Bio

Born and raised on the island of O’ahu, Noelani Jones, meaning “heavenly mist,” (she/they) is a community-building Fiber Artist passionate about strengthening communities and individuals with art and an appreciation for the natural world. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in 2017 with her BFA in Craft and Material Studies with a concentration in Fibers. Known as the “Weaver Beaver,” a play on words addressing the history of weaving in the Western world being considered “women’s work.” There is merit to following in the footsteps of those who came before us and keeping the craft alive and remembered.

Jones has attended Penland School of Craft and John C Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. Her work has been exhibited at galleries and museums in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Chicago, New York City, and many other alternative, DIY spaces throughout the United States. Additionally, Jones is a recipient of a 2024 Artist Development Grant from the Vermont Arts Council. She has been an artist-in-residence at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden, MD, Vermont Studio Center, VT, and most recently Touchstone Center for Crafts, PA.

As a community-building artist, Jones believes anything can be a thread and every thread has a story. Currently, she lives in rural Maryland, truly known as Susquehannock lands, working as a professional handweaver and independent shepherd & farmer.

Statement

I am a community-building Fiber Artist passionate about strengthening individuals and communities with art and an appreciation for the natural world. My work highlights our dependence on nature and restoring a relationship with the land through seasonal, land-based crafts of natural dyeing and handweaving. Growing up on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i being surrounded by such a beautiful eco-system, shaped me and my art making and has made me very aware of my impact on the planet as well as my footprint as a weaver. My current practice is centered on creating site-specific installations of handwoven cloth with natural materials that focus on texture and natural color. I make work about weaving and natural dyeing. My weavings have fringe or use drapery as a concept. I never want the viewer to question if the work is woven by hand. I work with ideas of place, time, memory, craft, and community. By accessing my kuleana, a Hawai’ian value of responsibility to the land, it is my purpose to be a good steward. I aim for a continual practice of ethically foraging & cultivating plants from the land for dye, slowly weaving by hand on a foot-powered loom, and making with all second-hand, recycled, or scrap natural fibers. The land feeds me and my weaving and dyeing practices. This work explores connections with the land through colors derived from site-specific place for dye and connecting woven threads.

-Noelani Jones