Deb Flagel

Deb Flagel was born in Michigan and raised in Indiana. She graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington with an undergraduate degree in Art Education. After working several years in Washington DC, she returned to the Midwest to attend The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she obtained her MFA in Visual Communication. Flagel has exhibited throughout the United States, having had studio practices in Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, and considers her art and sense of self to be closely linked to her Midwestern roots. Her work springs from traditional textile techniques honoring the reuse of materials through patching, repatching, and mending – she is particularly drawn to the Japanese practice of Boro and Sashiko.

In addition to being an exhibiting artist, Deb has worn several hats, including sole proprietor of a business specializing in architectural antiques and folk art; putting on a toolbelt and rehabbing four 100 yr old+ buildings, and serving as Executive Director at Woman Made Gallery, Chicago from 2016-2019. Deb currently splits her time working on creative projects in NYC and Chicago.

2025 Artist Statement

I’m primarily drawn to abstract shapes, repetition, surface — making connections in a Wabi-sabi way. I cut, construct, deconstruct, and layer until I have an integrated surface, at which point I might still choose to cut out areas of interest, scrap the rest for future projects and go from there.

I find beauty in natural decay and repurposing. Observing my surroundings while I walk, be it sidewalk markings or architectural patterns— I take it all in. Seeking out bits of imperfection, my thought process immediately turns to stitching. Once back at my studio, I pull out papers of all sorts, including food packaging such as cracker boxes, printed photographs I have taken, bits and pieces from past work, while sometimes cutting up finished works as well. Starting with a singular shape or color I’m drawn to at the time, I begin the process of connection through stitch, resulting in a type of story cloth: a weaving of thought.

As I expand on prior collage and assemblage work, I continue to explore the use of containers. Found in all aspects of our lives from bowls to brain -- we store. We feel the need to contain. We contain many things, including emotion. To hold space for grief and to hold space for creativity seem very similar to me. To dissect containers, whether it be literally, figuratively, or metaphorically defines importance in my own life. By tearing and cutting apart upcycled commercial packaging, symbols of weight measurement and cost — it raises my awareness about waste and sustainability and how my actions affect the environment. It’s a continuous dance with 3 partners ... Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Selected Exhibitions

Gallery Schaeffersgate5, Earth Day, Oslo, 2025

Viridian Artists Gallery, Unique Visions, New York, NY, 2025

Viridian Artists Gallery, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, New York, NY, 2024

Viridian Artists Gallery, Herstory, The Battle Continues, New York, NY, 2024

Viridian Artists Gallery, Just a Moment, New York, NY, 2024

Viridian Artists Gallery, The Darkness of This Time, New York, NY, 2022

Viridian Artists Gallery, Expressions II, New York, NY, 2022

Sculptor’s Alliance, Up-cycling Detritus, Juried Group, New York, NY, 2021 

Viridian Artists Gallery, Herstory: Moving Forward, New York, NY, 2021

Viridian Artists Gallery, Looking Outward/Looking Inward, New York, NY, 2019

Bridgeport Art Center, Curators Curate, Invitational group, Bridgeport, IL, 2019 

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ-HLAw-fmk 

Viridian Artists Gallery, Real Concerns/Imaginary Perceptions, New York, NY, 2018

Viridian Artists Gallery, The Heat is On, New York, NY, 2017

Prairie State College, Small But Mighty, Juried Group, Chicago Heights, IL, 2017

Woman Made Gallery, Stronger Together, Invitational Group, Chicago, IL, 2017

Viridian Artists Gallery, 27th International Juried Exhibition, First Place Award, New York, NY, 2016  

Providence Art Club, Color, Juried Group, Providence, RI, 2016

Verum Ultimum Gallery, Abstract Sanctuary 3, Juried Group, Portland, OR, 2016

Flow Art Space, Sylvia White National Juried Exhibition, Juried Group, Three Works Selected, St Paul, MN, 2015

Woman Made Gallery, Celebrating Illinois Women Artists, Juried Group, Chicago, IL, 2012

Salvage One, Chicago Artist Month Exhibit, Arterial Space, Invitational Group, Chicago, IL, 2010

South Shore Arts, Objects Found, Solo Exhibit, Munster, IN, 2007

Woman Made Gallery, International Annual Show, Juried Group, Chicago, IL, 2005, 2006

Membership | Board Affiliations

FemArt Gallery – Advisory Board Member
IAPMA member – The International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists, Germany

Gallery Climate Coalition – Artist member committed to change

https://debflagel.com/