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BY: Colvin English

To many of us, “needlework” conjures up images of grandmothers, maiden aunts, and war widows working on antimacassars and altar cloths. In Haiti, however, needlework means vivid visions of saints and devils, curses and prayers, even African goddesses transformed into colorful images of the Holy Virgin. Needlework and vodou go… Continue

Spiral Wayuu weaving symbolizes the endless cycle of life

Fashionistas like Tory Burch and Ralph Lauren are just now discovering spiral-woven mochila bags and offering them in their boutiques. But the matriarchal Wayuu people of Colombia and Venezuela have been weaving them for generations – both for their bright, geometric beauty, and for the deep… Continue

The ancient Bushmen enter the international jewelry market

The Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert are almost as old as humanity itself. Geneticists tell us that they are perhaps the oldest group still walking the earth. Sadly, like many ancient peoples, they are among the poorest and most disenfranchised in their southern African… Continue

Does a work of art reveal the soul of its creator?

If so, the needlework of Kagoshima City’s Nui Project, an embroidery workshop for the mentally disabled, uncloaks souls whose workings are little understood.



Nui Project’s dazzling textiles and shirts, stitched by artists living with Down’s Syndrome, autism, and other mental and physical… Continue