Susan Taber Avila

Susan Taber Avila is a Professor of Design and Chair of the Department of Design at the University of California, Davis, where she has been a faculty member since January 2013. She is also recognized internationally as a textile artist and designer, with affiliations including her role as Chutian Scholar at Wuhan Textile University, China (2009–2015).

Her educational background includes an M.F.A. in Textile Arts and Costume Design from UC Davis, a Diploma in Textile Art from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a B.A. in Design from UCLA.

Avila's research and artistic practice centers on textile art, surface design, and sustainable fashion. She integrates traditional handcrafts with digital technology, focusing on repurposing pre- and post-consumer textile waste. Her work explores cultural narratives through series such as Byzantine Las Vegas, Shoe Stories, and Oh Naturale, connecting material innovation with conceptual depth. She emphasizes the stitch not merely as decoration but as a structural and expressive medium.

While specific recent publications are not listed in the source material, her work has appeared in journals such as Fiberarts, Ornament, Surface Design Journal, and Textil Forum, and she contributed to the book series Artistry in Fiber, including writing a foreword for the volume Wearable Art.

Her notable awards include:

• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research (2014)
• Center for Cultural Innovation 'Investing in Artists' Grant (2010)

Avila actively mentors students, notably serving as faculty advisor for the annual Picnic Day Fashion Show at UC Davis. She has secured grants and led curatorial projects, such as The Image of Fashion: A Photographer’s Legacy. Her international exhibitions and scholarly contributions reflect a deep engagement with global textile practices and education.

She maintains a professional presence through her website www.suta.com and has co-created the online platform FiberScene.com (1999–2010), contributing to digital discourse in fiber arts.