Deborah Thomas

Deborah Thomas is a fiber artist focused on tapestry weaving. She studied with local artist Louise Maringer, a tapestry weaver in the Norwegian tradition. Deborah’s tapestry work has been exhibited regionally and spans aesthetics from figurative to typographic to abstract.

Deborah welcomes any opportunity to promote weaving as an art form, exploring the distinction between “art” and “craft.” She is a member of the Handweavers Guild of America, the British Tapestry Group, the American Tapestry Alliance and a past president of the Northwest Arkansas Handweavers Guild.

Deborah is also an award-winning teacher. While a tax professor at the University of Arkansas's Walton College, she taught classes on Creative Problem Solving and mentored other teachers as a director of the UA’s teaching support
center. Now, she teaches weaving as the lead instructor for beginner weaving classes sponsored by the NWA Handweavers Guild. She also holds monthly tapestry coaching sessions for tapestry students of all levels.