Rachael Howard

Personal statement

Rachael has been a successful practising textile artist and designer since leaving the Royal College of Art in 1992, as one of the first postgraduate students of Embroidery.

Since then, she has become one of its most respected practitioners. Her graphic, lively sketches of everyday life typify her powers of observation and knack for catching the moment. She has pioneered a lively mix of embroidery and screen-printing techniques, using image, text and object to tell often autobiographical stories of the everyday.

Rachael regularly exhibits her work nationally and internationally. In 1998 she had her first monograph with Ruthin Craft Centre: a "phenomenally successful" show which toured nationally for 2 years. Its final destination was at the Geffrye Museum, London, where 32,500 people visited the show.

She is a committee member of the highly regarded 62 Group of Textile Artists; they have an active exhibiting program, which included a 2013 show in Tokyo, Japan.

Rachael has been involved in many public art commissions from cushions for benches in Newbury Library, to a wall-hanging for the Museum of Science and Industry in Berlin.

She has also worked as a freelance designer and illustrator for many companies including:

• Paul Smith
• Habitat
• Liberty and
• magazines such as Selvedge.

She has her own collections of ties and interior accessories which she sells at events such as the Crafts Council's Origin.

Rachael has been visiting lecturer at many universities and colleges in the UK and abroad including MMU, Goldsmiths and Central St Martins.

She has received a number of awards for her work and teaching. In 1997, she was shortlisted for the prestigious Jerwood Prize for Applied Arts.

She won the Artworks Award for Art in Education in 2003 and 2004, whilst artist in residence at Lauriston Primary School in her then home town of Hackney, London.

Academic qualifications

• MA Embroidery, Royal College of Art
• BA Hons (1st Class) Textiles Design specialising in Embroidery, Loughborough College of Art and Design

Professional memberships

• 62 Group of Textile Artists, Committee member 
• Oxton Artists, Guest

Teaching specialism

• Printed and embroidered textiles