Education
Minneapolis College of Art & Design. Minneapolis, MN
B.F.A , Drawing 2004
Eugene Textile Center, Eugene, OR.
Apprentice, Floor loom weaving. 2012/13
Exhibitions
January 20- February 11th, 2024. Art Shanty Projects, Bdé Umáŋ / Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, MN. Close Knit Pavillion.
September 8- November 25, 2023. Watermark Arts Center. Illuminated Terrains. Solo Exhibition.
May 12-June 25 2023. Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. Fable.
July -September 2022. Bascom: A Center for Visual Arts. Highlands, NC. Summertime Art Exhibition.
September -November 2021. Honeycomb Salon and Gallery. Minneapolis, MN. Color and Texture.
November-December 2021. Blue Spiral Gallery. Asheville, NC. Botanicals.
July 8-September 3rd 2021. Reeves House Visual Arts Center. Woodstock, GA. Women’s Work: New Takes on Textile Art.
November 2020- January 2021. The Arts Center of Greenwood. Greenwood, SC. A Common Thread: Textiles Past and Present.
July-August 2020. Blue Spiral Gallery. Asheville, NC. Tools of the Trade: Reinterpreting Traditional Women’s Work.
2018/19. ha! gallery, Marshall, NC. Each season a rotating collection of new textile and drawing work relating to a larger theme. This work is installed alongside other works in jewelry, glass, ceramic, wood, and painting.
2017. Center for Craft, Creativity and Design. Asheville, NC. Art outside the box show. Traveling show to New York Design Week/ Toronto Design Week. Part of a select group of finely crafted items handmade in Asheville, NC.
2016. Anthropologie/ Anthropologie.com.—A collection of handwoven backpacks for exhibit in 3 new concept stores and later sold on their website.
2016. WantedDesign. Brooklyn NY: Made in WNC. Curated group show of finely crafted objects about place. Part of NYCxDESIGN.
2016. Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche. Paris, France. Galerie Imaginaire. Jan.-March 2016. This exhibition’s aim is to build a concept store in Le Bon Marché through “a unique laboratory of ideas and audacious, avant-guard products full of irreverence: an adjustable and dynamic place that does not follow the traditional seasonality codes.”
2015. The Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design. Asheville, NC. Made in WNC. The exhibition's aim is to locate, understand, and contextualize the designer-maker movement in the region, focusing on textiles, furniture, and ceramics.
Grants // Fellowships
Women’s Studio Workshop. Resident Artist. Rosendale, NY. 20105-week intaglio printmaking residency
Walker Arts Center Emerging Artist Grant. CSA: Community Supported Art. 2010Along with 8 other selected artists we created an edition of 55 that were sold in shares to the public. Over the course of 3 events this summer, purchasers of the shares were able to pick up their bushels of art. One book was also kept in the Walker Art Center’s permanent collection.
Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Grant. Minnesota Center For Book Arts. Minneapolis, MN. 2009A residency for one year which included master classes in all aspects of Book Arts, lecture, and group exhibition.
Teaching
February 7-11, 2024. North House Folk School. Grand Marais, MN. The Handwoven Backpack. Weaving and Industrial Sewing Course.
May 16-27, 2023. Doe Branch Retreat Center. Marshall, MN. Summer Weaving Retreat. I organized meals, lodging, workshop, artist in residence, evening events.
February 2023. North House Folk School. Grand Marais, MN. Exploring Color and Texture: Beginning Floor Loom Weaving
September 2022. North House Folk School. Grand Marais, MN. The Handwoven Backpack. Weaving and Industrial Sewing Course.
June 2022. Doe Branch Retreat Cabins. Marshall, MN. Summer Weaving Retreat. I organized meals, lodging, workshop, artist in residence, evening events.
