In partnership with Siera Hyte, curator of Indigenous American art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Kluge-Ruhe is pleased to present Woven Together: International First Nations Weaving Forum, a two-day gathering of internationally renowned First Nations weavers. Held in conjunction with Sonja Carmichael’s artist residency at Kluge-Ruhe, the aim of the forum is to provide a platform for cross-cultural engagement among First Nations artists, as well as an opportunity for members of the University and Charlottesville communities to engage with participating artists through a public program.

The public program is taking place in the Meeting Barn at UVA’s Morven Sustainability Lab  on Saturday, October 3 from 9:30 am – 4 pm. Morven is located just south of Charlottesville at 600 Morven Dr. Participating artists will give talks, presentations, and weaving demonstrations—sharing their art practices with the audience. This event is free to attend, lunch will be provided, and parking is available on site. Registration is required.

Presenters include Sonja Carmichael, a Ngugi artist and weaver belonging to the Quandamooka people from Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island in Queensland, Australia; Dr. D. Brad Hatch; a Patawomeck archaeologist and traditional weaver who shares his knowledge of traditional eel pot weaving with younger generations through the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program; and Desmond Ellsworth, a Nansemond artist and award-winning basket maker based in Tsenacommacah (Virginia). The full list of presenters and their biographies can be found below.

Woven Together: International First Nations Weaving Forum is held in association with Sonja Carmichael’s artist residency and exhibition at Kluge-Ruhe, Cammeerangan Ngalin-ngur Gining | From Our Ancestors’ Hands – Story Bags  (August 8, 2026 - January 10, 2027). Carmichael’s artist residency is supported by Creative Australia. The forum is sponsored by the Arts Endowment through UVA Arts & the Office of the Provost and the Vice Provost for the Arts.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

Sonja Carmichael is a senior Quandamooka weaver. An active member of her community, she is a leader in the regeneration of Quandamooka weaving, passing on cultural knowledge and skills through workshops, exhibitions, and field research. In her practice, she draws inspiration from the many stories connected traditional Quandamooka weaving and explores contemporary materials and techniques—in particular, discarded ghost nets and fishing lines—that directly respond to concerns about the preservation of the natural environment. Carmichael has shown her work in numerous national and international exhibitions and her work is held in significant collections, including the Queensland Art Gallery, Museum of Brisbane, National Gallery of Victoria, National Museum of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, Redland Art Gallery, and the Embassy of Australia, Washington, DC.

Nokomis Custalow represents the Mattaponi & Rappahannock from the Mattaponi Nation in King William, Virginia. She was raised on the Mattaponi Indian reservation where she had the opportunity to grow up with her great-grandparents, grandparents, and a father who instilled the culture in her. Coming from a family line which had to endure discrimination and prove who they were as Indigenous people, they made sure she was confident in her own skin, ensuring she knew her language, her history, and many different crafts like pottery and basket-making. Today, she works for the Upper Mattaponi Tribe as an Agricultural Technician, where she promotes food sovereignty, natural composting, and grows large gardens producing fruits and vegetables, much like it has always been within her community.

Desmond “A’siiMost Moskwaa” Ellsworth is a software engineer by day and a traditional basket weaver by night. Based in Tsenacommacah (Virginia), he is a citizen of the Nansemond Indian Nation with Nottoway, Meherrin, and Saponi ancestry. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Norfolk State University, a Master of Arts in History from Eastern Washington University and works as a software engineer. When he steps away from his code, Ellsworth works as an artisan under Blackwater Basketry, specializing in traditional Southeastern double-wall basketry. His intricate, narrative-based woven works continue ancestral traditions and have earned top honors across the country, including 1st Place awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Trail of Tears Art Show. His artwork is held in private collections and permanent museum holdings, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Jamestown Settlement Museum.

