The opening of the new Threads of Life gallery in Lungsiakan

When the Threads of Life team came to us many moons ago and told us of their idea to open a new gallery, their first retail expansion in 22 years, we were overjoyed. When we saw it coming together we started to get excited. When we walked in through the doors the day it was officially completed, our jaws were on the ground.

To put together the opening event was an honor and we were so happy to see over 100 supporters and friends of the organization come into the space and make sure it was thoroughly warmed. The new gallery is truly magical and we’re looking forward to programming more events their in the future.

In the words of Threads of Life: The new education and retail space is devoted to the textile arts of Indonesia and is a culmination of 22 years of our work with 1000 weavers across 12 islands in Indonesia.

We will continue to operate our first gallery on Jalan Kajeng, in central Ubud, which opened in 2001. At that time we were working with only 14 natural dye traditional weavers on three islands: 12 from Lembata, one in Flores, and one in Sumba.

The new gallery now holds natural dye textiles, traditional basketry, and carvings from 12 islands of this remarkable archipelago, including Java, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Timor, Lembata, Sumba, Flores, Savu, and Rai Jua, Bali, and Nusa Penida.

On these walls and shelves is the work of more than 1200 women and craftspeople who are committed to carrying on the traditions of their mothers and grandmothers.

We hope visitors will take their time, open the specially made drawers one by one, and look closely at the art that often takes more than nine months to create—the complexity of the dye process requires a rich diversity of dye materials across a range of terrains and climates. Visitors can also watch the Tradition Keepers Documentary Series in the lounge area, or book a class or residency at the Threads of Life Natural Dye Studio.