February 2022. North House Folk School. Grand Marais, MN. Exploring Color and Texture: Beginning Floor Loom Weaving
March 2017. Prairie Mountain Folk School. Joseph, Oregon. The Delightful Hand: Woven Cloth for the Table
Guided students through the entire process of warping and weaving on the loom. In this beginners 3-day workshop students completed 4 handwoven napkins employing a mix of twill patterns they chose to experiment with.
Publications/Reviews
Star Tribune. The Handwoven Backpack. A Guide to special gifts. November 19, 2023.
American Craft Magazine. Immersed in Beauty: How a Minneapolis-based textile artist describes finding inspiration and introspection in her warehouse studio. Winter 2023. I wrote a 1000 word essay in a 6 page editorial spread.
Tatter Journal. The Blue of Renewal, The psyche and the spirit, in the work of Amber Jensen. Jan 2022. Online and print publication. 6 page editorial spread.
The Laurel of Asheville. Textile Artist Amber M. Jensen Awarded 2019 Made in NC Award. December 2019
Our State Magazine, Made in NC Award— Style winner. December 2019.
In Her Studio. Amber M. Jensen Studio. May 2019
Asheville Made. Unraveling Early Success: Amber Jensen. February 2017
7ton Printshop. Local Artist Spotlight: Amber Jensen. 2016.
Center for Craft, Creativity & Design. Made in WNC. 2015
Oprah (O) Magazine. April 2015. Totes Awesome. http://www.oprah.com/style/Amber-Jensen-Rustic-Handbags
American Craft Magazine. June/July 2015. Voices: Amber Jensen.http://craftcouncil.org/magazine/article/what-was-first-museum-had-impact-you#
Cool Hunting. 2014. Product Reviews www.coolhunting.com/style/the-patchwork-backpack-by-sketchbook
Etsy Lookbooks. 2014. Holiday Lookbooks. www.etsylookbooks.com
American Craft Council. 2014. Amber Jensen’s Sumptuous, Sturdy Satchels. www.amerciancraftcouncil.org
LINDA Magazine (Netherlands). 2014. Product Review.
Vogue Magazine (UK). Product Review. 2013
Vogue Magazine.com (ITALY). Product Review. 2013
GQ Magazine. In the Rotation. Oct 2011. https://www.gq.com/story/in-the-rotation-sketchbook-great-outdoors-backpack
Smith Journal. Leave, Leaving, Gone. Summer 2011/12
American Craft Magazine. Oct/Nov 2011. CSA: Community Supported Art.
Unique Opportunities
All My Relations Gallery. River Stories and Water Songs. A two day workshop in collaboration with exhibiting artist Karen Goulet/Monique Verdin. I provided pre warpedlooms to the gallery and shared my knowledge of weaving and love of textiles as each particpant was asked to weave a meaningful garment they brought into the looms. October 14-15, 2023
ha! gallery. Marshall, NC. 2018-2020. Co-Creator of an experimental gallery/shop and my own creative textile studio with rotating exhibits 6 times a year. ha! is a joyful exploration into creative works of all kinds with a mission of showing and sharing finely crafted works alongside each other in an an alternative installation type environment.
The Wool Lab: Preview. Issue #10 Autumn Winter 2017/18 for The Woolmark Company. The Wool Lab is created twice a year by The Woolmark Company to inspire and inform the textile industry, fashion professionals and retailers about the vast potential of Merino wool. The aim is to “stimulate creativity and give inspiration to spinners and weavers, providing new examples of wool’s usability and innovations.” After working closely with the Wool Lab team for many years they asked me if I could contribute my hand-woven work. For this unique opportunity I created several yards of sample cloth that combines simple expanded twills in three of my own colorways. This blanket cloth was then cut into many tiny square samples included in the publication alongside style images of my studio process.
The Woolmark Company. The Wool Lab. 2010-current. http://www.woolmark.com/the-wool-lab-AW13.The Wool Lab is a permanent laboratory to source the best quality wool products worldwide and to identify the emerging trends in fashion, design, art, pop culture and music. Each season I create 18-20 uniquely designed woolen cases that are displayed at various textile industry events around the world.