ARTIST STATEMENT
Felicitas’ Dutch-Indonesian heritage influences much of her handwoven tapestry designs. Her family lived in the Dutch colonial island of Java and they managed to escape the genocide of Dutch patriots known as Bersiap. The genocide took place in the newly formed country of Indonesia from 1945 to 1950.
Much of Felicitas’ artwork includes original design tapestries inspired by Javanese dance masks, or wayang topeng. Her work also attempts to capture tempo doeloe which is a sense of nostalgia and mythology of a bygone era and to preserve a blend of Dutch and Indonesian cultures.
ARTIST BIO
Felicitas has been weaving since 1980 when she was introduced to the art while studying textiles at the Cooperstown (NY) Graduate Programs. She has shown and sold her handwoven scarves, clothing and accessories at shows, shops, galleries and festivals throughout the US. Felicitas also designed and wove religious textiles for churches, synagogues, members of the clergy and collectors. For several years, she was a weaving workshop leader with the non-profit agency, Creative Aging Mid-South.
Felicitas’ handwoven art has received awards such as juried status into the Small Expressions traveling exhibit of Handweavers Guild of America in 2022, Best of TN Craft in 2004 and 2021, Workshop Leader of the Year (Creative Aging Mid-South) in 2014, and Teach it Forward Award of the Handweavers Guild of America, 2007. Her handwoven art has been published in The Crafts Report, Handwoven Magazine, Shuttle, Spindle and Dyepot and 500 Judaica, an imprint of Lark Books.
Felicitas was born in the Netherlands and emigrated to the United States and lived in the Boston area. She attended Smith College and received an MA from Tufts University. Felicitas currently lives and weaves in Memphis, Tennessee.
© Felicitas Sloves