Tilleke Schwarz studied art and textile design at the AKI Academy for Visual Arts and Design in Enschede from 1965 – 67 and later went onto study at the Free Academy for Modern Art in the Hague from 1985 – 90.
Schwarz collectively refers to her works as “Maps of Modern Life” and in these maps she includes anything that “moves, amazes or intrigues her”.  As well as contemporary culture, she has an interest in traditional cross stitch patterns and techniques and often incorporates these into her work which add to the rich blend of narrative possibilities presented to the viewer.  Schwarz had a recent solo exhibition at the Ruthin Craft Centre in north Wales in 2010 and will be presenting new work at the Kaunas Textile Biennial in Lithuania later in 2011.
 
Selected Exhibitions
2011
Stroud International Textiles Festival 2011
Fiberart International (USA), Memorial Art Gallery of Rochester, New York
Summer Exhibition (anonymous selection), Municipal Museum, The Hague, Netherlands
2010
‘Monumental’ Bornem, Belgium
‘Connected & Collected’ at  Kunstpodium – T ,
‘Tilleke Schwarz’ Ruthin Craft Centre, Wales
‘Beware of Embroidery’ PM Gallery, Ealing, London
2009
‘Art of the Stitch’  at the Knitting and Stitching show, UK
‘Een fraai gezicht’ embroidery and drawings, Gallery Help u zelven
Winterswijk, Netherlands
‘Art in action’ Waterperry House, Wheatley near Oxford, UK
’62 group’ The Hub, Sleaford UK
‘Pour l’Amour du Fil’, Palais des Congrès  Nantes (solo)
2007/2008
From Lausanne to Beijing-2008, International Fiber Art Biennale Exhibition,  Beijing, China
‘Pricked: Extreme Embroidery’ New York USA, museum of Arts & Design,
Selected Awards and Residencies
2011
International Crafts Residency, Cove Park, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
Summer Exhibition (anonymous selection) third prize
2008
Outstanding honour: ‘From Lausanne to Beijing’ exhibition, China
2002
Van Ommeren – De Voogt sponsor prize
1991
European Sponsor prize for modern embroidery design 1990