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K. Lee Manuel (1936 - November 5, 2003) was an American fiber artist and painter. (1) (2) She was an important figure in the field of wearable art, also known as “artwear” and “art-to-wear.”(3) She is best known for her hand-painted feather collars and hand-painted clothing and accessories, including kimonos. Her bold graphic and contemporary designs include geometric, abstract, nature, figurative motifs that evoke archetypal stories and dreamlike qualities. She was a member of the Bay Area artist collective, Group Nine. (4) Her work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries in the United States and abroad. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the De Young Museum in San Francisco, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and at the Smithsonian Museum of Art.

Born in Loma Linda, California. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles and received her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She lived and worked in the Santa Cruz, California.

While attending the San Francisco Art Institute in the 1950s she was significantly influenced by a field trip to a local museum in which the students were shown works of art that were not on display and still in storage areas. She realized it was important to create art that could always be seen and not be put on view on rare occasions. It set the course for her artistic career to produce art that could be seen and worn, such as clothing and accessories.

(1)	Craft in America http://www.craftinamerica.org/artists/k-lee-manuel/ website (2)	In Memoriam K. Lee Manuel. Ornament journal (3)	Beyond Bling book (4)	K. Lee Manuel’s splendid ceremonial raiments. Ornament journal

Life and Education

Work

Exhibitions

Awards

References