About The Artist
Lieve Jerger was born in 1950 in Belgium as Godelieve Baekelmans, near Bruges, and raised in Antwerp as the oldest of ten children, all born from two artistic parents. After living in Paris for 4 years, she moved to Los Angeles in 1974 with Chicago-born maverick filmmaker-writer-humanist Burr Jerger (1918-1982.) Lieve now makes lace in San Pedro, California.
Her father, Marcel Cornelis Baekelmans (1920-1997) was a painter laureate at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts for 10 consecutive years. Lieve’s basic schooling in the bobbin lace technique was passed on to her by her mother, Berthilda Cesarina Vandoren (1923-1993), who put together an extensive antique lace collection, called The Spieghel Lace Collection, consisting of more than a thousand exquisite pieces that date back from the 1500s until now. Lieve is currently working on publishing the manuscript left by her mother about the history of lace, entitled “Mirror of Lace.”
Lieve has taught hundreds of L.A. students the ancient art of lacemaking at UCLA Extension, Coastline Community College, and at Angels Gate Cultural Center. Since 1974, she collaborates with artist/literacy activist Phil Yeh to create one-of-a-kind books for all ages, helping to promote literacy and the arts across all borders.
In 1984, Lieve was awarded the Dolores Roche Memorial Prize for Excellence in Bobbin Lacemaking by the International Old Lacers Guild for her original design and execution of a lace entitled “To Our Lady of The Snow,” a very fine flax linen creation.
In 1986 to Lieve became the Founding Editor of Lace Magazine International, a quarterly magazine devoted entirely to the study of handmade lace, throughout history as well as its contemporary manifestations. The magazine ran continuously for 56 issues.
Phil Yeh and Lieve are creating a new revised and expanded edition of their classic book THE WINGED TIGER AND THE LACE PRINCESS, and it will be available in 2009. This second edition will be more than twice the size, with many brand new watercolors and an added chapter entitled "Into the Lace World," exploring a magical world through Lieve Jerger's incredible Quantum Lace Sculpture.
More of PHIL YEH’s work can be found on his website: www.phil-yeh-fine-art.com
