Barbara Burns is a figurative artist working in the medium of tapestry. Burns’ early work focused on faces. As her career has progressed, more of the figure has come into view. Burns has been weaving since 1994 switching to tapestry in 2003 when she began an 11 year mentorship with world renowned tapestry artists Archie Brennan and Susan Martin-Maffei. This was a rare opportunity to study with two people who understand tapestry from both a historical and contemporary context, with the skill to impart their knowledge. In 2005 she studied tapestry at West Dean College in England.
On both a national and international platform Burns has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows, received many awards for her tapestries, lectured, curated and juried exhibits and written for textile publications.
Burns studied costume and textile conservation in The Fashion Institute of Technology Graduate Program and attended the New York School for Interior Design. For several years she was the head of the Costume and Textile Department at the Pascack Historical Museum in New Jersey where she was able to indulge in her other passion, historical costume and textiles. Since moving to Maine in 2012 Barbara has focused her attention on her tapestry work and exhibits in several art galleries in Maine.