Mary-Ann Sievert is a Swedish-born, New York-based artist and designer specializing in tapestry weaving and painting. While initially starting out as a painter, her focus shifted to Fiber Art while completing her BFA at Parsons School of Design. She later developed her weaving practice at the Textilgården workshop (Stockholm) and the tapestry studio of Michelle Lester (New York). She draws inspiration from her family’s deep-rooted tradition in fiber arts. Knitting, crocheting, sewing, and embroidering were done by prominent women in her life - her mother, aunt and grandmother while her great-uncle practiced both painting and printmaking. Her tapestries balance meticulous craftmanship with expressive spontaneity in a way that allows the space for personal and structural exploration.
What drew you to the world of textiles? How/when did you first get involved in weaving and making tapestries?
I was born into a world of textiles as they have always been prevalent in Swedish culture. In Scandinavia, textiles are highly regarded and used in homes as fine table cloths for holidays or special occasions, draperies and curtains, rugs and floor coverings, decorative wall hangings, and multiple other uses. My mother, her mother, and my aunt always had projects they were working on and were available to show me anything I may have been interested in learning.
I took my first weaving class while I was in high school. My mother and I both took this class taught by a friend of hers. I loved working with yarn and found the process of multiple harness loom weaving fascinating. I continued with classes in college followed by an 8-month apprenticeship with sculptor and tapestry artist, Jo Ben Shmuel, before starting at Parsons School of Design. While at Parsons, one of my teachers, Michelle Lester, asked me to work in her tapestry studio where I eventually served as studio manager. That is where I honed my tapestry weaving skills as we regularly worked on commissions as well as speculative work.
What part of textile history interests you the most? Are there any textile artists that you are influenced by?
Choosing a favorite era in textile history is difficult because textiles have played an essential role in every culture. The work of Indigenous peoples in the Americas is extraordinary, as is the rich textile heritage of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Every society has incorporated textiles into its history, highlighting their universal importance. Whether for functional purposes—like clothing and shelter—or as expressions of love, faith, or hope, textiles have always been with us. Each culture has its own distinct style, making it nearly impossible to choose one over another. Beauty can be found in all of them.
In the ateliers of France and Belgium, exquisite tapestries were traditionally designed by painters and woven by highly skilled weavers. While the painters themselves were not directly involved in the weaving process, the 20th century saw fiber emerge as a chosen medium for many artists who took a hands-on approach. This shift gained momentum in the 1960s with the rise of the Women’s Movement, when fiber art attracted a broader range of artists—not just women. As a result, many art schools began incorporating fiber into their curricula, recognizing it as a legitimate artistic medium.
One of my favorite artists is Sonia Delaunay, who seamlessly moved between painting and textiles. Annie Albers is another powerhouse—her knowledge and influence in the field are invaluable. Other artists have pushed the boundaries of fiber art with more sculptural and non-traditional approaches, including Lenore Tawney, Olga de Amaral, and Sheila Hicks, whose off-loom works have been groundbreaking (notably featured in the 2024 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art). In the realm of tapestry, Helena Hernmarck has developed a unique technique for achieving photorealistic effects. Michelle Lester, whose abstracted landscapes were quite different from my own work, was also a major influence—not only in weaving techniques but also in the way she managed her studio.
Where/what do you look to for inspiration? Has this changed over time or stayed constant?
Inspiration comes from many directions, often unexpectedly. Years ago, I created a series of abstract figurative tapestries influenced by an exhibition of Wassily Kandinsky’s paintings. I’ve also explored grid imagery in various forms. At one point, while flipping through an anatomy book, I was struck by an illustration of the brain, which led me to incorporate the image into drawings, collages, paintings, and eventually tapestries. A biography of Cleopatra sparked another unexpected source of inspiration—scarabs— which found their way into both my paintings and tapestries.
My current work is a series of five tapestries representing different phases of my life, inspired by A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. While my work evolves over time, I don’t actively seek out ideas—they seem to find me, often in ways I never anticipate.
Tell us about your process, start to finish how you conceive of and make your pieces.
