A Fabric Artist's Life

Bill Moss, Fabric Artist and Designer, chronicles the life and work of Bill Moss, inventor of the pop tent and founder of Moss Tent Works. An important figure in the development of sculptural tension fabric, Moss considered himself an artist first, not an architect, designer or engineer.

How is Transformit connected to Bill Moss? Cindy Thompson, Transformit's founder, is quoted:

"Bill slipped into my life as a matter of circumstance," said Cindy. "He saw my work at a gallery in Maine and helped me get a job at Arizona State University as a visiting artist. Bill and I were linked because we were both artists and chose fabric as our medium."

When Cindy returned to Maine from ASU (1985), she shared a studio with Bill, who appeared a couple times a month. "When he showed up, he was full of stories, and enthusiasm for me and my endeavors. He always told me how good and creative I was. This was his gift to me."

These photos, from Cindy's scrapbook of her time collaborating wih Bill, are reprinted in the book, along with their stories.

Cindy says about the book:  "Bill Moss was one of the forces of the creative economy, before we had the term. He told me it was the artist's role to bring artistic thought and process to industry. Thanks to Marilyn Moss for creating a book that is a tribute to Bill and his life's work. It is well written, and gives insight ino the history of fabric stuctures through his artistic process."

Reprinted below is an excerpt from Amazon's page about the book:

This book traces the life and work of one of America's most innovative fabric artists and designers, a pioneer in the creation of tension fabric structures. The contributions of Bill Moss to mid-twentieth-century American culture were many. First changing the world of camping with the invention of the Pop Tent, he went on to shake the world of fabric architecture with the many forms that we now take for granted. Lavishly illustrated with historic photographs, the book chronicles Moss' creative life from his early years until his death in 1994. It has a broad appeal as it encompasses many aspects of our cultural history--from architecture and design to biography to the complete transformation of the camping experience. Woven into this tale is the story of an award-winning Maine company, Moss Inc. Engaged in the creative economy long before most people used the term, it was also known as being one of the most socially responsible businesses in the country, a reputation that held fast until its sale by CEO Marilyn Moss in 2001.

Click here to purchase the book.