Renée Roeder Early

media release: The Textile Arts Center of Madison (TAC) is pleased to announce the opening of 100 Knittings, an exhibition of knit paintings by Renée Roeder Earley. The exhibition will be on view at TAC, located at 2436 Pennsylvania Ave. in Madison, from March 14 through May 17, 2025. (Public hours listed below.)

About the Exhibition

100 Knittings is a collection of recent works by Madison artist Renée Roeder Earley (1959-2025). Each knit piece began with exactly 100 stitches; ultimately, the stitches among the collection total over a million.

These knit “paintings”—as Roeder Earley called them—celebrate the mesmerizing interactions of color and the simple beauty of the stitch. Challenging preconceived notions about fine art and craft, the works bridge the gap between fiber work and painting.

100 Knittings runs concurrently with Quantum Color, an exhibition of fiber artworks by Thomas Romero. 

This Friday, May 16 from 5-9pm is Spring Gallery Night! And, the event is doubling as a farewell party to TAC’s first home! This is the closing weekend of the current exhibitions.

Thomas Romero will be at TAC with his partners from Hansen Screen Printing and their bicycle-powered screen printing setup. Bring a T-shirt or tote from home to print, or buy one Friday at TAC.

DJ Spincycle will be spinning some chill, ready-for-summer tunes.

TAC’s public hours for viewing the exhibition are Thursdays from noon-4pm and Saturdays from 10am-2pm, March 14 through April 17, 2025. Please see TAC’s website for more information.

Artist Statement

“I call these pieces Knittings. As in paintings, weavings, or wall hangings. Knitting doesn’t have to be a scarf, a sweater, or a sock. It can simply be. It was a revelation to discover that I could knit paintings, and in doing so, embrace the very thing I love most about knitting—the play of color. I find immense joy in the magical transitions of hues, from light to dark, vivid to pale, contrast to complement—endless explorations and possibilities. What happens when two colors blend and then dissipate? Some colors transform entirely when paired with others, like in a color study or optical illusion. Sometimes the knitting is planned, sometimes it is entirely unplanned, but I am always experimenting, always exploring. Though my pieces may appear meditative, that sense of calm conceals the excitement I feel as I knit along, waiting in anticipation for the right moment to change color. Be patient, I remind myself.

While the sizes of my pieces vary, each one begins the same way. The needle gauge ranges from 0 to 000000, and the cotton thread shifts according to the needle gauge. But every Knitting starts with 100 stitches...I have been both a fiber artist and a painter my entire life, studying and practicing both arts interchangeably. In this new body of work, I feel my Knittings embody a true fusion of both disciplines, with color at the heart of it all. Although knitting has often been dismissed as mere craft—tied to domesticity and women’s work—I believe that my Knittings hold the same value as the oil paintings that I created earlier in my career. The only difference is the medium: thread rather than paint.”

About the Artist

Renée Roeder Earley (1959-2025) was a painter and fiber artist, originally from Appleton, Wisconsin. She studied painting at Viterbo University in LaCrosse and at the New York Studio School in New York City.

Roeder Earley traveled widely and lived abroad before relocating to Madison in 1990 where she became a staple of the art fair scene in the Midwest. She was well known for her beautiful hand-sewn hats made under the label Hats O Fancy.

An active participant in the local arts community, Roeder Earley designed costumes for the UW Madison Dance Department, Cycropia Dance, and the Children’s Theater of Madison, and collaborated on projects for over 25 years at the Madison Children’s Museum. She was involved in art fair organizing and has been featured in many exhibitions at local galleries. Since retiring from hat making last year, Roeder Earley concentrated on hand drawn animated short films and her Knittings, which have gradually become more complex.

Roeder Earley’s work has been featured at the Chazen Museum of Art, Kohler Art Center, SOFA Chicago, Fanny Garver Gallery, the CityArts Space in Madison, Katie Gingrass Gallery in Milwaukee, Smithsonian Craft Show 2015 and 2016, the American Craft Exhibition in Chicago and countless art fairs and galleries across the United States for more than three decades. Her Knittings will also be exhibited this spring at the Smithsonian Craft Show 2025 in Washington, D.C.

About the Textile Arts Center of Madison

The Textile Arts Center of Madison (TAC) is a hub for the fiber arts community,offering classes and workshops, exhibitions and events, and access to supplies for makers and enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds. The nonprofit organization was founded in 2023 with a vision for a community in which creative expression through textile and fiber arts is celebrated, supported, and accessible to all. Through its programming, TAC celebrates the rich traditions and cultures of fiber craft and seeks to reflect the diversity of fiber art makers. Visit textileartsmadison.org to learn more.