ARTIST STATEMENT

Andrea Tsang Jackson is a Canadian-born textile artist of Chinese descent based in Kjipuktuk / Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her work takes the traditional craft medium of quilting and applies it to a contemporary context, often using bright hues and bold graphics. She abstracts intentionally accessible imagery, inviting points of connection from the viewer to spark discussion and inquiry. Clean and crisp, vibrant but not loud, Andrea’s work uses solid-coloured commercial fabrics, found textiles, hand-dyed and painted fabrics, and more recently Tyvek. Andrea’s work often celebrates community and collaboration, and explores ideas of home and belonging. The rich history of quilting also heavily influences her practice; she sees it as an extension of community across time.

Andrea strives to push the limits of the quilting medium — and other textile media — by exploring scale and dimension and moving traditionally domestic objects into the public realm. Through her public art in recent years, Andrea’s work has explored the translation of textiles into other media – drawing, architectural mesh, and acrylic carving. This act of translation continually poses questions of what textiles mean to us as communities and how textile work exists outside the home. The boundaries around folk art, fine craft and fine art are a continual source of enquiry in her practice as she operates within all of these areas.

BIO

Andrea Tsang Jackson is a textile artist and quilt designer. After working in various design fields and settings ranging from architecture to museums, the quilting medium called to her as a way to explore place, belonging, and agency. She holds a Master of Architecture from McGill University and a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work has been published in Flare, Design Milk Everyday, Uppercase, and various quilting publications. Andrea’s first book, Patchwork Lab: Gemology, was published by Lucky Spool in 2019 and her newest book, Quilting: A Modern Creative Journey through an Age-Old Craft, published with Nine Ten Publications, explores aspects of creative practice specifically for quilt makers. She has worked on multiple public art projects in Halifax and Ottawa. Her quilting work is also held in private and public collections in Canada and the USA.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Andrea has called Nova Scotia home for over a decade. She lives in Kjipuktuk / Halifax with her husband and two sons.

For commissions and inquiries, contact Andrea at hello@3rdstoryworkshop.com.