the political and physical climates we live within. Visual symbols of weather, such as clouds and drips, are combined with directionless arrows, upside-down images and a vibrant color palette against backgrounds of irregular shapes to create a sense of confusion and disruption. Although we are really always changing, we are currently hyper-aware of living in an era of extreme change. And yet, as the legendary science fiction writer Octavia Butler wrote, “The only lasting truth is Change.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m still pretty new to LA (currently, I travel back and forth from my studio in San Francisco and my studio in LA), so I’ve only just started to get to know the city. Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time near downtown. I’m very big on great food and great patios, and fortunately LA has plenty of both! I’d definitely take my friend to Arroz & Fun in Lincoln Heights for one of their delicious Bolo Bao sandwiches, and to Pine & Crane DTLA for a huge bowl of Dan Dan noodles. For dinner, we’d get some fantastic pizza at De La Nonna in the Arts District. There are so many wonderful places to see art in LA, but if I was taking a friend out, I’d want them to be able to visit several different galleries in one place, so we’d probably go to the Bendix building (Track 16 is a favorite stop) and to 1700 S. Santa Fe Ave to visit Patricia Sweetow Gallery and Nicodim. We’d also spend a day at The Broad Museum and The Last Bookstore, and indulge in the touristy fun of snacking at the Grand Central Market and riding the Angels Flight. I typically mix my own drink concoctions for myself and my friends, but if I was feeling fancy I’d take my friend to Wolf & Crane or Father’s Office for a whisky cocktail. We would definitely catch a show at Dynasty Typewriter, my favorite place to see live stand-up and improv comedy.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many people that come to mind, both past and present, but my shoutout goes to my ride-or-die, self-described “art roadie”; my husband Brian. He’s been by my side for the last twelve years, supporting me in so many ways. And although he’s not an artist in the traditional sense, he’s got an engineer’s brain and a talent for composing and playing music. I value and appreciate his opinion and perspective. I find that engineers (software or otherwise) and artists make great partners; we share an obsession with process and construction, and the intricacies of making.

Website: http://www.amyahlstrom.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_ahlstrom

Image Credits
Amy Ahlstrom

Dana Davis