Bio: Lila Nelson, who died in 2015 at age 93, was the Registrar and Curator of Textiles at the Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum for 27 years, and the beloved leader of the Scandinavian Weavers Group for many years. She was a mentor to many of the weavers whose works are in the Vibrant Traditions show. No retrospective of American weaving in the Norwegian tradition would be complete without her work.

Description (by Robbie LaFleur): Lila wove many tapestries that displayed her progressive politics, including more than one terrorist cat. Lila said her terrorist cats, children and a bear were her attempt to treat terrorist threats with the satire that they deserved. Lila said that when she wove the Terrorist Cat tapestry in the exhibition, she wanted to depict an Uzi, but she had never seen one. I think that we have all seen so many images of guns, that we know what they look like without even realizing it.

You can read many articles about and by Lila Nelson in the Norwegian Textile Letter:
Lila Nelson Celebration: Robbie LaFleur
Lila Nelson and her Tapestry Barter System
Lila Nelson’s Celebration: Laurann Gilbertson
Lila Nelson’s Celebration: Carol Colburn and Norwegian Friends
Lila Nelson’s Celebration: Lisa Torvik and Neil Mikesell
Lila Nelson Celebration: Claire Selkurt
Lila Nelson Celebration: Wendy Stevens
Lila Nelson Celebration: Mary Skoy
From the Norwegian Breakfast Club to the Norwegian Textile Guild – a Brief History
On the Occasion of Lila Nelson’s 90th Birthday
RETRO REPRINT: The Ruteaklaer Tradition in Norway
A Forgotten Artist Remembered: The Tapestry Weaving of Pauline Fjelde

In searching my own blog, Lila comes up about two dozen times. She is my most important weaving mentor, so that is only appropriate! These are the posts that focus on her work exclusively.
Lila Nelson: Guessing at her Design Process (September 2020)
Oh Lila, You Wove So Many Cat Tapestries (September 2020)
Are These Tapestry Eaglets? (September 2020)
The Tapestries of Lila Nelson: Poetry, Myth, and Protest (December 2015)
In Case You Ever Thought Lila Nelson Was Repressed (October 2010)

Obituary: Lila Nelson, educator and artist of Norwegian textiles, dies at 93. Star Tribune, June 1-2015
Webinar: How Lila Nelson’s Tapestries Embraced the World and Its Politics. 2020