Biography

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Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry is internationally recognized for her award-winning, fine-art quilts. She is best known for her organic, curved seam designs, her scintillating use of color, and her illusions of light, depth, and motion. Her attention to detail has earned her a reputation for fine craftsmanship as well as stunning designs.

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Since 1983, Caryl's work has been exhibited extensively throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Brazil, and the Pacific Rim. She has had twenty-three solo exhibitions, including shows in Canada and Japan. Caryl has won Best of Show at the International Quilt Festival (2009), the American Quilters Society Show (1989, 1995, 2000), and more than a dozen other national and international competitions. In 1986, Caryl received the Masterpiece Quilt Award from the National Quilting Association. She has received Master Awards for both Contemporary Artistry (2002 & 2006) and Machine Artistry (1997) from the International Quilt Association, and machine workmanship awards from both the American Quilters Society (2004 & 2009) and the Quilting the Quilt National exhibition (2003).

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Honors include: 100 Most Important Quilts of the Twentieth Century (2000), 30 Most Influential Quiltmakers in the World (2002), Bernina Leadership Award (2003), All American Quilter (2004) and International Quilt Festival Silver Star (lifetime achievement) Award (2006).

Caryl's work can be found in public, museum, corporate, and private collections throughout the United States and in seven foreign countries. Collections include: The Museum of Art and Design (NY), National Quilt Museum, Visions Art Museum, Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Illinois State Museum, International Quilt Study Center, Wilmette (IL) Public Library, Bradley University Library, Glendale (CA) Civic Center, Fidelity Investments Inc., Sprint, and Fritz Gegauf A.G. (Switzerland).

Caryl has authored two books, numerous instructional brochures, and eight workshops on CD-ROM. Her work has appeared in hundreds of national and international publications, including the covers of the 1987 and 1991 Quilt National Catalogs.

From 1986 until 2013, Caryl traveled extensively, lecturing and conducting workshops for quilt and textile arts groups throughout the United State, and in eleven foreign countries on five continents. She continues to share her knowledge through her publications, workshops on CD, and online.

Born in 1947 in Elgin, Illinois, Caryl graduated with a BA from Wheaton College in 1969. She also studied art at Illinois State University, College of DuPage, and University of Wisconsin.

Caryl was a lifelong resident of Northern Illinois until 2005, when she relocated to Paducah, Kentucky, and opened the Bryerpatch Studio gallery and workshop center in Paducah's historic Lower Town Arts District.

In 2013, Caryl married Dr. Ron Gentry and set up a second working studio in Port Townsend, Washington, where she completed many of the quilts in this show. Ron and Caryl relocated full time to Port Townsend in June of 2014. Contact information is at the bottom of this page. Studio pictures can be found on the Bryerpatch Studio Website.