Manifesting Swag

Here’s our first post in a series from our current exhibit, “Woven Worlds: The Contemporary Tradition of Storytelling through Weaving.” We will be sharing a series of posts to explore each of the included artworks in more depth.

Rhiannon ‘Skye’ Tafoya (b. 1989) is an interdisciplinary artist from the Eastern Band of Cherokee and the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribes.

She employs printmaking, digital design, and basketry techniques in creating her artist’s books, prints, and paper weavings. Both of her Tribal heritages, cultures, and lineages are manifested in her two- and three-dimensional artworks that range in size from a few inches to a few feet. She is inspired by her family history of basketry and observing her father and maternal grandmother weave baskets from red willow, honeysuckle vine, and white oak. While her inspiration comes, in part, from Cherokee traditions, her artworks are decidedly contemporary, featuring sharp lines and bold colors.

Skye creates to preserve, archive, and share personal and familial stories, cultural knowledge, and the Cherokee language. (from the artist’s website)

Weaving is integral to storytelling across the globe. This exhibit highlights the many ways in which Indigenous and diasporic communities use weaving to support lifeways, record history, and celebrate culture. Weaving is a diverse practice traversing fiber arts, basketry, beadwork, and more. The exhibit is open to Harvard ID holders only.