The Narrative Tapestries of June Wayne:
Tidal Waves, DNA, and the Cosmos
Returning to Paris after transferring Tamarind Lithography Workshop to the University of New Mexico in 1970, Wayne renewed her friendship with Madeleine Jarry (1917-1982) the Inspecteur principale du Mobilier National des Gobelins et de Beauvais, an institution with roots in French art tradition dating to the 15th century, supported by Colbert and Louis XIV during their time.
When Jarry suggested that Wayne experiment with the tapestry medium, Wayne recognized its sensuous and tactile nature, and was moved by the possibilities of its large scale. Several of Wayne’s lithographs formed the basis of the twelve tapestries which Wayne created in collaboration with the master weavers of France between 1970 and 1974.
These tapestries were exhibited in a solo exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago as arranged by James Cuno and curated by Christa C. Mayer Thurman in 2010, a year before Wayne's death.
