© 2015

"I find these recent pieces incredibly compelling, with an expressive quality that draws a person into contemplating their own personal spaces. I think our viewers will appreciate James' willingness to share his life experience at such a deep level."
- Carolyn Ducey, IQM curator of collections

Born and raised in southeastern New England, Michael James studied painting and printmaking, earning a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth in 1971 and a master of fine arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1973. For 25 years, he worked independently as the creative principal of Michael James Studio Quilts, exhibiting his work widely in the United States and abroad.

In June 2015, Ambiguity & Enigma: Recent Quilts by Michael James opened at the International Quilt Museum. The exhibition marked the artist’s first solo exhibition at Quilt House while also displaying the conceptual, expressive and technical skills he has developed in his more than 40-year career. This latest body of work includes some of his most poetic and personal pieces to date.

L. Kent Wolgamott of the Lincoln Journal Star called Ambiguity & Enigma the artist's “(B)est, most powerful exhibition this writer has seen either in person or digital reproduction.”

Elegy (flatland), which appears in this exhibition, was recently acquired by IQM and will become part of the museum’s permanent collection.