Deeply anchored in experimentation and rich in history, the work of textile artist Joanna Rogers makes a strong commentary on the beauty and frailty of our planet. From her studio on Pender Island, British Columbia, Joanna employs traditional surface design techniques such as hand dyeing, shibori, and hand weaving to express the deep connection between language, human beings, and our environment.
Born in the south of England, Joanna learned knitting and embroidery at an early age, but it wasn’t until she enrolled in the Textile Arts program at Capilano College in North Vancouver, (having already studied anthropology at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario) that she discovered her passion for textiles. In a way, it’s easy to find a correlation between her work and anthropology, especially given the important—yet often overlooked—role that textiles, clothing, and ornamentation have played in history. “I think that my background in anthropology really goes hand in hand with my textile work in so many ways,” notes Joanna. “I think if you study anthropology, it opens your mind.”
