Between Worlds (child’s robe)

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Copied Lily Hope, Between Worlds (child's robe), 2022-2023, thigh-spun merino and cedar bark with beaver fur, 33 x 36 x 1⁄4 in. (83.8 x 91.4 x 0.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Windgate Foundation Living Artists Acquisitions Fund, 2023.21, © 2023, Lily Hope

Artwork Details

Title
Between Worlds (child’s robe)
Artist
Date
2022-2023
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
33 x 36 x 1⁄4 in. (83.8 x 91.4 x 0.6 cm)
Copyright
© 2023, Lily Hope
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Windgate Foundation Living Artists Acquisitions Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
thigh-spun merino and cedar bark with beaver fur
Classifications
Subjects
  • Dress — Indian dress
Object Number
2023.21
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2023.21

Artwork Description

This version of the Between Worlds robe is the little sister; the big sister resides at Houston’s Museum of Natural Science in Texas. The robes feature the Diving Whale pattern, but instead of the customary Chilkat forms being the only design elements, Hope has “collaged” a face peering back at us. The overlaid and interwoven face represents the first and the previous weavers of Chilkat. Those ancestors become present as Chilkat textiles take form, serving as a physical conduit of knowledge and a tangible link between the weaver and those who came before. The spirit present in the robe quietly watches as a new generation of weavers carry their clan, tribal, and family obligations and traditions forward into the future. 

Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023