Lisa Ellis Logo


Lisa Brehm Ellis PortraitI am a quilt artist, teacher and lecturer. I am passionate about quilting and using quilts to make the world a better place. I frequently lecture on healing quilts and inspire quilters to get involved in using their love of quilting to improve health care centers and hospitals. I have directed a number of projects for healing-related installations including Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the University of Michigan, Auburn University and the National Institutes of Health.

I am the director of the non-profit organization Sacred Threads. Sacred Threads is a biennial exhibition dedicated to sharing our most personal quilts with themes of spirituality, joy, inspiration, healing, grief and peace/brotherhood. The first exhibit was in 2001 in Columbus, Ohio. I became director in 2009 and produced the 2011 exhibit held outside Washington DC.

I have advanced degrees in Math and Computer Science and worked for 23 years in the defense and information technology industry as an engineer, project manager and executive. I retired in 2003 to focus my energies on volunteer work and my passion for the arts. In 2010, I started my own company, Giving Back Technology that provides information technology services to non-profit museums, galleries and other art organizations.

I was elected in March 2012 to the Board of Directors of the Alliance for American Quilts and am serving as Treasurer. On September 30, 2012, I will join the Board of Directors of
Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). I am currently serving on the SAQA Endowment Fund committee and Sub-Membership committee. I also belong to a group of art quilters in the Washington DC area called Fiber Artists @ Loose Ends and frequently exhibits work at local galleries and hospitals.
           


Miriam's Dance. Sacred Threads 2007.The Alliance for American Quilts interviewed me for Quilters' S.O.S.- Save Our Stories for the Sacred Threads Project. Pictured here is my Miriam's Dance quilt at Sacred Threads in 2007. Click here to read my interview.

I am owner of Giving Back Technology, LCC. Our product, Art Call, provides a simple on-line registration, jurying and quilt exhibit system. To see a demo of the system, contact me at lisa@ellisquilts.com

I am the webmaster for these non-profit sites:

  • Imagine Hope is an exhibit that strives to touch its viewers, inspiring them to get involved and make a change in the world. The exhibit is comprised of twelve monochromatic textile pieces by artist Hollis Chatelain, each addressing key social and environmental issues facing our world today

  • Healing Quilts In Medicine is a special group of artists that donated quilts to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Members of the original group have carried to do healing projects with the University of Michigan and Auburn University

  • Fiber Artists @ Loose Ends is group of fiber artists that meet regularly to encourage, stretch and inspire one another

  • Sacred Threads is an exhibition of quilts exploring the subject themes of spirituality, joy, inspiration, peace/brotherhood, grief and healing. This biennial exhibition was established to provide a safe venue for quilters of all faiths who see their work as a connection to the sacred and/or as an expression of their spiritual journey

  • Beyond the Barrier A special exhibit within 2009 Sacred Threads of quilts made by inmates of the Ohio Reformatory for Women