Short Bio
Kristy Moeller Ottinger is a professional quilt maker and teacher. She has exhibited widely and her work has been shown by galleries in the USA and internationally. She is a member of the prestigious SAQA, Fiber Art Now, American Quilter’s Society, and American Craft Council.
Statement
I am an Appalachian fiber artist focusing on creating narrative wallhangings celebrating spirituality and encouraging the love of worship through my colorful, textural, quirky style.
The inspiration for “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel” came from a study I did about prophesy found in the book of Ezekiel. My visionary, folk art quilt is interpreted in the colors, shapes and patterns used. The textural and mixed media included in the quilt gives a three dimensional aspect that draws in the viewer.
Biography
Kristy Moeller Ottinger grew up in rural Indiana, the older of two girls born to Herbert and Lucy Moeller, who raised their girls to be resourceful and—it turns out—creative. If they wanted something, they were encouraged to make it themselves. Creating things was a part of life in her family where her father was a cabinetmaker and her mother was a dressmaker. At nine years old, she began learning the sewing skills that would stay with her for her whole life. A lifelong learner, she earned degrees in Bible, education, and art. Ottinger taught elementary school art until 2016, when she left to pursue art full time.
“Making art is my form of worship” she says. “As the quilt develops, I have a spiritual conversation. Each bead sewn or found object attached becomes a prayer. As I begin designing, one color choice or shape leads to a second, a third, and so on.” Best known for her narrative art quilts, Ottinger embellishes the work relentlessly, using found objects, mixed media, embroidery, paint, and writing.
Resume / CV
Kristy Moeller Ottinger, 2301 Old Tusculum Road, Greeneville, TN, USA, kristyottinger@gmail.com
Solo Exhibitions:
“Good Advice,” Johnson City Public Library, Johnson City, TN. June - July 2023.
”Beyond Tradition,” William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, Virginia. June - September 2022.
“Spiritual Conversations,” Shulman Center, Tusculum University, Greeneville, Tennessee. February 2020.
Invitational Exhibitions:
“The Healing Power of Hope,” curated by Courtney Powell. Clarilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia. February - May 2023.
“A New Way to Tell an Old Story,” curated by Betty Boyd. McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, Athens, Tennessee. January - April 2023.
“Phases of the Moone,” curated by Theresa Hammon. McKinney Center, Jonesborough, Tennessee. April 2023.
“Ancient Paths,” curated by Nancy Fischman. Atelier 133, Johnson City, Tennessee. May 2022.
“Ottinger and Flack,” curated by Cher Cornett, Create Appalachia Grand Opening, Kingsport, Tennessee. November 2021 - February 2022.
Juried Group Exhibitions:
“Asheville Quilt Show,” juried, Asheville, North Carolina. September 2023.
“Kindness: Unexpected, Unusual, Unfailing,” juried by Deb Kmetz. Nails In the Wall Gallery, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Menuchen, New Jersey. September - December 2022.
“Sacred Threads 2022,” juried by Sandi Goldman, Starla Phelps, and Anne Winchell. Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, Virginia. July 2022.
“Sacred Threads 2019,”juried by Sandi Goldman, Starla Phelps, and Anne Winchell, Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, Virginia. July 2019
Non-Juried Group Exhibitions:
“Eye Contact: Creating a Connection,” Sacred Threads national traveling exhibition. July 2019 - November 2022.
Awards, Publications and Press:
Whimsical Embellishment Merit Award, Asheville Quilt Show, Asheville, North Carolina. September 2023.
Speaker, Presbyterian Women’s Group, Johnson City, Tennessee. Sept. 2023.
Speaker, McMinn Co. Living Heritage Museum, Athens, Tennessee. March 2023.
“Sacred Threads” catalogue. Artwork included in 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2022.
“Eye Contact: Creating a Connection”, Sacred Threads catalogue. Artwork included in 2019.
Honorable Mention for Best Embellishing, Mountain Messages V, Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, July, 2010.
Media/Publications:
“Beyond Tradition,” PBS, interview with Anna Buchanan, William King Museum of Art. Aired July 2022.
Installations and Collections:
Marriott Hotels Collection
Multiple private collections
Gallery Representation:
Jonesborough Visitor Center, Jonesborough, Tennessee, USA. October 2021 - Present.
Other Professional Activity:
Juror, “2022 Exhibition,” Greene County Schools, Greeneville, Tennessee. November 2022.
Professional Affiliations:
Studio Art Quilt Associates
Modern Quilt Guild
American Arts Council
Mountain Art Quilters
Fiber Art Now
Create Appalachia
Old Town Quilt Guild
