Donna has lived in the Indianapolis area most of her life.  She taught art in the public schools for over 30 years before her early retirement at the end of the ’99 – 2000 school year.

Fiber art has been her major media for over twenty-five years.  She also paints and makes handmade artist books.

Stader has participated in local, national, and international exhibitions including Quilt National.  Her quilts have been exhibited across the United States, throughout Europe, in Japan, Australia, and Brazil, South America.

In 2003 she received a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis.  The resultant work provided solo exhibitions at the Indianapolis Arts Garden in 2004 and the University of Indianapolis in 2005.

The groups in which she is active and with which she exhibits include the Art Quilt Network in Ohio and INfiber in Indianapolis, IN.

My process is intuitive.  I use whatever techniques further my initial vision.
Generally I fuse fabrics, then piece, appliqué, quilt, and embroider by machine.

I find inspiration everywhere.  Historical artifacts, literature and folklore, nature, emotions,
and color have all provided jumping off points.  While form and line are central in my works,
color is the element most important to me.  My quilts often have piping or other
small areasof strong contrast to punch up the color.

I would like for my work to have the immediate visceral impact of symphonic music.
My goal is for the work to be elegant and for the colors to sing.

CONTACT DONNA AT d.stader@comcast.net