Interwoven: Preserving and Documenting the Jaspe (Ikat) Rebozo Tradition in Tenancingo, Mexico

For over forty years, Hillary Steel has nurtured her interest in ikat, an important global textile tradition. Since 2007, she has traveled to Mexico to research and learn the jaspe (ikat) tradition in Tenancingo. Preserving knowledge and honoring the practitioners of this historic rebozo-making tradition has been a central passion of her work.

In this engaging program, Hillary will share insights from her research through a clear “how-to” overview of dyeing and weaving processes, stories from her time in Mexico, and samples of her own work, along with examples of fine cotton rebozos made by master weavers in the Tenancingo community.

Hillary’s book, Ikat Traditions: The Mexican Jaspe Rebozo, is a beautifully illustrated text that has been translated and will soon be available in Spanish. She will bring copies of the English edition, first published in 2024, for the audience to view.

An artist and teacher specializing in weaving and resist-dyeing, Hillary Steel incorporates ikat and shibori techniques into handwoven wall pieces influenced by textile traditions from around the world. Her studies have been enriched by travel to Côte d’Ivoire, Peru, Chile, and Mexico. Ikat Traditions: The Mexican Jaspe Rebozo documents the process of creating a traditional resist-dyed rebozo on a backstrap loom, based on her experience learning alongside master weaver Don Evaristo Borboa Casas and other artisans in Tenancingo, State of Mexico.

Hillary’s artwork has been included in national and international exhibitions, including several solo shows. Her work is held in private and public collections such as the DC Art Bank, the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, the George Washington University Textile Museum, and several American embassies, and was featured in Art on the Edge: Seventeen Contemporary American Artists, published by the U.S. Department of State. She is the recipient of a 2018 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award and a 2021 Artist and Scholars Grant from the Montgomery County Council on the Arts and Humanities.