Cooper Hewitt says...
Schira received her BFA from RISD, studied at L’Ecole d’Art Decoratif in France, and later got her MFA from the University of Kansas. She traveled around the world, including India, Japan, Virgin Islands and Europe. Schira became interested in Peruvian textiles because the techniques used were nothing like European traditions. In the 1960’s and 1970’s she began experimenting with ikat dyed warp designs, then with weaving strips of aluminum through her works, combining them with fiber warp. In 1973, she began experimenting again, this time using rayon ribbon and pre-dyed tapes. Although she incorporates all these materials, she is still true to the traditional technique of flat tapestry hanging. In 1983 she had her first solo exhibition of textiles in New York at the Hadler Rodriguez Gallery. Schira was an early proponent of computer based weaving programs and many of her later works reference digital information. She taught as professor of design at the University of Kansas. Several major public collections own her large-scale tapestries. In 2000 she was awarded a Gold Medal from the College of Fellows of the American Craft Council. She resides in Westport, New York and continues to create work.
