Ulrika Leander was born in Stockholm, Sweden and educated at HV’s College of Art and Design in Stockholm, gaining an MA in Fiber Art and Design. She also established and directed the Fiber Arts Department at KV Art School at Lund University Course Center in Lund, Sweden from 1971 to 1980. Moving to the US in 1980, she started her tapestry studio, Contemporary Tapestry Weaving, in Tennessee and in 2000 she moved her studio to Maryland. Her large-scale tapestries have been widely commissioned for corporate offices, hospitality, religious settings and private homes. Leander has participated in 27 solo and group exhibitions, most recently in the “The New Art Of The Loom”, a museum touring exhibition of tapestries by artists from 16 countries, that travelled in the US and Canada during 2013 and 2015. Leander’s tapestries are hand-woven on vertical looms and her largest loom has the capacity to weave up to 12ft. in one direction and more than 40ft. in the other. She uses only natural fiber, 100% wool in the weft and 100% cotton in the warp.