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Weaving Workshops by visiting artist Lig Yaaj
Weaving Workshops by Visiting Artist Li Yang
The Art of HMong Hemp Textile
Curated by RedGreen Rivers in collaboration
with Hmong Museum & Weavers Guild of MN
The Art of HMong Hemp Textile
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Community Education Workshops
June 4 - June 29
Join RedGreen Rivers at XIA Gallery during the month of June to experience HMong Hemp Weaving with visiting fiber artist from Thailand, Li Sawangcharoensap (Li Yang). Our intimate workshop series engage with HMong textile techniques and the art of traditional weaving. Don't miss out on this limited workshop opportunity!
ABOUT
A series of half-day events will be opened to 10–15 participants for an intimate, hands-on weaving session. Each session may last two - three hours including an introduction to the artist’s story, cultural significance of HMong hemp weaving and an interactive weaving session for each participant and they can take home their woven hemp piece.
The workshop (limited to 10–15 participants) includes:
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Look at our curated exhibition of hemp threads and HMong textile
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Introduction to the cultural significance of HMong hemp weaving
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Learn how to weave traditional HMong hemp textile with artist Li Yang and take home your piece of creation
Spaces are limited and spots are running out FAST so grab your tickets TODAY.
This is a special opportunity to engage in community through art, storytelling, and cross-cultural connection while supporting sustainable practices and women-led artistic traditions.
Please email redgreenrivers@gmail.com to inquire about reserving a GROUP session. Additionally, limited numbers of scholarships will be available for students and seniors on a first come, first served basis.
upcoming events
upcoming events
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Launching Event
Wed. Jun. 4th | 6PM - 8PM
XIA GALLERY
Free | RSVP
Join RedGreen Rivers at XIA Gallery for our Workshop Launching Event to experience HMong Hemp Weaving with HMong visiting artist from Thailand, Li Sawangcharoensap (Li Yang). This is a launching event session, and it is FREE. There will be an artist talk and introduction, but no weaving. Attendees can sign up for upcoming sessions at the event.
Workshop Series
Thu. Jun. 5th - Tues. Jun. 24th
XIA GALLERY
TICKET ADMISSION
Join RedGreen Rivers at XIA Gallery during the month of June to experience HMong Hemp Weaving with visiting fiber artist from Thailand, Li Sawangcharoensap (Li Yang). Our intimate workshop series engage with HMong textile techniques and the art of traditional weaving. Don't miss out on this limited workshop opportunity!
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Hmong Museum of MN Session
Sat. Jun. 7th | 12pm - 4pm
Maplewood Mall
Free | RSVP
Join us at Maplewood Mall for a fun and interactive event where you can learn all about the art of Hmong weaving with hemp! Li Yang, visiting artist from Thailand, will be giving live demonstrations and teaching how to weave. And the best part? You'll get the chance to try your hand at weaving yourself! Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to explore your creative side and learn a new skill. See you there!
Warping Session
Sun. Jun. 8th | 10am - 12pm
Pan Asian Center
Free | RSVP
Join RedGreen Rivers at the Pan Asian Center for our Warping Session where we demonstrate how the looms can be warped using our ancestors' ways. Our session is joined by HMong visiting artist from Thailand, Li Sawangcharoensap (Li Yang). Attendees can sign up for upcoming sessions at the event.
Weavers Guild of Minnesota Sessions
Fri. Jun. 13th - Sat. Jun. 14th
1011 Washington Ave So #350
Free | RSVP
On Friday, June 13, drop into the Open Book Performance Hall for a free hour-long talk with Ms. Lig Yang. On Saturday, June 14, there will be half-day workshops with a brief introduction to the Hemp Weaving Group of Khiri Rat and the centuries-old Hmong hemp cultivation and processing traditions. Participants will then learn to create cordage from processed hemp fiber and weave on a traditional Hmong loom.
meet the artist
meet the
artists
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Li Yang
HMong Textile Artist
Ms. Li Sawangcharoensap (HMong name is Li Yang) is a master practitioner of the traditional HMong art of processing and weaving hemp textile by hand—a centuries-old craft now endangered by industrialization and displacement. As a member of the Hemp Weaving Group of Khiri Rat, in Tak, Thailand, she has dedicated her life to preserving and revitalizing this intricate practice, which includes cultivating, harvesting, retting, spinning, and weaving hemp fiber entirely by hand. Her expertise and lived experience uniquely position her to educate others about this vital cultural heritage. In 2024, her work was featured by RedGreen Rivers in Cloth Origins: Textiles from the HMong Journey at the prestigious John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Ms. Yang’s upcoming visit to Minnesota and Wisconsin—her first time in the U.S.—will include a series of events celebrating HMong women as cultural bearers and tradition keepers. Her presence will offer rare, hands-on opportunities for HMong Americans and the broader community to engage directly with an ancestral art form that has largely remained unseen outside Southeast Asia.
meet the partners
meet the
partners
RedGreen Rivers™ work with artisan makers, most of whom are women and girls, from the Mekong Region in Southeast Asia. Their products are not mass produced, because they focus on quality and authenticity. They believe that artistic talent born from traditional indigenous designs can create sustainable communities. When you buy from RedGreen Rivers™ you get a treasure, and you support a maker.
RedGreen Rivers
Hmong Museum
Hmong Museum is the first museum of its kind dedicated to the preservation and education of HMong culture, history, stories, and arts. They do this through the creation and collaboration of programs that:
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Document Hmong history & knowledge
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Exhibit Hmong culture & art
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Share Hmong experiences & stories
They design their programs to be engaging and accessible, with hands-on experiences, community participation and memorable storytelling.
RedGreen Rivers
Weavers Guild of Minnesota
Since its founding in 1940 by twenty-six individuals, including Hilma Berglund, the Weavers Guild of Minnesota has established itself as a nationally-recognized resource for the arts of weaving, spinning, and dyeing. WGM offers classes and events year round, serving nearly new and experienced fiber artists each year.