Brooklyn-based fiber artist, Ella Murray, has been creating and exhibiting textile works for over 30 years. She studied Dressmaking and Textiles at the High School of Fashion, Fashion Design at the Traphagen School of Design, and Textile Design at Fashion Institute of Technology.

Ella has worked in the textile industry as a colorist, stylist, production weaver and a consultant for various companies, including Burlington Industries, Deerfield Textiles, Ria Herlinger Studios and Eastland Woolen Mills. Her duties included writing weave layouts and producing various hand-loom samples for construction, color and design.

This experience has translated into a diverse body of wearable, functional and decorative arts and crafts, which Ella has exhibited at The American Arts & Crafts Alliance, The Neptune Festival Art and Craft Show, Crafts on Columbus, The “African Ambiance” Craft Exposition, The New Muse Museum in Brooklyn, The Harlem Fine Arts Show, and many others. Ella received the first place prize in weaving at the Brooklyn Museum Fence Art Show. Her prized work has also been displayed in the Brooklyn Museum Community Art Gallery and The Motique Gallery.

A major component of Ella’s artistry, however, has been “giving back” to the community, with a focus on young people and the elderly. To this end, she founded and developed “Weaving Is Fun” – a series of workshops she has conducted throughout New York and California, at venues including the Park Slope Geriatric Center, California African-American Museum, Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreation Center, The LeRoy Neiman Art Center and The International Festival (NYC). Additionally, she has conducted textile workshops and weaving demonstrations for artists, crafters and the general public, at the

Contemporary Craft Museum in New York City and the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Ella has a prestigious private clientele who have collected her timeless pieces throughout the course of her career. Her work has been recognized by the New York Times and Essence Magazine, and she is a recognized weaver of The Smithsonian Institute, of which she has been a member since 1996. Ella Murray continues to creatively challenge the limits of textiles in her Brooklyn studio.

ellamurraydesigns@yahoo.com