Cora Nimtz

Cora Nimtz (b. 1991) is a textile artist based in New Orleans. Her work employs generational quilting, embroidery, and applique skills to capture intimate still-lives and local atmospheres of her Southern upbringing. Cora first embarked on her artistic journey when she began transforming the quilting skills learned from her mother and grandmother into canvases for more dynamic self-expression. She expanded her knowledge of composition and portraiture during the pandemic by adapting a technique called “thread painting,” a method combined with techniques she learned from loved ones in which she recreates familiar faces, gestures, and objects using thread against ornamental quilt blocks. A turning point for her was when she discovered the names of block patterns could offer her pieces subliminal thematic structure: choosing them involves a nod to their historic meanings and natural moods. Since then, Nimtz has challenged the domestic object’s functionality by transforming quilts in increasingly dynamic ways, while also paying homage to the craft’s precision and tradition. Now, she is continuing to develop her projects for larger audiences. Her new work aspires to carry craftsmanship beyond the tourist economy and into the fine art world.