September Artist: Kate Themel

Kate Themel

September 1 – 30, 2026

Burnham Library is pleased to present an exhibition of work by award-winning Connecticut fiber artist Kate Themel from September 1 through September 30, 2026. The exhibition will showcase Themel’s distinctive quilted compositions, which combine the traditions of textile art with the principles and techniques of fine art.

Themel, who lives in Cheshire, Connecticut, earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art in 1992 and began working with fabric as an artistic medium in 1996. Drawing on her formal art training, she has developed a painterly style using fabric, thread, color, shape, and texture to create expressive fiber compositions.

Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums from Boston to Botswana and has been selected for prestigious international exhibitions, including Art Quilt Elements, the Kagoshima Quilt Show in Japan, and Quilt National. Her work has received both the People’s Choice Award and the Young Emerging Artist Award at Quilt National.

“I rely on my formal training when I’m evaluating a composition and deciding if it works or not,” Themel explains. “The elements of art are the same whether you use ink, paint, or fabric as the medium.”

For Themel, fabric provides an expansive creative palette. She uses textiles to explore value, color, and shape, while machine stitching introduces lines and texture. The layered and tactile nature of fiber art also allows her to explore its sculptural qualities.

In addition to her gallery and museum work, Themel has created custom fiber art for individuals, hospitals, and corporate clients.

The exhibition will be on display at Burnham Library throughout September. Visitors are invited to stop in during regular library hours to experience Themel’s unique approach to contemporary fiber art.