textiles

The Collage Project

Ruth Simon McRae and Ann Hurley joined their talents in 2015 to form the Collage Project. Their mutual affinity for color, pattern, and textiles, created a common ground for their collaborative exploration into hand printed and dyed textiles. The textile artists utilize multiple resources/mediums for their products – from paper, yarn, and antique wood blocks, to custom carved patterns.

Ann Hurley

Ann Hurley, owner of Ann Hurley Designs, has more than 30 years’ experience in the styling and development of textiles. She develops custom styled products for major end users, as well as coordinates all phases of product and color development for various flooring and carpet mill clients. Previous experience includes creative direction for an annual Color Folio and Market Trends Forecasts for Solutia, a fiber and yarn producer. Her designs have earned multiple industry awards.

Ann has been an active participant and past Board of Directors member in The Color Marketing Group (CMG) for more than 20 years and enjoys a reputation as one of the industry’s leading experts on color. She serves on the Interiors & Environmental Color Forecast committee for the Color Association of the United States (CAUS) and sustains her expertise by researching and tracking trends at both US and European markets.

Ann graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising / Interior Design. She is a featured guest lecturer at ASID and IFMA functions, as well as in the college classroom.

Ruth Simon McRae

Trained in fine arts and textile design, Ruth Simon McRae entered the commercial carpet industry as it began its technical renaissance in the mid 1980s. Through her 19 years as a member of the Shaw Contract product development leadership team, McRae assumed multiple roles, including Design Director for all four contract brands and Architect & Design Market Development Director.

In 2002, McRae translated her talent for product development and design into McRae Associates Inc., a broad based consultancy serving the interior furnishings industry. Clients include textile and floor covering manufacturers as well as yarn producers. McRae is a contributing editor for Floor Focus magazine, covering trends, industry analysis and designer perspectives. She has also developed and taught courses on product development for undergraduate students.

McRae is actively involved in the arts, working on hand-woven and printed textiles, ceramics , painting and collage.

Ruth holds an M.S. Textiles degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Textile Design from Philadelphia University.