Windy Chien

Born 1967 Taipei, Taiwan | Lives and works San Francisco, California

Solo & Two Person Exhibitions

2021
Sarah Shephard Gallery, Larkspur, CA, Journey of the Line: Selected Works

2020
Gensler, San Francisco, CA, Gensler Presents: Soft Dimension featuring the work of Leigh Wells & Windy Chien
San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco, CA, Diamond Ring

2019
Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA, In Parallel with Serena Mitnick-Miller
Dodo Pomellato at Milan Design Week, Milan, Italy

2018
Pulse Contemporary Art Fair, Miami Beach, FL, Knot Expected with Sunbrella
Local Language Art, Oakland, CA, Mutations

2017
Themes & Projects at Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA, Line + Form with Len Carella

2016
Asia Society, San Francisco, CA, Annual Event

1994
Sundance Film Festival, Park City, UT, ASSIMILATION/A SIMULATION

Selected Group Exhibitions

2023
North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND, A Beautiful Mess: Weavers and Knotters of the Vanguard curated by Carrie Lederer and Emilee Enders
NYCxDesign Festival at 3.1 Phillip Lim, New York, NY, Upon Further Reflection curated by Lora Appleton and Andrea Hill
Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, FL, A Beautiful Mess: Weavers and Knotters of the Vanguard curated by Carrie Lederer and Emilee Enders

2022
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art at McLaren Park, San Francisco, CA, SFMOMA Soapbox Derby
de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA, Bouquets to Art
Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL, The Very Fiber… Not Necessarily Domestic Goddesses curated by Bernice Steinbaum
Museum of Arts & Sciences, Daytona, FL, A Beautiful Mess: Weavers and Knotters of the Vanguard curated by Carrie Lederer and Emilee Enders

2021
The Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, FL, A Beautiful Mess: Weavers and Knotters of the Vanguard curated by Carrie Lederer and Emilee Enders
Cheongju Culture Factory, Cheongju, South Korea, Cheongju Craft Biennale 2021: Tools for Conviviality curated by Misun Rheem
Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA, A Beautiful Mess: Weavers and Knotters of the Vanguard curated by Carrie Lederer and Emilee Enders

2019
Highfield Hall, Falmouth, MA, Rope Unbound curated by Fiber Art Now
San Francisco Design Week, San Francisco, CA, Stitching, Weaving and Coding curated by Duval Contemporary
Currents 826, Santa Fe, NM, Stitching & Weaving in the Digital Age curated by Duval Contemporary

2018
Legion, San Francisco, CA, Stay Close curated by Legion SF
Residence de France, San Francisco, CA, Stitching & Weaving in the Digital Age curated by Duval Contemporary
Artworks Downtown, San Rafael, CA, Veer curated by Satellite of Love Gallery

2016
Flax, San Francisco, CA, SF Art Show curated by Satellite of Love Gallery

Artist in Residence

2018
Local Language Art, Oakland, CA

2017
Facebook, Menlo Park, CA

2016
The Archery, San Francisco, CA

2015
Peel, Campbell, CA

Artist Talks

2023
Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, FL, Artist Talk, Knot Making, & Book Signing with Windy Chien
San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA, Art of Knots artist talk and workshop for Night of Ideas event

2022
Domaine de Boisbouchet, Lessac, France, A Week of Knots
Google, Mountain View, CA, Artist talk and workshop for Brand Studio & Creative Teams Breakout
San Francisco Yacht Club, Belvedere, CA, The Year of Knots

2021
Google, San Francisco, CA, Artist talk and workshop for Brand Studio team
IIDA Mid-America Chapter, Kansas City, MO, Artist talk and workshop for MADA Elevate
The Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, FL, Artist talk and workshop for A Beautiful Mess: Weavers and Knotters of the Vanguard
Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA, Artist talk and workshop for A Beautiful Mess: Weavers and Knotters of the Vanguard
Curate Art Group, San Francisco, CA, Artist talk hosted by Curate Art Group

2020
Heath Ceramics, San Francisco, CA, Shelter in Grace: How three Bay Area artists fueled their creativity during the pandemic, with Wendy MacNaughton and Tung Chiang
Facebook, Menlo Park, CA, The Power of Daily Practice
Apple Store Union Square, San Francisco, CA, Today at Apple: The Power of Daily Practice
The Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco, CA, The Year of Knots book signing

2019
Chevron Leadership Conference, San Francisco, CA, How a Year-Long Project Will Change Your Life
Ueno.land, Brooklyn, NY, How a Year-Long Project Will Change Your Life
Algorithmic Art Assembly, San Francisco, CA, Algorithms, Aesthetics, and the Artist’s Hand
VSCO, Oakland, CA, The Year of Knots
The Ruby, San Francisco, CA, How a Year-Long Project Will Change Your Life
MOMA, San Francisco, Poketo Creative Spaces book panel
Timbuk 2 Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Creativity and Self Worth panel at She Bends neon art exhibition
A Verb for Keeping Warm, Oakland, CA, Making A Life panel
Heath Ceramics, San Francisco, CA, West Coast Craft presents How I Got Here: Women Finding and Defining Success In Unconventional Career Paths panel

