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Born in 1974, Jen Swearington grew up in a small Indiana town, but has been based in Asheville, N.C., since 2000, where she resides with her husband and two cats. She earned a B.F.A. in sculpture from Pratt Institute in 1997, an M.F.A. in fibers from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2000, and went on to become an artist-in-residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Her mixed-media paintings and quilts have been featured in Fiberarts magazine and Surface Design Journal, and her piece, “Season of the Shark” toured America in the prestigious Quilt National 2005 exhibition. Swearington recycles her imagery onto Jennythreads, her line of handmade, hand-dyed silk wonders to wear, which are available in galleries throughout the United States. rnNow in her third semester, she is adjunct professor in the Arts and Ideas Program at UNC-Asheville, and periodically travels to teach mixed media and fibers workshops nationwide. She returned to SCAD as a visiting professor in the fibers department for Summer 2006. She can be found in her studio in Asheville’s River Arts District during the summer and fall Studio Strolls.rn"My days making art turn the ordinary passing of the hours to a thrill ride of the everyday I pay attention to the chaos of the world heard on radio news, how hot tea makes my forehead feel tingly, and the way a shadow traced in the window is frozen. While the shadow itself is forever changed; the simple observation reminds me to be alive and aware. I sift through visual information such as my own figure and hands, my family and pets, carnival rides, roadside kitsch, the industrial landscape outside my studio, and old photos of friends and places long lost. I layer them together on a composition of worn bed sheets and pillowcases, the most intimate linens in the house; tucked in, a personal history unfolds."
