“Frida Hansen as Inspiration” with Robbie LaFleur

Robbie LaFleur, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been following a thread of Scandinavian textiles since she attended a traditional handcraft school in Norway in 1977. She was awarded the Gold Medal in Weaving from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in 2006. Robbie coordinates the Weavers Guild of Minnesota Scandinavian Weavers Study Group and is the editor and publisher of the digital Norwegian Textile Letter. Her presentation, “Frida Hansen as Inspiration” will touch on Hansen’s career, the work of some of her followers in the early 20th century, and her influence on contemporary weavers.

 Robbie LaFleur, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been following a thread of Scandinavian textiles since she studied weaving at Valdres Husflidsskole in Fagernes, Norway in 1977. She has continued her study with Scandinavian instructors at workshops in Norway and the U.S. Recent projects include interpreting Edvard Munch’s “Scream” painting into a variety of textile techniques (see this article in the British Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers) and weaving tapestry portraits of her relatives. She was awarded the Gold Medal in Weaving from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in 2006. Robbie coordinates the Weavers Guild of Minnesota Scandinavian Weavers Study Group and is the editor and publisher of the digital Norwegian Textile Letter.

In 2019 LaFleur was a fellow with the American Scandinavian Foundation and traveled to Stavanger, Norway, to study the wool open-warp transparent tapestry technique of Frida Hansen (1855-1931).

She has taught workshops in Norwegian billedvev [tapestry] and more recently on the wool open warp transparency technique of Norwegian artist Frida Hansen.

Instagram: @robbie_lafleur