2018
Design Sponge / Good Company, San Francisco, CA, Panel discussion with Grace Bonney
City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, The Year of Knots
Local Language Art, Oakland, CA, Mutations
College of Marin, Kentfield, CA, Ten Spinal Columns

2017
Industry Giants / Interior Design Magazine, Seattle, WA, Conversation with Cindy Adams EIC
Lululemon, Berkeley, CA, Artist talk
Themes & Projects at Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA, Artist Conversation with Alisa Carroll

2016
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA, Giving Yourself Permission
Layers: A Conference About Design & Technology, San Jose, CA, Giving Yourself Permission
SFMOMA SECA, The Archery, San Francisco, CA, Giving Yourself Permission
Alite Design, San Francisco, CA, Giving Yourself Permission

Commissions

Excluding continually ongoing private collector commissions

2024

SF Decorator Showcase House, San Francisco, CA
Heath, San Francisco, CA

2023
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Denver International Airport, Denver, CO
Cast x Windy Chien, San Francisco, CA
The Cove Eleuthera, Gregory Town, The Bahamas
Flour + Water, San Francisco, CA
Cast Jewelry, Corte Madera, CA
Osito, San Francisco, CA

2022
de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
SF MOMA, San Francisco, CA
The George, San Francisco, CA

2021
BHDM, San Francisco, CA
JW Marriott, Charlotte, NC

2020
Nobu Portman Square, London, UK
Google, Sunnyvale, CA
Square, Inc., Oakland, CA
Sheraton Downtown, Denver, CO
Sequoia Living, Walnut Creek, CA
The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, Maldives

2019
WIRED magazine, San Francisco, CA
Hotel SLO, San Luis Obispo, CA
Meso, San Jose, CA
Fogo de Chao, Las Vegas, NV
Verve Coffee, Palo Alto, CA
Verve Coffee, Los Angeles, CA
Royal Caribbean, Spectrum of the Seas art collection
Dodo Pomellato, Milan, Italy, and throughout Europe

2018
National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
Sunbrella, Miami Beach, FL
College of Marin, Kentfield, CA
Protege, Palo Alto, CA
Fogo de Chao, Chicago, IL
Fogo de Chao, Pittsburgh, PA
Fogo de Chao, Bellevue, WA
Nestle Headquarters, Arlington, VA
Sunset Idea House, Los Gatos, CA

2017
Lululemon, Berkeley, CA
Fogo de Chao, Tyson’s Corner, VA
Fogo de Chao, Atlanta, GA
Fogo de Chao, Minneapolis, MN
Checkr, San Francisco, CA
BRYR x Windy Chien, San Francisco, CA
Private Venture Firm, San Francisco, CA

2016
IBM, Cambridge, MA
AngelList, San Francisco, CA
The Rowan, San Francisco, CA
McGuire Furniture, San Francisco, CA
Casa Primos, Nosara, Costa Rica
Studio Roeper, San Francisco, CA
Fogo de Chao, San Francisco, CA

Awards

2023
San Francisco Design Week, XR Award Winner, LMNL Studio x Windy Chien
Interior Design Metaverse, Architecture + Design Awards, Built Experiential category Winner, LMNL Studio x Windy Chien

Publications

2021
Gül Coşkun. "Examination of Fiber Art Examples Used in Home Decoration." Journal of Academic Social Resources, Vol: 6, Issue: 32, 12.28.2021.

2019
The Year of Knots: Modern Projects, Inspiration, and Creative Reinvention, by Windy Chien, Abrams Books

Selected Press

2023
Seven Standouts From the New York Design Festival, The New York Times, June 2
This San Francisco artist is definitely knot crazy, Business of Home, April 27

2021
How I Made This: Windy Chien’s Knotted Art, ARTnews, July 14
‘The Year of Knots’ Author, Artist Windy Chien, The Cut, March 18
Windy Chien: 3 LIVES and Counting, With It Girl, January 13

2020
String Theory, Design Anthology, July 7
Rope Twists into Massive, Fibrous Circuit Boards by Artist Windy Chien, Colossal, June 10
Where I Work, Design Milk, June 9
Art is Their Shelter, San Francisco Chronicle, May 7
The Airy Studio Where Windy Chien Makes Her Giant Knot Art, Domino, May 6
Show Me Your Maker’s Mark, A., May
Artist Windy Chien on How Isolation Sparks Creativity, Rogue Habits, March 23
Close Ties: Windy Chien Pushes the Boundaries of Knot Making, Metropolis, March 13
Why One Artist Challenged Herself to Learn 366 Different Knots, IDEO, March
The Lives of…, Koel Magazine, January

