#edrossbach

Ed Rossbach Mickey Mouse Coil Basket, 1975 Synthetic raffia, seagrass Coiling with imbrication

Ed Rossbach Lost Japan Splint, bark, rags, paint, heat transfer 5.75 x 8.5 x 5.75 inches Photo credit Bob Hawks

Ed Rossbach, an American fiber artist from Chicago, is thought to be one of the most influential artists during the crossover of textiles from functional to modern art. After receiving his third college degree, an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield, Michigan in ceramics and weaving, Rossback launched his career. In the early 1950s, he found his way to a teaching job at the Universtiy of California, Berkeley. It was here that he began to experiment with nontraditional methods and materials, including newspapers and plastics. For the next 20 years, this is where he molded fresh minds of generations of future artists. 

In 1950 Rossbach married fellow artist and textile designer Katherine Westphal. He showed his work in notable institutions such as the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.