Jennifer Harris

History

Career Path: Jennifer Harris is Deputy Director and Curator of Textiles at the Whitworth Art Gallery (part of the University of Manchester), and is a Fellow of the RSA. The Whitworth has developed a significant collection of contemporary British art textiles and has recently extended this into the international arena, with acquisitions of work from Japan, South America and South Asia. Jennifer has been programming exhibitions of craft and design – mainly (though not exclusively) with an emphasis on textiles – for more than two decades. These are also, increasingly, international in their remit. Jennifer wants to take the opportunity of the Forming Ideas initiative to extend her knowledge of the contemporary crafts sector in the Nordic countries and to gain more insight into the relationships there between art and craft, and craft and industrial design. She is also hoping to research potential future acquisitions for the Whitworth’s collection and develop a network of contacts for future programming.