St. Paul – Ancestral Art – Hmong Weaving & Textile Retreat
June 26 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm CDT
$100
Join us for a daylong retreat with master weaver from Thailand, Ms. Li Sawangcharoensap (Lig Yaaj). Her presence will offer rare, hands-on opportunities for Hmong Americans and the broader community to engage directly with an ancestral art form that has largely remained unseen outside Southeast Asia. We are excited to collaborate with RedGreen Rivers, Minnesota Hmong Museum, and Weaver’s Guild of Minnesota to host a unique daylong retreat in the ancestral art of traditional Hmong weaving.
A delicious Southeast Asian lunch will be served. Participants are welcome to wear clothing representing their cultural heritage.
Due to limited weaving tools, space is limited to 20 adults.
Children are welcome to join their guardian at no additional cost but may be limited to commercial art projects and supplies. Child spots are limited to 10. Please contact MayKao Fredericks at maykao@mnhum.org to reserve a spot for your child.
K-12 Educators will receive 3 clock hours.
About Ms. Li Sawangcharoensap (Lig Yaaj)
Ms. Li Sawangcharoensap (Lig Yaaj) is a master practitioner of the traditional Hmong art of processing and weaving hemp by hand—a centuries-old craft now endangered by industrialization and displacement. As a member of the Hemp Weaving Group of Khiri Rat, she has dedicated her life to preserving and revitalizing this intricate practice, which includes cultivating, harvesting, retting, spinning, and weaving hemp fiber entirely by hand. Her expertise and lived experience uniquely position her to educate others about this vital cultural heritage. In 2024, her work was featured by RedGreen Rivers in Cloth Origins: Textiles from the Hmong Journey at the prestigious John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Ms. Sawangcharoensap’s upcoming visit to Minnesota and Wisconsin will be her first time to the U.S. and will include a series of events celebrating Hmong women as cultural bearers and tradition keepers.
Registration
If cost is a barrier, please contact MayKao Fredericks at maykao@mnhum.org before registering. A limited number of scholarships are available.
Please register early and contact us if you are no longer able to attend.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
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