Debra Sparrow
ArtisanWeaving, Textiles
Debra Sparrow suits a visitor who wants to take home a blanket drawn from a Musqueam weaver's own work, through Salish Blanket Co.'s collection of her and her daughter's designs. The company's production partner in the EU weaves the blankets from her originals, and her hand-woven pieces hang in museums and public spaces.
Photo Salish Blanket Co. · From their own site and others, credited in the gallery
Debra Sparrow (Qwasen) was born and raised on the Musqueam Indian Reserve and began learning Salish weaving in the 1980s, Salish Blanket Co. writes. At the time the techniques had largely been lost in her community. Alongside a group of Musqueam women she helped recover and rebuild that knowledge from museum collections and family blankets. Her woven works hang at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and at Vancouver International Airport, among other public places.
Her daughter Aleen Sparrow learned from her and weaves too. Salish Blanket Co.'s first collection draws on original weavings by both women and turns them into 100% cotton blankets made by its partner in the EU. The company describes its job as preserving the integrity of the original work.
Worth knowing
- Look for Debra Sparrow's large woven works at YVR and MOA, which you can see for free at the airport.
Quick answers about Debra Sparrow
Where can you buy a blanket designed by Debra Sparrow?
Salish Blanket Co. sells cotton blankets drawn from original weavings by Musqueam weavers Debra Sparrow and Aleen Sparrow through its website.
What does Debra Sparrow make?
Original Salish weavings made by hand on a traditional Salish loom. Salish Blanket Co. turns her weavings and her daughter Aleen Sparrow's into cotton blankets woven by its production partner in the EU.