Email: lafleur1801@me.com
Bio:
Robbie LaFleur is a Minneapolis-based weaver, teacher, writer, curator, and advocate whose work follows a long thread of Scandinavian textile tradition. Her journey began in 1977 at Valdres Husflidskole in Fagernes, Norway, and has continued through decades of study with Scandinavian instructors in Norway and the United States. In 2006, she was awarded the Gold Medal in Weaving from Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, recognizing her as a master weaver within this folk tradition.
Her work centers on Scandinavian weaving techniques, including billedvev, the Norwegian tapestry tradition. In 2019, as a fellow of the American Scandinavian Foundation, she traveled to Stavanger to study the open-warp transparency technique of Frida Hansen (1855–1931). Her tapestries have been exhibited widely, including at the Renwick Gallery for American Craft at the Smithsonian, and have been featured in books, magazines, and on public television.
She is the editor and publisher of Norwegian Textile Letter, now in its 32nd year, connecting an international community of textile artists and scholars. A recognized voice in Norwegian folk traditions, she has given more than 30 public lectures, written for a wide range of textile publications, co-curated exhibitions, and served as a judge for the National Exhibition of Folk Art in the Norwegian Tradition at Vesterheim.
She also coordinates the Scandinavian Weavers Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, supporting the continued life and evolution of these enduring techniques.
Artist Statement:
I am a handweaver of contemporary textiles inspired by Scandinavian folk textiles. The language of my looms is based on centuries-old techniques, learned in weaving school in Norway. The core graphic impact of old folk textiles drives each new weaving, in a search for balance, color and boldness. Even when the planning process is computer-assisted, or a technique is done at a new scale or in unusual materials, I honor the fine craftsmanship of the past.