Xia Gao

Xia Gao received her B.A. and M.S in Fashion Design from Donghua University (former China Textile University) and her MFA in Textile Design and Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gao is a visual artist and designer who primarily works with fibers/textiles for 2D, 3D and installation expressions. Her works often address personal, cultural, and societal adaptation and transformation.Currently, Gao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Michigan State University. Before joining MSU, she was faculty member of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Donghua University in Shanghai, China. Gao has also guest lectured and presented at diverse academic and conference venues.She has exhibited widely in numerous juried group shows and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. Her works have been included in the influential Fibers/Textile Art venues, like “Everyone to the Table-Miniartextil 2015” at Arte&Arte in Como, Italy; “Love Lace” international competition and exhibition at Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia; “Triennal OFF” –7th International Triennial of Contemporary Textile Arts of Tournai, at Arrêt 59 in Belgium; “6th World Textile Art Biennial-Air” at Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City and The institute of Fine Arts in Xalapa, MEXICO; “From Lausanne to Beijing” – the 6th International Fiber Art Biennale Exhibition at Henan Art Museum in Zhengzhou, China, and many other national mixed-media art venues, such as Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Visual Art Center at the University of Texas-Austin, and N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art in Detroit. She is the recipient of several nationally/internationally juried exhibition awards. Her artwork is included in the book “Exploring Fiber Art” and periodicals as well including Fiber Art Now, Surface Design Journal, and Textile Forum.Gao’s work has been supported by competitive fellowships and awards from foundations and universities including the Pritzker Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, ARNA Artist Residency (Sweden), Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Michigan State University.