Dawn M Ward
Artist's Statement
I have always collected things. Little objects, found along the way, sometimes broken or just curious; I have them scattered on windowsills, desktops and saved in boxes and bins. These objects have always been inspiring in one way or another and it is from those that my love for working in mixed media arose.
My current work combines the traditional fiber arts with contemporary concepts using repurposed fabrics, materials , found objects, along with handmade elements has presented an exciting new direction for my work.
I am sourcing most of my materials from thrift stores, yard sales and resale shops as a way to reuse materials and keep textiles out of the landfills. Vintage jewelry, small objects, wire frames and other elements are also used in some of the works as forms for design and hanging along with handmade elements such as felted objects and dyed fabrics.
About Dawn
Ward began her art career as a graphic designer and her first jobs were in advertising. She was an Art Director for an in-house agency in New York and began taking art classes at night at the School of Visual Arts on 23rd St. Those classes were the impetus to changing her career as she fell in love with fine art practices. She continued her art studies and received an MA & PhD from NYU.
She has been teaching and practicing art for the past 26 years at university and colleges around the country. She was one of 20 scholars selected for a Research Seminar Award – Living with Art in Renaissance and Baroque Europe, at the High Museum in Atlanta, Georgia in 2011.
Her work has been shown nationally in galleries most recently in exhibitions at the Fiber Arts Alliance in Atlanta, Georgia and other regional shows. Her artwork was published in several exhibition catalogs, the Cave Region Review in 2018, 2024 & 2025. She has pieces in the permanent collection of the MESA in Eureka Springs as well as several private collections around the country