Yvonne Goad is a citizen of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe in one of the two oldest reservations in the country. She is a gourd artist who creates both traditional and custom gourd work designs. Her journey with gourd art over the past 18 years has been an inspiring journey, starting in her kitchen and ending with her own designated space. Goad uses many different methods, including carving, woodburning, painting, and weaving, and their gourd shards, instead of being discarded, can be reused for earrings, necklaces, and embellishments. In her practice, there is no right or wrong way, and the gourds themselves choose how they should be painted. Goad has sold gourds to people internationally and enjoys introducing and sharing this therapeutic and ancient art form.

Brad Hatch is a trained archaeologist focused on material culture and historic preservation and an enrolled citizen of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe. He is also a lifelong resident of White Oak and was raised primarily on Broad Oak Farm, an area which he owns and stewards. He earned his B.A. in Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington, his M.A. in Anthropology/Historical Archaeology from the College of William & Mary, and his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Hatch’s research expertise focuses on identity, agriculture, community, and consumption, specifically in the 17th-century Potomac River valley. His current research focuses on the materiality of  Patawomeck  watermen and their role in preserving Native identity and community in the 19th and 20th centuries. Hatch has extensive experience as a maker of white oak eel pots, poplar bark baskets, bone tools, and other crafts. In addition to his research, he has worked to pass on the tradition of eel pot making to other tribal members through classes and an apprenticeship program.  He currently serves as the Cultural Resource Officer for the Patawomeck  Indian Tribe.

Rebecca Hill is a citizen of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe. She studied Museum Studies at Hampton University and is a Radford University graduate with a BS in Art. She has worked for decades as a professional photographer, beginning with a photography internship at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Hill works in multiple positions for the Pamunkey tribal government as an elected member of the tribal council, chair of the Pamunkey Foundation, and member of the Pamunkey Museum Advisory Committee. She is also a founding member and executive director of the Virginia Native Arts Alliance, working to preserve and elevate Virginia Native culture, art, and artists.

Siera Hyte is the Schiller family curator of Indigenous American art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), and is the first full-time curator dedicated to Indigenous American art at that institution. Before joining the VMFA in 2024, she was the manager of programs and fellowships for the Lunder Institute for American Art, where she developed think tanks, fellowships, and convening opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, culture bearers, and scholars. Prior to the Lunder Institute, Hyte was the assistant curator of modern and contemporary art at the Colby College Museum of Art, where she co-curated the acclaimed exhibition Painted: Our Bodies, Hearts, and Village, along with many other projects. She has also held museum education and teaching positions at the Missoula Art Museum and the University of Texas at Austin. Hyte is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Debra Martin is a resident/enrolled citizen of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe located in Virginia. She has served in her tribal government as treasurer and as council person with the Tribal Council. Martin has held several positions in the Pamunkey Indian Museum and Gift Shop including manager and interpreter for cultural areas and currently serves on the Museum Advisory Committee. After having lived many years off the Reservation, Martin moved back in 2008. There, she found and began her passion for creating blackware pottery like her ancestors, with clay from the banks of the Pamunkey River. Martin has made commissioned pieces for the College of William & Mary, the National Museum of the American Indian, and The National Park Service. Currently, she practices across multiple mediums, including beading, making hand drums and rattles, and weaving longleaf pine needle baskets.

Denise Lowe Walters, Ph.D., is a story-driven art quilter, poet, and scientist who weaves together Indigenous knowledge, culture, and history into illustrations and abstract art. She utilizes natural and synthetic materials, along with her research scientist’s attention to detail, to create story. A citizen of the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, Walters currently serves as the Tribe’s Council Chair and has previously directed cultural arts programming for the Nottoway Community House and Interpretive Center in Capron, Virginia. Her dual training in chemistry (B.S.) and pharmacy (Ph.D.), both earned at Virginia Commonwealth University, informs her distinctive approach to narrative textile work. Through her art, Walters advances public understanding of Nottoway culture while illuminating the ways science shapes everyday life. Her recent works include “The Brafferton,” housed in the Swem Library’s Special Collections at William & Mary; “Three Sisters” in Virginia held in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the UVA; and “Trusted Science,” housed in Haleon’s site in Richmond, VA.