Although my work continually alternates between two art forms, quilt making and sculpture, I use similar methods of stacking, layering and repetition in both in order to evoke the element of time and suggest a sense of protection and strength. In many instances the layering is metaphorical, part of a process where the overlay of patterns and personal stories creates the final piece.

Favorite motifs include the house form and the spiral. Along with the many examples of spirals in nature such as seashells, air currents and the double helix of DNA, there are psychological connotations of growth and development, of natural progression and enlargement that are appropriate and delightful associations when I view my work.

A series of embossed silk pieces, culminating in Family Tree, addresses that most intimate relationship of mother and daughter that is at the same time a shared journey and a process of individualization...parallel lives with differing perspectives.

I believe that the physical act of making art allows a conversation between the conscious self and the elusive unconscious, occasionally bringing to the artist a brilliant moment of clarity. For these moments, I continue to make objects.

Biography

Originally from Pennsylvania, Karin Lusnak worked as a Research Associate in genetics and molecular biology laboratories at the University of California in Berkeley from 1971 until 1998. She has pursued her interest in various textile art forms since 1976 when she enrolled at Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts. In 1994 she received her MFA in textiles from California College of Arts and Crafts, now CCA. She is one of fifty invited artists whose quilt appears in Women of Taste: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs / in association with Girls Incorporated. She is one of ten artists appearing in Charlotte Grossman’s documentary film, "Woman’s Work: Making Quilts – Creating Art".

Her quilt, L’Attitude Bleu, is one of two Opportunity Quilts that will be exhibited by East Bay Heritage Quilters to publicize Voices in Cloth, a quilt show at the Oakland Convention Center, April 10th & 11th, 2010.

Resume

Selected Solo and Small Group Exhibitions

L’Attitude Bleu is one of two Opportunity Quilts that will be exhibited by East Bay Heritage Quilters to publicize Voices in Cloth, a quilt show at the Oakland Convention Center, April 10th & 11th, 2010. For more information about the show and for Opportunity Quilt Tickets visit www.EBHQ.org.

5th Annual California Fiber Arts Exhibit.  July-August, 2009.  Santa Cruz Art League, Santa Cruz, CA.

I-4 Corridor: Stretching Threads Across Florida. International fiber exhibition presented in partnership with Studio Art Quilt Associates. June 1 - June 30, 2008. Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL.

Up in Stitches, work by SAQA members. March 8 - May 3, 2008. Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY.

“Spiraling Through Memories of Yesterday”. Solo Show. Nov 19, 2007 - Jan 11, 2008. The Stanford Faculty Club, Stanford, CA.

The Sky’s the Limit, Special Exhibition at the International Quilt Festival/Houston, Texas. Nov. 1- 4, 2007 and touring for the following year with Quilts, Inc. venues.

“Layer Upon Layer: Recent Work by George-Ann Bowers, Jane Burton and Karin Lusnak. May 12 -June 3, 2007. Gualala Arts Center, Gualala, CA.

Pacific Rim Sculptors Group Spring 2006 Exhibition. Juried by Michele Rowe Shields, visual art director at Villa Montalvo. June 8 - July 26, 2006. 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA.

California Art Quilts at the California Heritage Museum. April 28 - October 29, 2006. California Heritage Museum, Santa Monica, CA.

REVELations 2005: Contemporary Quilts and Fiber Art from Faultline Studio Artists. January 5 – April 1, 2005. Palo Alto Research Center, Palo Alto, CA.

Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts, state office building, San Francisco, CA. August 30 – December 6, 2004.

Faultline Studio Artists: Art Quilts and Fiber Art. June 11 – September 4, 2004. Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, CA.

Members’ Showcase Solo Exhibition. April 25 – June 5, 2004. Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA.

"El Arte De Coser Arte". Guest Curator, Jesus Eguiarte. February 23rd – March 30th, 2004. Ayuntamiento Cultural de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. Oct 23rd - Nov 23rd, 2003. Museo de America, Madrid, Spain.

Pacific Rim Sculptors Group Summer Exhibition. Juried by Bay Area art collector, Steven Oliver. June 11- July 25, 2003. 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA.

Eleven Women Making Art. Faultline Studio Artists. Aalto Gallery. Aug 6th -12th, 2002. Ashland, OR.

Pacific Rim Sculptors Group Fall Members Show. Juried by Karen Tsujimoto, Senior Curator, Oakland Museum of California. Sept 12 – Oct 30, 2002. 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA.

Faultline Studio Artists, "A Shared Vision", Contemporary Fiber Art. Nov, 2001 – Feb, 2002. California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA.

Pacific Rim Sculptors Group 2001 Members Exhibition. Juried by Rene de Guzman, Visual Arts Curator, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA. Sept 13 – Oct 23, 2001. 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA.

Pacific Rim Sculptors Group 6th Annual Members Exhibition. Juror: Ruth Braunstein. Sept 28 - Nov 10, 2000. 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA.

Quilts, Etc., Solo Exhibition. May, 2000, 2001. Sept, 2003. The Berkeley Travel Company, Berkeley, CA.

Pathways: Work by Karin Lusnak. January 15-February 12, 2000. Fifth Season Gallery, Tracy, CA.

The Art of Karin Lusnak and Sharon Pearson. Nov , 1996- Jan, 1997. The Music Annex, San Francisco, CA.

M/OTHER. MFA Exhibition. Solo show. Oct 26 -30, 1993. California College of Arts and Crafts, Door 3 Gallery, Oakland, CA.


Selected Group Exhibitions

Fiber, Quilts, Wearable and Sculptural Forms. April 10 – May 3, 2009. ACCI Gallery, Berkeley, CA

Variations on a Thread: Faultline Studio Artists. Aug 2 to Sept 2, 2008. Highland Art Center, 503 Main Street, Weaverville, CA.

