About Helen O’Connor
Photography courtesy of Mariah Miranda.
Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, Helen O'Connor received her B.F.A. in Textile Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2017. In 2018 she moved to Maryland to pursue a career as a thermal blanket technician designing, fabricating and installing insular blankets for aeronautic and spacecraft machinery. The flat pattern, 3D and kinetic design techniques evident in her quilts were largely developed during this period.
Helen's production focuses on quilting and silk screen design with an emphasis on sustainable sources and applications. She prefers to use recycled materials such as cardboard and plastic bags in the production of her quilts.
The quilt, symbolic of inheritance, comfort, class and salvage is a recurring theme in Helen's work. She endeavors to give new meaning and context to the traditional craft by reinventing its content and use.