Artist Statement/ Biography

McQuarrie believes that ancient methods of textile making provide an innovative means of interpreting and responding to contemporary life. Through tapestry she reacts to the everyday - the medieval language of warp and weft her vocabulary, providing an antithesis to our fast-paced consumerist society and a platform for historical recovery. She is attracted to weaving for its slow and methodical nature, its prominence in Scottish culture and connection to storytelling. Weaving demands a change of pace and space for reflection. Historically, it is a medium that spans cultures, invites social gathering, collaboration, and conversation. Incorporating found objects and unconventional materials, her work breaks the traditional assumption that cloth is purely a domestic medium but that it can be architectural, dynamic, poetic, and sensitive.

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Erin McQuarrie (b.1993) is a Brooklyn based Scottish textile artist. She completed her MFA in Textiles at Parsons School of Design in 2021 and her BFA at The Glasgow School of Art, Scotland in 2018. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including Jane Lombard Gallery, Mana Contemporary, The Royal Scottish Academy, Urban Zen Foundation, New York Textile Month and New York Public Library. McQuarrie was awarded a UK/US Fulbright Scholarship (2019/20), Carnegie Trust - St. Andrew’s Society of The State of NY Scholarship (19/20), The Dorothy Waxman International Textile Prize – Special Mention (2021), ArtsThread x Gucci, Global Graduate Showcase Finalist – Weave (2021), NYFA Public Engagement Grant (2021) and the Lenore G. Tawney Scholarship at Peters Valley School of Craft (2021).