Hot Fiber: New Work by California Fiber Artists. June 13 - July 8, 2008. The Artery, Davis, CA.

37th, 39th, 40th Annual Textile Exhibit. 2005, 2007, 2008. Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Fremont, CA.

Trinity County Arts Council Annual Quilt Show. October 7 - 31, 2006. Main Street Gallery, Weaverville, CA.

Art Quilts X: Xhilarating, Joy in the Making. November 4, 2005 - January 8, 2006. Chandler Center for the Arts. Chandler, Arizona.

The Fibers of Your Life- Textiles, Fibers and Extreme Quilts. October 18 - November 26, 2005. Grants Pass Museum of Art, Grants Pass, Oregon.

Juror and invited exhibitor. PIECE: Quilts and Sculptural & Wearable Forms in Fiber. Alameda Art Center, CA. September 2 - 29, 2005.

The Art of Fine Craft, Juried by Suzanne Baizerman, Imogene Gieling Curator of Decorative Arts and Fine Craft, Oakland Museum of CA. December 7 – 29, 2004. O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA.

All in the Family III. Juried: Rene di Rosa & Jack Rasmussen. Nov 24 – Dec 27, 2004. Off the Preserve, Napa, CA.

Extreme Quilts (National). November 2 - December 20. Grants Pass Museum of Art, Grants Pass, OR 97526.

The Art of Sewing Art. Nov 1 – 7, 2004. Special exhibit presented by 2004 International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas.

FIBER 2004: Quilts & Sculptural & Wearable Forms Featuring the Faultline Studio Artists. Nov5 - 24, 2004. Alameda Art Center, Alameda, CA.

INNOVATIONS IN FIBER ART II. Juried. Oct – Nov, 2004. Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA.

ProArts New Visions: Introductions 2004. Juried by Rene di Rosa & Jack Rasmussen. July 21 - August 29, 2004. ProArts Gallery, 550 Second Street, Oakland, CA

Wide Angle, Fine Focus. May 25- July 15, 2001. San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA.

Women of Taste: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs. (Invitational) An exhibition developed with Girls Incorporated of Alameda County and sponsored by Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Tour began in 1999. At Oakland Museum of California March 4- July 23, 2000.

Dwellings. (International juried) November 12, 1997- January 11, 1998. American Museum of Quilts and Textiles, San Jose, CA. (Reviewed: Art Quilt Magazine, Issue #9, p38).

Masquerade! Portraits in Hiding. Sept. 30- Nov. 6, 1994. Clymer Museum Gallery, Ellensburg, WA.

Threads: Small Scale Textiles. March 31- May 19, 1985. Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, CA.

Gold Country ' 83 Fine Arts Show. November 9-19, 1983. Auburn, CA.

Fiber. June 26- August 16, 1980. Civic Arts Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA.

Publications, Film

Studio Art Quilt Associates Portfolios 12 through 16 (Contributing Artist). 2005- 2009. Published by Studio Art Quilt Associates. Edited by Cheryl Dineen Ferrin.

"Woman's Work:Making Quilts~Creating Art" Ten Faultline Studio Artists appear in a documentary film produced by Charlotte Grossman. www.womansworkvideo.com

Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine, October 2003, Vo. 34, No. 8, pages 42, 43. (Contributing artist).

Noted in show review: Artweek, December 2000, Volume 31, Issue 12.

Women of Taste: A Collaboration Celebrating Quilt Artists and Chefs (Contributing artist). Edited by Jen Bilik. C&T Publishing, 1999.

The Fiber Arts Design Book (Contributing Artist). Published by Fiber Arts Magazine, 1980.


Collections

Alameda County Art Collection, Alameda County, CA.

Private collections.

Education

M.F.A.  Textiles 1994; California College of Arts and Crafts (now CCA); Oakland, California.
B.S.     Biology 1969; Northern Illinois University; De Kalb, Illinois.

Experience

2007- 2009
2nd Vice President, Programs Co-Chair, East Bay Heritage Quilters.

1999, 2001
Guest Artist, quilt construction, Mercy Retirement & Care Center, Oakland, CA.

2004 - 2006

2003 - 2005
Corresponding Secretary, East Bay Heritage Quilters.

2002
Guest Artist, Teachers’ Art Workshop Series. Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA. Story Quilt workshop presented to teachers of children in kindergarten to 6th grade.

2001, 2002
Community Liaison, Volunteer Scheduler, East Bay Heritage Quilters.

2000
Lecturer. New Pieces, Berkeley, CA. Two day workshop: Embossing Fabric.

1999
Quilt Preparator, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, Washington, D.C.

1998
Project Assistant for Women of Taste Quilt Collaboration, Girls Incorporated of Alameda County, San Leandro, CA.

1994, 1998
Guest Lecturer, Walnut Creek Civic Arts Education, Weaving Class.

1998
Guest Lecturer, Arrowsmith Academy, Berkeley, CA. Topic: Quilts, History and Influence on American Society.

1997
Teacher, Walnut Creek Civic Arts Education, Beginning and Intermediate Weaving Class. Topic: Painted warp.

1995
Teacher, Kensington After School Enrichment Program, Kensington, CA. Subject: sewing (story quilts). Arranged an exhibition of finished pieces at Café Crayon in Albany, CA.

1993, 1994
Guest Artist, quilt construction, Bay View Hunter's Point Adult Day Health Center, San Francisco, CA. Project funded by California Arts Council.

1970 - 1998
Staff Research AssociateDepartment of Environmental Science and Policy Management, Department of Genetics, Department of Plant Biology. University of California: Berkeley and Davis, California