Born in 1914 in Edison Park, Illinois, Ed Rossbach was an innovative fiber artist working ahead of his time exploring materials and the experimental use of ancient techniques. Rossbach received his BA in painting and design from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 1940, and a MA in art education from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College in 1941. Upon graduating, Rossbach joined the Army Signal Corps and served in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands during World War II. It was while he was serving in Alaska that he discovered the fiber arts. He went back to school for his MFA in weaving and ceramics at Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1947. Almost immediately after receiving his MFA, Rossbach joined the faculty at the University of Washington. Not staying in Washington for long, Rossbach left in 1950 to join the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, where he remained a beloved and inspirational teacher and mentor until he retired in 1979. Rossbach’s textiles are part of collections in many institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Rossbach died in 2002 at the age of 88.