collection of the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. and the McKissick Museum in Columbia, South Carolina.
During the pandemic, Lenz started stitching her "Found object" mandalas. It was her attempt to deal with a changing world and a way to adapt to virtual opportunities that replaced in-person exhibitions and events. For her, using multiples of seemingly mundane objects puts into perspective the abundance of life and the capacity to keep things as if for a “rainy day.” Paper clips, keys, bottle caps, buttons, nails, plastic spoons, and old clock parts are found in most homes. These and so many other, often vintage, items are repetitively hand-stitched into meditative patterns on sections of old quilts, bringing an extraordinary new life to otherwise everyday things. The series debuted at the 2021 Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and was later part of the Smithsonian Craft Show.
Susan is represented by the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina (www.grovewood.com).
Website: www.susanlenz.com
[Images used on front cover, page 2 and back cover: Susan Lenz Dingman, Mandala LVI]
Featured Artist:
Susan Lenz Dingman
Susan Lenz is an American daughter of German immigrants. She describes herself as a happy wife for just over forty years, businesswoman, custom picture framer, college graduate, blogger, and Ernie the Cat's "partner in crime," but most personally, she states, "I am an ARTIST."
Lenz stitches both by hand and machine but also indulges a passion for book art and unique, 3D-found art objects. Altering found photos is an obsession. Her work has appeared in national publications, numerous juried exhibitions, and at fine craft shows including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Smithsonian Craft Shows. She has also been featured on art quilting television programs and on South Carolina ETV's Palmetto Scene and her work can be found in the permanent