Lily Hope facts for kids

Lily Hope (born in 1980) is an Alaska Native artist from Juneau. She is famous for weaving traditional clothing for ceremonies, like Chilkat robes. These are special garments worn by people of the Northwest Coast.

Lily is also a teacher, a designer, and helps bring her community together. In 2022, she opened her own studio in downtown Juneau called Wooshkindein Da.àat: Lily Hope Weaver Studio. She is a mother to five children and works hard at her craft.

Who is Lily Hope?

Lily Hope was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. Her parents were both full-time artists. She is a Tlingit Indian from the Raven moiety (one of two main social groups) and the T’akdeintaan clan. This clan came from the Snail House in Hoonah, Alaska. Her Lingít name is Wooshkindein Da.àat.

A Family of Weavers

Lily learned how to weave from her mother, Clarissa Rizal, and another artist named Kay Parker. Clarissa Rizal (1956–2016) was a talented artist who could weave, paint, carve, and more. She was one of the last students of the master Chilkat weaver, Jennie Thlunaut (1891–1986).

In the 1990s, very few people still knew how to do Chilkat weaving. Jennie Thlunaut was an expert in formline design, a special art style with flowing, connected lines. She taught this style to Clarissa, who then passed the knowledge to Lily. Lily and her mother were very close and even won an art show together. Lily's sister, Ursala Hudson, is also a talented artist.

Education and Teaching

From 2002 to 2007, Lily studied communications and theater at the University of Alaska Southeast. After college, she became a well-known weaver and teacher of both Chilkat and another style called Raventail.

She also acted in a local theater group called Perseverance Theatre. This group creates plays for and by Alaskans. This shows how much Lily cares about her community. Today, she teaches weaving in Juneau, the Yukon Territory in Canada, and other parts of southeast Alaska.

Amazing Artworks

Lily Hope has created many beautiful and important woven pieces. Her art often tells a story about her culture and family.

Copper Child (2012)

This was the first Ravenstail outfit Lily made. She worked on it with her mother, Clarissa Rizal. It is made for a child and includes a robe, headdress, and apron. The materials include soft Merino wool, rabbit fur, and sea otter fur.

The robe has a repeating pattern called standing at the top of the mountain. It also features Lily's own shaman eyes design and her mother's lightning and Haida spider web designs. This piece won first place at an art show in 2012. It is now part of the permanent collection at the Sealaska Heritage Institute.

Little Watchman (2014)

This is a child-sized Chilkat outfit. It includes a headdress, leggings, and a wool jacket. The back of the jacket has a woven Chilkat face on it. This piece is a great example of how Lily mixes Ravenstail and Chilkat weaving styles.

Chilkat weaving is done by hand on an upright frame. Weavers do not use many tools, except for a needle to tuck in the ends. Little Watchman was shown in an exhibit at the Fralin Museum of Art.

Lineage Robe (2017)

This robe is part of the Portland Art Museum's collection. It is made with Merino wool, cedar bark, and beaver fur. In Northwest Coast cultures, people believe that humans and animals have a strong connection.

Chilkat blankets, also called robes, were worn by high-ranking people during important events. They were very valuable. Men would design the pattern, and women would prepare the materials. The design uses the formline style, with bold, dark outlines. Lily used traditional designs but added modern colors to this robe.

Heritage Robe (2017)

This was the first adult-sized Chilkat robe Lily ever made. It took her over 1,700 hours to complete between 2016 and 2017. While she was working on it, her mother sadly passed away.

The robe is part of an exhibition at the Portland Art Museum with three other robes. All four are connected because the weavers were all taught by the same line of teachers. Lily hopes this robe will help more people around the world learn about Chilkat weaving.

Giving Strength Robe (2019)

This robe is a special project made by many weavers working together. Weavers from all over North America each made a small 5-by-5-inch square. These squares were then joined to create a traditional robe.

The project was organized by Lily, Deanna Lampe, and Heidi Vantrease. Lily's sister, Ursala Hudson, also helped. The goal was to bring weavers together to create something that gives strength and helps people heal. The finished robe was given to AWARE, a shelter in Juneau that helps people who have experienced violence.

Exhibitions

• "Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023," Renwick Gallery Smithsonian Institution. May 26, 2023 - March 31, 2024.
• "Exhibit On The History Of Northern Northwest Coast Weaving," Alaska State Museum. May 1- October 10, 2020.
• "Reflections: Native Arts Across Generations," The Fralin Museum of Art. May 24, 2018 - January 27, 2019.
• “The Art of Resilience: The Continuum of Tlingit Art," Portland Art Museum. 2016 - 2017.
• "Interwoven Radiance, Center for Contemporary Native Art," Portland Art Museum. November 10, 2017 – June 24, 2018

Collections

Lily Hope's work can be seen in these public collections:

• Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
• The Fralin Museum of Art, Charlottesville, VA
• Sealaska Heritage Institute, Juneau, AK

Awards

• 2022 Artist-in-Residence at Institute of American Indian Arts
• 2021 SHIFT award from Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
• 2018 Mentor Artist Fellowship
• 2017 Bill Holm Research Grant
• 2012 Sealaska Heritage Institute's Juried Art Show

See also

• Ursala Hudson
• Northwest Coast art
• Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast
• Indigenous textile art of the Americas