Jerome Regnier (1927- 2015)

Born in France in 1927, Jerome Regnier was educated in France and the United States. He received a Ph.D. in Geology from Columbia University in 1958. After working briefly for an oil company in Venezuela, he was a Professor of Geology at Rollins, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley and Vassar Colleges. 

He wove his first tapestry in 1978. In 1993 he decided to focus his efforts on creating a documentary style through which he would explore the history, geography, and architecture of the United States, and embarked on "The American Tapestry Project". 

Jerome Regnier worked out of his home in Hadley, Massachusetts. He exhibited his work in both group and solo shows in the New England area as well as at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in Missouri, and the Boston Public Library. 

The American Tapestry Project is a series of tapestries illustrating selected aspects of the history, architecture and landscape of the United States. The series touches on a range of historical moments and geographical areas. The historical images are based on compilations of prints and drawings of the period. All the subject matter is thoroughly researched. While the tapestries as a group have a strong and coherent artistic style, each is influenced by the cultural or folk traditions appropriate to the subject. 

The extended horizontal format of many of these tapestries required a special loom, designed and built by Jerome himself. With some tapestries measuring as much as 25 feet in width, finished portions of the tapestry were  moved off to the left while warp threads were added on the right. Woven in a variety of yarns, the tapestries were then embroidered, adding further detail and texture to the works.