Folk Arts - Master Artist - Skaidrite Abolins

Skaidrite Abolins. Photo by Fritz Dent.

Until her recent death, Skaidrite Abolins was a master of traditional Latvian embroidery. Skaidrite learned her craft at the School of Home Economics and Folk Art in Jelgava, Latvia in the 1930s. Abolins had been part of the Washington State Latvian-American community since 1950. Abolins believed that émigrés are among the few still versed in the pure traditions of Latvian needlework and folk-costume design. During WWII many Latvian immigrants fled to the US, bringing with them many traditional embroidery techniques. While under Russian rule, many Latvian art forms were modified to suit the general concept of the ideal non-nationalistic Soviet citizen. Costumes and dances were modified to blend various cultures. As such, some Latvian-Americans hold a more traditional form of Latvian art than do native Latvians.

Abolins was exceptionally knowledgeable in different embroidery techniques, and had a lifetime of skills which she passed on to future generations. She had been featured in many exhibits, including the Latvian Folk Arts Exhibit in La Conner, the "Baltic Experience" at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, the Latvian Song Festival Art Exhibit at the Seattle Sheraton, the Baltic Exhibit at the Folklife Festival, and the Latvian Cultural Festival in Bellevue.

As a recipient of a 1994 Apprenticeship grant, Abolins taught Maija Atvars and Vija Ozols advanced Latvian embroidery techniques. Abolins taught Maija and Vija to make their own traditional Latvian folk costumes, incorporating ornamental symbols grouped in sequences which reflect Latvian folk traditions. Both Maija Atvars and Vija Ozols are first-generation Latvians who studied traditional Latvian embroidery basics in Latvian Elementary schools. They have continued to teach many students within the community traditional embroidery techniques, giving them the skills to make costumes for Latvian performances.

As a recipient of a 1995 Apprenticeship grant, Abolins again worked with Maija Atvars and Vija Ozols and taught advanced Latvian embroidery techniques. Abolins was awarded additional Apprenticeship grants in 1997, 1998, and 1999. In 1998, Skaidrite Abolins received Washington State's highest artistic honor as the recipient of a Governor's Heritage Award.