Neng Yang is a first-generation Hmong refugee who has fused the classic art of American quilt making with the traditional embroidery she learned in Laos. Neng handmakes each piece with intricate detail and designs that honor her Hmong culture. Her beautiful work would be a special keepsake in any home.
Who are you and what do you do?
I am a first generation Hmong refugee from Laos and Thailand. I have lived in the United States now for 39 years; 30 of those years in MN. I grew up in Laos doing traditional Hmong needlework (cross stitching and appliques) as part of my traditional clothing to wear on a daily and during festivals. As I acclimated to my new life in the USA, I have started to apply my skills towards quilt designs and sharing my art with the craft communities I’ve found in MN.
Have you always been passionate about art and design?
My Hmong needlework is an essential part of my cultural identity and connects me with the country I grew up in. It also allows me to share my Hmong culture with the larger community here in the USA thus fueling my passion for my artwork. I started creating my own designs into quilts, table runners, and pillows which has allowed me to be more creative and blend the two cultures (Hmong and American) of which I am now a part of.
What’s your favorite item that you sell?
My absolute favorite from over the years of selling and making my craft are my quilts. I started venturing into American quilt making back in the 1986 and only started incorporating my Hmong designs in 2005; making it the first Hmong incorporated designed quilts that I knew of. My Hmong quilts are my pride and the peak of my needlework thus far. It makes me proud to bridge my Hmong art skills with an American quilt tradition and share it with the art community that I have found here.
What do you think sets your designs apart from others?
Doubling down on the notion that this is truly a Hmong-American art form that speaks to the connection between the two cultures that I now live in, am a part of, and is who I am. I am passionate about the meaning behind my Hmong artwork and being able to showcase this in such a rooted American quilt-making tradition.
Check out more of Neng's work online, and be sure to stop by her booth at the Minneapolis Gift & Art Expo, November 2-4, 2018 at the Minneapolis Convention Center!
www.facebook.com/HANDMADEBYNENGYANG/
Email: Handmadebynengyang@gmail.com