Arts Roseville Featured Artist: Karen Weaving Circle

Each month, meet and learn from a different local artist. Featured artists (visual and performance) will share about their art, discuss creativity and respond to questions in an informal setting. This program is presented in partnership with Arts Roseville and funded with money from Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. There is no cost to attend and all are welcome. 

The Karen people are an indigenous, ethnic minority from Burma and Thailand, who have been persecuted by the Burmese military government for over 60 years. More than 17,000 Karen and other refugees from Burma now live in Minnesota, making it the largest Karen community in the United States. Karen people from Burma are known for their centuries-old tradition of weaving textiles using cotton thread and backstrap looms. The Karen Weaving Circle grew from a group of refugee women from Burma who wanted to continue their weaving traditions in Minnesota and pass their knowledge to first-generation youth. The Weaving Circle was established as a program of the Karen Organization of Minnesota in 2015 in partnership with Roseville Adult Learning Center, East Side Freedom Library and the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, with primary funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Weaving Circle members meet weekly at the East Side Freedom Library in Saint Paul to weave together. They also teach classes for Karen youth and sell textiles and demonstrate their craft at local events.