weaversguildofminnesota
Lila Nelson, weaver
Lila Nelson was an adventurous Minnesota farm girl who left the land to attend college, join the U.S. Air Force, and then forge a national reputation as a scholar and artist of traditional Norwegian textiles. She and her late husband Marion Nelson are credited with transforming Vesterheim into the premier ethnic museum that it is today. In the mid-1960s, they were hired to catalog the collection of art, pottery, furniture, and other artifacts at the museum, then affiliated with Luther College. When Vesterheim became an independent nonprofit in 1965, Lila became the museum’s Textile Curator and Marion Nelson the museum’s Executive Director. Lila, who passed away on May 26, 2015, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at age 93, was an exceptional woman who was active in the Weavers Guild of Minnesota for decades, taught classes and led tours to Norway, and created an impressive body of weaving.
Lila Nelson was also featured in the 2012 Fiber Art Almanac, an art calendar featuring Midwest fiber and textile artists.
Lila Nelson, weaver
Lila Nelson was an adventurous Minnesota farm girl who left the land to attend college, join the U.S. Air Force, and then forge a national reputation as a scholar and artist of traditional Norwegian textiles. She and her late husband Marion Nelson are credited with transforming Vesterheim into the premier ethnic museum that it is today. In the mid-1960s, they were hired to catalog the collection of art, pottery, furniture, and other artifacts at the museum, then affiliated with Luther College. When Vesterheim became an independent nonprofit in 1965, Lila became the museum’s Textile Curator and Marion Nelson the museum’s Executive Director. Lila, who passed away on May 26, 2015, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at age 93, was an exceptional woman who was active in the Weavers Guild of Minnesota for decades, taught classes and led tours to Norway, and created an impressive body of weaving.
Lila Nelson was also featured in the 2012 Fiber Art Almanac, an art calendar featuring Midwest fiber and textile artists.