Artist Statement

I find much joy in the meditative repetition of sewing and am drawn to the textiles that constantly surround us throughout our lives. In an attempt to breathe new life into these materials, old clothes and blankets are deconstructed, cut up, and then intuitively sewn back together. Piece by piece I breed new modules, creatures and quilts intended to protect, to be touched and to create a sense of wonder. My forms are inspired by the natural world around us, hidden deep underwater and in plain sight, as well as by the realms of dreams and the imaginary and an undeniable childhood desire to cover the world in more eyeballs.

Artist Bio

Jennifer Strunge was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland where she still resides today. She received her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2004 majoring in Fiber.  Upon graduating, she began developing her Cotton Monster line of one-of-a-kind stuffed creatures made from recycled cloth with unique bulging handmade eyes and gap-toothed pocket mouths. Her work resides in homes all across the US and as far away as Singapore and New Zealand, as well as in the permenant collection of the newly built Johns Hopkins Children's Center.  She is an associate artist at Black Cherry Puppet Theater, a non-profit that performs puppet shows and conducts in-school residencies, exposing kids of all ages to the art of puppetry.  For the past ten years, she has also taught arts and crafts in an afterschool program at a Baltimore city Recreation Center.