I’m Heather K. Powers, a textile designer, artist, organizer, and appraiser.
A passion for interiors and textiles led me to study fiber arts as an undergrad at SCAD, where I fell in love with weaving. Weaving requires both planning and spontaneity; balancing them has become a metaphor for life.
My analytical and intuitive process gives me a unique, balanced approach to design, organization, and the research and writing required for appraisals.
I began my career as the textile industry in the USA rapidly disappeared due to NAFTA. I raced to learn as much as possible before that knowledge and those skills disappeared. My career began at one of the oldest weaving mills in the US, Churchill Weavers. They hired me to set up new loom technology and transition their historic mill’s designs. There, I learned the fundamentals of woven production design with historical relevance, applying my understanding of the technology, products, and the people I designed for. This head, heart, and hands approach has informed my philosophy and creative practice from the beginning. It wasn’t until many years later, while pursuing my MA, that I learned more about this framework as it applies to education and leadership.
I quickly evolved from woven textile design to woven carpets, which appealed to me more than designing for mass-market consumer products. While at Tai Ping Carpets, I collaborated with global interior designers and architects on a wide range of hotel and commercial projects.
My design career gave me opportunities to work within and travel to mills, trade shows, and showrooms domestically and worldwide to observe how rugs, carpets, and textiles are made. This profoundly shaped my understanding of the skills required to develop beautiful, effective, and impactful hand-crafted objects. I share my background because it still informs my work and has given me a solid foundation in design and fine craft.
Extending this practice, I received my MA in Critical and Historical Craft from Warren Wilson College, where I examined the places (studios) and representations (photographic media) of craftspeople through my own embodied understanding of making objects. My creative practice includes weaving, printmaking, mixed media, and natural dyeing.
I am available for custom commissions and regularly show work. My creativity intersects social practice where I enjoy making, teaching, and designing textiles in community. Below are some samples of my carpet designs and fabrics.
