CV/Bio
Toni Kersey is an award-winning mixed media fiber artist whose background as a graphic designer informs her work. After teaching visual arts for many years at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, she began to pursue painting on fabric which led to her current interest in creating art quilts. She has been creating fiber art since 2005. Ms Kersey’s work has been featured in such publications as 500 Art Quilts and Artistry in Fiber Volume 1 Wall Hangings. Her work is included in the Art in the Embassies program.
Ms. Kersey received her Bachelor of Arts/Graphic Design degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois. She was an award-winning logo designer and her work was published in "American Corporate Identity 4". Toni has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally.
Selected Juried Exhibitions:
Huron Valley Council for the Arts "Women’s Stories: Quilt Exhibit” 2007
Ohio Valley Arts League “Spoken With Hands” 2008
Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum "Sisters in Cloth" 2008
Allentown Art Museum “30th Juried Exhibition” 2009
Art in City Hall "On The Fringe of Fiber" 2009
Woodmere Art Museum "Contemporary Voices" 2009
Goggle Works Center for the Arts "More Than Fiber" 2010
Main Line Art Center 2011
The State Museum of Pennsylvania "Art of the State" 2012
Sacred Threads Traveling Exhibition 2017
The State Museum of Pennsylvania "Art of the State" 2020
Carnegie Center "Form Not Function" 2021
Gallery at Penn College "Textiles In Transition" 2021
Solo Exhibitions:
Philadelphia International Airport "Toni Kersey from the Soul" August 2015 — March 2016
A Seed on Diamond Gallery Philadelphia "Rhythm and the Blues" 2019
Group Exhibitions:
International Quilt Festival-Houston, Texas 2010
Leeway Foundation Philadelphia, PA "Intertwined" 2010
Art Sanctuary Philadelphia, PA "Conjure.Speak.Invoke" 2012
The Colored Girls Museum Philadelphia, PA 2016 - 2019
Moore College of Art in collaboration with Leeway Foundation and The Colored Girls Museum Making Space @25 - 2019
Art in the Embassies:
United States Embassy N'Djamena Chad 2016 — 2019
United States Embassy Addis-Ababa Ethiopia 2021 — 2023
Grants/Awards:
Leeway Foundation “Art and Social Change” Grant 2007
Maurice Freed Memorial Prize (for oil or mixed media) Woodmere Museum 2009
Leeway Foundation "Art and Change" Grant 2012
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
"Professional Development" Grant 2012
Third Prize for Craft — Greater Harrisburg Arts Council 2012
Outstanding Achievement Award — The Colored Girls Museum 2018
Award of Excellence presented by Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Artists 2020 — Carnegie Center
Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art — Mainline Art Center 2021
Joseph and Dorothy Luciano Award — Artist as Quiltmaker FAVA Gallery 2022
Public Collections:
Health Partners Inc. Philadelphia, PA
Althea Gibson Education and Tennis Center Philadelphia, PA
Professional Workshops and Artist Talks:
Art Sanctuary Artist Talk—2012
Philadelphia International Airport—Demonstration—2015
Michener Art Museum Artist Talk—2015
African American Museum of Philadelphia Artists Talk—2016
African American Museum of Philadelphia — Workshops 2016, 2017
Carnegie Center — Artist Talk 2020
Pennsylvania State Museum — Artist Talk 2020
Mainline Art Center — Artist Talk 2021
Mainline Art Center — Fabric dying workshop — 2021
Heartstrings Quilt Guild — 2021
Publications:
"American Corporate Identity" by Art Direction Books
"500 Art Quilts" by Lark Books
"Artistry in Fiber-Volume 1•Wall Art" by Schiffer Publications
Sacred Threads Exhibition 2017