Being born and raised on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i, has shaped Jones and her art making in a number of ways. By accessing her kuleana, a Hawai’ian value of responsibility to the land, Jones aims for a continual practice by ethically foraging natural materials from her surroundings for dye, slowly weaving natural fibers by hand, one thread at a time, and re-using all scrap yarn. Through following the threads of her attention, Jones takes the conversation with the loom slow, as fast as she can believing anything can be a thread and anyone can be weaver. This work explores connections with the land and Hawai’i through colors derived from nature and connecting woven threads. Her work is concerned with creating purpose and community by restoring her relationship with the land through craft.

Born and raised on the island of Oahu, Noelani Jones (she/her) is the “Weaver Beaver,” a play on words addressing the history of weaving, in the Western world, being considered “woman’s work.” There is merit to following in the footsteps of those who came before us and keeping the craft alive and remembered. Jones is a community-building fiber artist passionate about strengthening communities and individuals with art and an appreciation for the natural world. Jones has her BFA in Craft with a concentration in Fibers from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia. Jones lived on the island of Oahu, Hawai’i for the first 13 years of her life. Having this truly unique experience at a young age has shaped her and influenced her art making in a number of ways. Being surrounded by such a beautiful eco-system has made Jones very aware of her impact on the planet as well as her footprint as a weaver.

In 2019, Jones attended Penland School of Craft in the spring and in the summer was loomer-in-residence at Lazuli Residency in rural Vermont. Recently, she participated in Terrain Exhibitions Art-in-place initiative and was awarded a virtual Shelter residency from Overland Artworks. Currently, Jones lives in Greensboro, NC, working as Artistic Weaver in her Weaver Beaver studio practice.

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