Contributing Leader

BIOCAPTIVATE: A think tank to promote and enhance creativity, curiosity, and diversity (cognitive and otherwise) in biological research, engineering, education, and policy.

Laura Tandeske has been embroidering for 40+ years specializing in Surface Embroidery. She studied Fine Art at California State University East Bay, and embroidery with the Embroiderers Guild of America and San Francisco School of Needlework and Design. Her piece called “Balance” toured the United States and Canada as part of the 2 year Sixteenth National Exhibit with the Embroiderers Guild of America. She has won numerous awards including “Best in Show” at the California State Fair in Sacramento.

While Laura's first love is doing embroidery, her very close second is teaching embroidery. She loves bringing this ancient healing art to students.

Laura is also a biochemist with 32 years experience at Chiron/Novartis working in early stage drug discovery research for Oncology, Infectious Diseases, and Diagnostics. She brings this scientific and experimental mind to her Embroidery work.

Laura once believed that art had to be framed in a gallery, and sold to be 'art'. In art school she pondered the question 'what is art?' After thinking about this for many years, her personal answer is 'art is communication'. Laura wears the clothes she has been embroidering on for years - her wearable art - and realized that this is a form of communication with everyone around her. It was a profound revelation for her to realize that she was already a successful artist.