Ofelia Esparza

Mexican-American altar maker, or Chicana altarista, whose work is informed by a deep spiritual belief in the traditional process, which pays homage and evokes memory of people, events, or places through multilevel structures embellished with photos, traditional foods, flowers, and handmade and found adornments.

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Nora Thompson Dean

Nora Dean Thompson was one of the last fluent speakers of the Unami dialect in the Lenape language. She grew up a traditionalist learning the culture of her people and began to spread the knowledge to the younger generations.

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Nora Ezell

Ezell is a master of embroidery and appliqué, the process of fastening one piece of fabric to a ground fabric with tiny stitches.

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Mozell Benson

“Her quilts are the visual equivalent of jazz or blues. She will take a basic pattern and then do variations on it just like a musician will do with a jazz piece.”

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Nellie Star Boy Menard

In Sioux culture, an accomplished traditional quiltmaker is measured not only by a mastery of needlework techniques, of the creative use of the star motif, and of traditional aesthetic principles, but also by her dedication to the community in the practice of her art. Over her lifetime, Menard produced scores of quilts for traditional family and community purposes.

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