2019
Artist Windy Chien Set A Daily Goal for Herself And The Result Was An Absolute Masterpiece, Glitter Guide, December
Discover the Fascinating World of Knot Art, ABC/Localish, December (video)
Tap Into Your Creativity—And Turn It Into a Career, Clever, Oct. 30
Windy Chien, Interior Design, October
From Meditative Art to Bondage, Everyone’s Tying Knots Right Now, The Bold Italic, Oct. 23
Windy Chien at the Hotel San Luis Obispo, California Home+Design, Oct. 16
I Left My High-Powered Job at Apple to Start Making Art Out of Knots, Domino, October
Objet d’Art, Navigator: The Journal of Northrop & Johnson, Spring/Summer
windy chien knots rope into circuit board, designboom, Jun. 10
Windy Chien’s Journey to Becoming the Queen of Knots, Design Milk, Mar. 19
Interview: Artist Turns Complex Knot Tying into a Sculptural Art Form, My Modern Met, Feb. 3
Inside of You, Lula Japan

2018
S.02 E.01: Windy Chien, Beyond the Studio, Dec. 10
A “Knot Expected” Showing at Miami Art Week, Sunbrella, Dec.
Feminist Perspectives: Impressions from Pulse Art Fair During Miami Art Week 2018, ANTE., Dec. 8
LIVE From SF: Building Community + Self Confidence, Good Company, Dec. 2
Studio Visit With Artist Windy Chien, Beklina, Nov. 1
A Not-So-Straight Line, San Francisco Magazine, September
4 Steps To Reinventing Yourself With Fiber Artist and Woodworker Windy Chien, Make:, July 30
Studio Visit: Windy Chien, HonestlyWTF, July 24
Tying the Knot, Hospitality Design, June
Windy Chien, Fiber Artist, Bossladies Magazine, July 12
String Theory, Luxe Interiors + Design, March/April

2017
Tied and True, Interior Design, November
How An Apple Alum Found Her True Calling–In Knots, Fast Company, Oct. 19
Life as Art, Sunset, July
Windy Chien’s The Year of Knots, Trendland, Oct. 10
Windy Chien, Fiber Artist and Woodworker, Making Ways, Oct. 6
The Eclectic San Francisco Home of Knot Artist Windy Chien, Dwell, Sep. 27
Learning the Ropes, Martha Stewart Living, September
Studio Tour: Windy Chien, Rue, September
Observed: Lovers of piano music, knots, art and fashion, San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 16
A Mission Victorian is a home and art studio, Curbed SF, Aug. 8
Fiber Fever, Loeffler Randall, Summer
Knot Your Average Shoe Collaboration, 24 East, June 19
Fit to be Tied, San Francisco Magazine, June
Apple Editor Turned Artist, Giant Robot Media, Mar. 17
You Have to See This Artist's Massive Knot Collection, Martha Stewart.com, Feb. 3
Artist Chronicles a Whole Year by Creating a New Obscure Knot Every Day, My Modern Met, Feb. 1
Artist Windy Chien Unearths Obscure Knots Everyday for an Entire Year, Colossal, Jan. 26
Artist tied one beautiful knot every day of 2016, Boing Boing, Jan. 25
This Artist Tied One Knot For Every Day of 2016. The Results Are Gorgeous., WIRED, January
Windy Chien’s Inspiring Knots, Design Sponge, January
Artist Profile, Sunset, January
Artist Profile, Knit Wit

2016
Meet The Artisan: Windy Chien of San Francisco, Miss Cheesemonger, Dec. 27
Get to Know San Francisco Knot-Tying Artist, Windy Chien, San Francisco Cottages & Gardens, October
Meet the Maker: Artist Windy Chien, Apartment34, October
Knotty Behavior, C Magazine, October
Windy Chien’s latest venture: lots of knots, San Francisco Chronicle, Sep. 14
Windy Chien and The Year of Knots, Rue, Aug. 31
What You Collect: The Ordinary and the Odd, New York Times, July 24
Modern Macrame by Windy Chien, handful of salt, Feb. 20
Interview: Artist Windy Chien on Finding Bliss in the Year of Knots, Asia Society

2015
From iTunes to Hand-Carved Spoons with Windy Chien, Remodelista, Oct. 14
unexpected guests: windy chien, sfgirlbybay, July 2

Education

2018 / Domaine de Boisbuchet, “Organic Solar Futures” with Janet Echelman and Trevor Lee
1992 / San Francisco State University

Career

2015-present / Studio Windy Chien. San Francisco, CA
2010-2013 / Apple, App Store Managing Editor. Cupertino, CA
2005-2010 / Apple, iTunes Promotions and Product Manager. Cupertino, CA
1989-2003 / Aquarius Records, sole proprietor, manager. San Francisco, CA