Many peoples of Alaska and Canada practice finger-twined woolen weaving styles for ceremonial and contemporary assertion of identity. Guests joined Textile Center in welcoming renowned mentor artist Lily Hope for an exploration of parallel histories, visual aesthetic, and technical practice of these premier textiles.

Artist Bio:

Lily Hope (b. 1980) was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska to full-time artists. She is Tlingit Indian, of the Raven moiety. Following her matrilineal line, she’s of her grandmother’s clan, the T’akdeintaan.

She learned Ravenstail weaving from her late mother Clarissa Rizal, and Kay Parker, both of Juneau. She also apprenticed for over a decade in Chilkat weaving with Rizal who, until her untimely passing in December 2016, was one of the last living apprentices of the late Master Chilkat Weaver, Jennie Thlanaut. Lily feels the pressure to leave honorable weavers in her place.

Lily’s contemporary works in textile and paper collage weave together Ravenstail and Chilkat design. She is one of few designers of dancing blankets. She teaches both finger-twined styles extensively in person (and virtually since COVID-19), in the Yukon Territory, down the coast of SE Alaska, into Washington and Oregon. She demonstrates internationally and offers lectures on the spiritual commitments of being a weaver.

Committed to co-creating as her mother was, she’s constantly looking for ways to collaborate with other artists, often spearheading multi-community projects, or managing huge campaigns, like the #AKMaskUp poster collaboration, bringing the importance of mask-wearing into the forefront Lily lives in Douglas, Alaska, with her five children.

lilyhope.com | @lilyhopeweaver