Rachel Starr Suntop
PO Box 725
Urbana, IL 61803-0725
Education
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
MA in Textiles, Clothing and Design, 2002
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
BFA with High Honors in Ceramics, 2000
Honors
Artist-in-Residence at Hafnarborg Institute of Culture and Fine Art,
Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, May-June 2005.
Artist-in-Residence at Red Cinder Creativity Center, Na'ahelu, Hawaii.
Two Week residency, January 2004
Fellowship, Textiles Department, University of Nebraska, 2001-2002
Exhibitions
"Small Expressions," Robert Hillestad Gallery at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, May-September 2007
"Good Bird/Bad Bird," Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Portland, Oregon, November 2005
"Constants and Variables," Member's Challenge: Textile Installation,
International Surface Design Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, June 2005.
"Hats 2004," TLD Design Center and Gallery, Westmont, Illinois, November 2004.
Image used for exhibition announcement.
"Promise Land," Multi-media performance at Athenium Theatre, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois, October 2004.
"Her Mark," Womanmade Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, October 2004.
"Art to Wear 2004," Cambridge Artists Cooperative, Cambridge, Massachusetts, September 2004.
"Crowning Glory," Ethnographic hats, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois, March 2004.
"Reflect," three person show, Springer Cultural Center, Champaign, Illinois, December 2003.
"Hats 2003," TLD Design Center and Gallery, Westmont, Illinois, November 2003.
Image used for exhibition announcement.
"Artwear in Motion 2003," Textile Center of Minnesota, Runway Show,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 2003.
"Up Close and Far Away," Member's Competition: Textile Installation,
International Surface Design Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, June 2003.
"Making Waves Breaking Waves," Fashion show and exhibit at Convergence,
Vancouver, British Columbia, August 2002.
"Ebb and Flow," Felt exhibition at Convergence, Vancouver, British Colombia, August 2002.
Public Collections
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC.
4 headdresses
Hafnarborg Cultural Center, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland.
Resident artist collection
Published Work
"Miao Children's Clothing," Textile Society of America, Spring 2007 newsletter.
"Her Mark," Color image in calendar, Womanmade Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, 2005.
Fiberarts Design Book 7, Lark Books, 2004
Two works reproduced in color and one detail, pages 82 and 163.
"Exposure," Surface Design Journal, Summer 2003, color photograph, page 57.
"Suntop Weaves Millinery Magic: Alumni Profile,"
Cyphers, A. Nebraska Magazine, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Volume 99, No 2, Summer 2003, page 57. Review and one color photograph.
Presentations
Felting demonstrations at "Mongolia 800" Festival, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, October 5-7, 2006.
Lecture, "Cool Light: an Icelandic Voyage," Textile Museum, Washington, DC, January 12, 2006.
Lecture, "Fyrirlestur I Hafnarborg: Rachel Starr Suntop," Hafnarborg Cultural Center, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, June 15, 2005.
Lecture, University of the Arts Textile Program, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 5, 2005.
Exhibition Reviews
"Top This: Hats by Rachel Suntop,"Southlynn, J,
The Paper: Champaign-Urbana's News and Entertainment Weekly,
June 6, 2003, Review and 11 color photographs, including one on the front page.
"Drawing the Line," Wolgamott, LK, Lincoln Journal Star, Art Section,
Workshops Attended
University of British Colombia, Vancouver, BC, Summer 2002
Color Theory in Feltmaking: Patricia Spark
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine
Sculptural Papermaking: Jeanne Jaffe, Summer 2002
Beadwork: Sonya Clark, Summer 2003
Fiber and Mixed Media: Ann Rast and Lisa Hart, Summer 2003
Peter's Valley, Layton, New Jersey, Summer 2001
Shibori Workshop: Joan Morris
Penland School, Penland, North Carolina
Spinning/Color/Knitting: Deb Menz, Summer 2006
Cumulative Cloth: Vita Plume, Summer 2004
Sculptural Papermaking: Virginia Tyler, Summer 2001
Feltmaking class: Jean Hicks, Summer 1999
4 Fibers classes: Renie Adams, Christine Zoller,
Nick Cave, Gina D'Ambrosio, Summer 1998
Ceramics class: Steve Rucker, Summer 1998
Ceramics class: Sana Musasama, Summer 1997
Work Experience
Freelance Designer 1999- currently
Producing wearables for outlets in Reykjavik, Iceland; New York City; Portland, Oregon; Seward, Alaska; Madison, Wisconsin; Peter's Valley Crafts Gallery, New Jersey; Austin and Dallas, Texas; Chicago and Champaign, Illinois.
The Magic Needle, custom tailoring, Urbana, IL, January 2007-currently
Internship,Textile Museum, Washington D.C. ,Eastern Hemisphere Collections, October 2005-January 2006.
Assistant for Fibers/Mixed Media workshop with Ann Rast and Lisa Hart, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine, Summer 2003.
Assistantship at University of Nebraska, Spring 2001-Fall 2002
Research and assisting classes.
Professional Memberships
Illinois Artisans Program (juried)
Work sold in Illinois Artisans shops throughout the state of Illinois.
Surface Design Association
Attended International Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, May 2000.
Handweaver's Guild of America, Inc.
Attended "Convergence," Vancouver, British Colombia, August 2002.
