Chronology
| 1907 | Born in Lorain, OH, daughter of Sarah Jennings and William Gallagher
 |
| 1927 | Moves to Chicago |
| 1927–42 | Works as proofreader for publisher of court opinions and attends evening classes at the Art Institute of Chicago |
| 1941 | Marries George Tawney |
| 1943 | Death of George Tawney |
| 1943–45 | Resides In Urbana, Illinois. Studies art (art therapy) at University of Illinois |
| 1945 | Travels to Mexico |
| 1946 | Returns to Chicago |
| 1946–1947 | Attends Institute of Design, Chicago. Studies sculpture with Alexander Archipenko, drawing with Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, drawing and watercolor painting with Emerson Woelffer, weaving with Marli Ehrman
 |
| 1947–48 | Further studies with Archipenko in Chicago and at his studio in Woodstock, NY |
| 1949–51 | Lives in Paris and travels extensively throughout Europe and North Africa |
| 1954 | Studies tapestry with Martta Taipale at Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
 |
| 1955 | Begins open-warp weavings |
| 1956 | Travels throughout Greece and Near East to Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt
 |
| 1957 | Tapestry commissioned by Marshall Field, North Shore Shopping Center, ChicagoMember, textile design panel, American Craftsmen’s Council’s (now American Craft Council) First National Conference of Craftsmen, Asilomar, CA
Moves to 27 Coenties Slip, New York, NY  |
| 1958 | Moves to 27 South Street, New York, NY |
| 1959 | Commissioned by the Interchurch Center to create a large tapestry for the narthex of the chapel in its new building on Riverside Drive, New York |
| 1960 | Completes Nativity in Nature for Interchurch Center, New York
 |
| 1961 | Studies gauze weave with Lili Blumenau; explores gauze-weave techniquesLenore Tawney, Tawney’s first solo exhibition in New York, opens at the Staten Island Museum. Forty weavings created between 1955 and 1961 are exhibited |
| 1962 | Designs an “open reed” for her loom, allowing the shape of the works to change as they are woven. Creates “woven forms”Moves to Thomas Street, and then to Beekman Street, New York
 |
| 1963 | Twenty-two of Tawney’s new “woven forms” are exhibited in the seminal Woven Forms at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (now Museum of Arts and Design), New York, along with work by Alice Adams, Sheila Hicks, Dorian Zachai, and Claire Zeisler. Portions of the exhibition tour internationallyDark River (1962) acquired by Museum of Modern Art, New York
Commissioned by Congregation Solel to create the ark veil for its new building in Highland Park, IL  |
| 1964 | Gewebte Formen, based on Woven Forms, opens at the Kunstgewerbe Museum in Zurich. Work by Tawney, Sheila Hicks, and Claire Zeisler is included. Travels with Hicks and Zeisler to the exhibition in Switzerland and to France
 During First World Congress of Craftsmen, sponsored by American Craftsmen’s Council in New York, visits New Jersey factory to see an industrial Jacquard loom Studies Jacquard harness at Textile Institute, Philadelphia, PA Begins a series of drawings inspired by Jacquard loom |
| 1964–65 | Begins work in collage and assemblage; creates first postcard collages |
| 1965 | Travels to Peru and Bolivia |
| 1966 | Moves to Spring Street, New York
 |
| 1969 | Travels throughout Far East to Japan and Thailand, with extended stay in India
 Studies at New York Zendo Included in Wall Hangings which premieres at the Museum of Modern Art, New York and tours nationally Included in Objects: USA, The Johnson Collection of Contemporary Crafts which premieres at National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington, D.C. and tours nationally and internationally |
| 1970 | Moves to East 4th Street, New YorkMeets Swami Muktananda
 |
| 1973 | Moves to Wooster Street, New York
 Travels to Ireland |
| 1974 | Integrates weaving and paper collageTravels to Guatemala
 |
| 1975 | Elected Fellow of American Craftsmen’s Council (inaugural group) |
| 1976 | Weaves Waters Above the Firmament, her last work on the loom
 |
| 1976–77 | Travels to India |
| 1977 | Moves to Quakertown, NJReceives General Services Administration commission for lobby of Santa Rosa Federal Building, Santa Rosa, CA |
| 1977–78 | Creates and installs Cloud Series IV in Santa Rosa Federal Building.
 |
| 1978 | Artist-in-residence, University of Notre Dame, IN |
| 1979 | Receives National Endowment for the Arts Craftsman’s Fellowship Grant |
| 1981 | Cloud Series VI commissioned and installed at Frank J. Lausche State Office Building, Cleveland, OHMoves to 20th Street, New York
 |
| 1982 | Artist-in-residence, Fabric Workshop, Philadelphia, PATravels to Taiwan and India |
| 1983 | Cloud Series VII commissioned and installed at Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CTReceives Honor Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Visual Arts, Women’s Caucus for Art, Port of History Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Triune (1961) acquired by Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Waters Above the Firmament (1976) acquired by Art Institute of Chicago |
| 1987 | Distinguished Lecturer, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZReceives American Craft Council’s Gold Medal Award |
| 1989 | Travels to Italy |
| 1990 | Lenore Tawney: A Retrospective opens at American Craft Museum (now Museum of Arts and Design), New York and tours nationally
|
| 1991 | Travels to Greece |
| 1992 | Awarded Honorary Doctorate Degree, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MDInstallation of Cloud Labyrinth, Great Hall, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
 |
| 1994 | Begins Shrines and Drawings In Air
 |
| 1995 | Travels to Colombia |
| 1996 | Travels to Netherlands |
| 1999 | Receives Master of the Medium Award, Renwick Alliance, Washington, DC |
| 2000 | Receives Visionaries Award, American Craft Museum (now Museum of Arts and Design), New York, NY |
| 2007 | Dies at her loft in New York |
