Skye Tafoya​ 

I am a paper-weaver and a basket-weaver, both being an essential part of my being as each process connects me with my family lineage, my tribal cultures, and my own personal experiences. In the past during the Winter season, my dad and I used to gather willow and weave willow baskets, and some of my earliest memories of my maternal Grandmother was watching her naturally dye and weave baskets. It is because of these experiences, that I have an affinity toward basketry and weaving.

I am highly fascinated with the knowledge, the effort and the caretaking involved in basketmaking and weaving process. I think it resembles variations of the processes within bookmaking and printmaking, which is why I continuously choose to work in these mediums. I appreciate how each step informs the next and that thinking backwards is essential. In each medium, problem-solving is inevitable and often beautiful mistakes come out of even a well thought out project. 

My relationship to the basket, my culture, my language, and my personal and family narratives are influential to the work that I create, whether it be a paper-weaving, print, or book. My work is a way to preserve and share narratives that otherwise would be forgotten.