Bio: Holly grew up on the North Shore of MN and now lives in the St. Croix River Valley where she continues to be inspired by forests and great bodies of water. She taught herself how to weave on a frame loom in 2018, and was then gifted a floor loom in 2019. This led to many classes, lectures, joining the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group, participating in makers’ markets, and an inevitable lifelong passion for weaving. Holly is inspired by natural surroundings, uncovering family heritage, and as an Interior Designer, enjoys studying global design history. With her craft, she hopes to excite an appreciation for functional art, connection to the past, and an intentional way of living in the world today.

Description: My first rag rug. It was woven in conjunction with the Karin Larsson “Let the Hand Be Seen” exhibit at the American Swedish Institute in 2024. The color scheme is comprised of cloth my mother had leftover from when I was a little girl: the curtains from my bedroom, a blanket from my sister’s bed, extra fabric from a doll pillow. I supplemented the color scheme with some purchased cloth and some kindly shared with me. The rosepath pattern in white I feel creates somewhat of a gate that you can look through to the gradient from peach to periwinkle, much like the Belt of Venus that is so visible at sunrise and sunset. The organic striations at the center are very much to me a lake that reflects a gradient sky onto the water. This year I have done a lot of visiting the North Shore, where I am from, and have been totally captured by the Belt of Venus over Lake Superior. Serene, restful, cheerful. 

hollyrhildebrandt@gmail.com