DVAA Member since 2024

Linda Ruggiero

WEBsite: linktr.ee/knottynursern

About:

Linda Ruggiero is a Philadelphia-based fiber artist with a focus on zero-waste, textile wall hangings. She enjoys testing the combined effects of mixed media materials in creating each piece. She is currently focusing creating nontraditional looms, which may include a previously woven textile, broken picture frames, plastic packing materials, etc., and using these “looms” as part of the finished work.

Artist Statement:

I am a Philadelphia-based textile artist creating woven tapestries depicting my experiences as a critical care nurse in an urban hospital. My weavings represent experiential disease, illness, and trauma at various stages of healing. I use a variety of materials, including wool, cotton, acrylic, and plant-based fibers, to experiment with texture, tension, and ease within the finished pieces. The end results mimic the emotional strain and relief associated with having a traumatic experience or physical illness. I am inspired by how resilient the human body and spirit are, and how, despite extreme physical and emotional suffering, there is a natural drive towards relief from pain. In a world where trauma and suffering are prevalent, my goal is to create work that inspires hope in healing and freedom from pain.