Bringing Art to the People

Dr. Carol Ikard ’16, Doctor of Education, takes art off the walls and brings it to the people. In 2009, she founded the Texas Museum of Fiber Arts (TMFA), a unique institution that fosters education and creativity in fiber art expression, experience, and appreciation. The TMFA exhibits works by Texas artists who use natural and synthetic fibers, but what makes it truly distinctive is that it’s a museum without walls. Instead of a traditional brick-and-mortar location, Ikard and the TMFA take educational activities and art exhibits to locations where people work and live. Over the years, exhibits have been placed in high-traffic areas, from the Texas Capitol to the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. As a next step, Ikard is continuing the research she did for her doctoral thesis and looking at ways to extend the visual arts through technology.