Artist Info
ZAK FOSTER
Brooklyn, NY
TEXTILES | Quiltmaking
Penland Affiliation | Penland Winter Residency 2023, 2024
Artist Information | Studio artist and social-gatherer; exhibitions: Elephant Gallery (TN), The Costume Institute (NY), John C. Campbell Folk School (NC), Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum (WA), South Bend Museum of Art (IN), City of Dallas (TX), Saint Kate Gallery (WI), Barba Contemporary Art (CA), Seattle Pacific Art Center (WA), Soul Craft (Melbourne, AU), International Festival of Quilts (UK), International Quilt Museum (NE)
Artist Bio | Zak Foster is a community-taught artist whose work draws on Southern textile traditions and repurposed fabrics. Raised in rural North Carolina and now living in Brooklyn, NY, he practices an approach to design that is intuitive and improvisational. He is especially drawn to preserving the stories of quilts and specializes in memory quilts and burial quilts.
Artist Statement | When I first told my partner’s grandma, the first quilter I ever knew, that I was interested in learning how to quilt, she grabbed my arm, gave me a serious look, and said, “Buddy, you don’t know how much fun you’re gonna have.”
And it’s true, I’ve been having a blast ever since. I’ve been quilting since 2010 and it’s been life-changing. What interests me most about quilting is not only that intersection between art and utility, but also how quilts can be comfortable messengers for uncomfortable truths.
I make quilts and textile pieces from repurposed materials. My work is largely hand-sewn and I find that pace allows me to tap into the immediate history embodied in the fabric and helps hone my skills for reaching further back into history to do work like Southern White Amnesia.
My work both preserves and stretches traditional techniques. I love raw-edge applique. It has a nostalgic connection to the country-themed decor of my childhood and it also allows me to treat fabric in a more painterly way. I intentionally vary the length and density of my hand-stitches. I leave knots exposed. You can see where I start and stop. All of that shares the process, empowering others to make their own work.
