Carey, Joyce Marquess (1936 - )

Joyce Marquess Carey (right) supervising a student

A faculty member in the Environment, Textiles and Design department from 1973 to 1989, Joyce Marquess Carey has displayed her quilts and weaving at numerous invitational and juried exhibitions both nationally and internationally. She has also produced many commissioned works for organizations and individuals around the country. Her works can be seen around Madison, such as the 15 x 80 foot annual banners at the city county building that she, Patricia Mansfield and Phil Hamilton produced during their seventeen-year collaboration. Furthermore, her articles have been published in journals including Prairie Wool Companion, The Weaver’s Journal and Interweave.

Carey earned a BS (1971) and MS (1973) in Related Art from UW-Madison, followed by an MFA from UW-Milwaukee (1976). In 1973, she began lecturing at UW-Madison, and she was appointed assistant professor four years later and full professor in 1988. At UW she taught courses in weaving, off-loom constructions and basic design.

Carey’s excellence in teaching is evident in the poem that one of her classes wrote to support her application for tenure. The poem, entitled “Ode to Joyce—The Off-Loom Master,” began with the verse “The lady is a great craft master, / Who teaches skills to students faster / than most professors tried and true. / Demurest in her mannerisms; / Soft spoken but with a great determinism, / Which guides the neophyte crafter through…”

"Seeing Stars," quilt, 51" x 51"

In 1989, she left UW in order to devote more time to her studio work. Some of her quilts are currently traveling with “6 Continents of Quilts,” an exhibition comprised of works in the American Craft Museum collection.