Drawing has always been essential for me in preparing any work. Sometimes that may be using pencil, paint, color pencils, or for my recent series, Prismacolor or Sharpie markers. I will often make several drawings from which I choose one for a tapestry project. It can be a rudimentary sketch or a final and completed drawing but this is always where I begin. Since weaving is a process of building, there has to be a plan. This requires a kind of vigilance while working since having to rip out work is obviously to be avoided. Still, there are times when I change my mind and I do undo what I’ve just woven but I try to be mindful as I work.
Your art practice is not limited to textiles but explores several other mediums including drawing and painting. You have stated, “there is something profoundly sensuous about weaving a tapestry that is entirely different from the application of paint onto a surface.” What is different about working with textiles versus other mediums, is there something distinct that textiles allow you to express that’s different than say working with paint?
When I say that there is something profoundly sensuous about weaving a tapestry and how that is entirely different from the application of paint onto a surface, it is because the relationship to the medium is different. When weaving a tapestry, one is intimately engaged with the wool. The technique requires continuous manipulation of the material. The wool itself has a compelling story – it originates from an animal and ultimately finds itself in my hands. When I’m mixing paint, there is a distance from the medium and when painting, there is a tool, a brush, rag, or some other utensil, whereas with weaving, there is immediate and constant contact. I don’t use bobbins, I wind wool with my hands into “butterflies” for the weft and use my hands to pick the warp back and forth. I don’t use heddles or treadles. It’s as stripped-down as it can get.
There are recurring themes that show up in your work across the different disciplines? How do these themes and mediums intersect?
When I come upon a “theme,” I want to explore it from various perspectives. This allows me to delve into the idea and consider it from different angles. Often as I work, another approach comes to mind resulting in yet another image. Moving between paint and tapestry increases the possibilities.
The image of the brain shows up in very intriguing ways in your work, can you elaborate on how that motif evolved in your work?
My exploration of the brain image began with a collage inspired by an anatomy book illustration. The composition depicted an interior space and included two other images: a theatrical production cover featuring a woodcut by Édouard Manet and a musical performance cover by Louis Armstrong. The brain served as a symbol of each artist’s distinct approach to their art.
As I studied the rendering further, I saw endless possibilities for using it independently. I experimented with multiple versions—oil on paper or canvas, charcoal, pastel, and ultimately, tapestry. These variations became representations of different states of mind, individuals, places, or behaviors, each interpretation offering a new perspective on the same form.
How does working in a series affect your practice?
Working within a series goes back to themes in my work. It is a result of seeing numerous possibilities of an initial idea. It can also be something I return and add to after years of focusing on a different series.
How does your Scandinavian heritage, including your early childhood in Sweden, influence your relationship with textiles?
Having spent my early childhood in Sweden and regularly returning to see family and friends, I am reminded of how Scandinavian Design has been ubiquitous both in and outside of Scandinavia. This design philosophy extends beyond textiles to encompass ceramics, furniture, woodwork, metalwork, and other utilitarian objects.
While I have a particular affinity for textiles, I deeply appreciate how all these crafts involve a tangible connection between the artisan’s hands and their chosen materials. In Scandinavia, there’s a widespread respect and appreciation for such handcrafted works, reflecting a cultural commitment to quality and functionality in everyday objects.
What role do improvisation and music play in your current work?
The role of music in my current work has been “instrumental” in informing the drawings as they depict different phases of my life. Music evokes memories. Music can truly serve as a marker of a certain time in one’s life. When I then start a tapestry based on a drawing, I don’t necessarily listen to only music I heard at a particular time. Rather, what I listen to crosses genres and time as it “accompanies” me while I weave.
Music has also informed the work on an ongoing project I call “Brain Squares”. These are made of 12” x 12” birch plywood and include both pre-planned and improvised components. The pre-planned aspect is that all the squares include a brain image in which I use the same two stencils and enamel spray paint but in different color combinations. The background in all these pieces is the improvised part. For that, I use colored Sharpie markers and each background is different. While I am only about halfway through, the plan is to have 64 of these squares arranged in an 8x8 grid.
Can you talk about your use of color and dyeing in your work?
Years ago I was able to purchase cones of wool in many different shades of colors but for certain effects, I would opt to dye the wool myself. As my inventory of purchased colored yarns has dwindled, I am dyeing wool to arrive at a particular color that I need. In the recent work, the colors are very intense and dyeing the wool gives me that intensity. I use acid dyes for wool or silk and find the process to be very effective. I admit that I am sometimes apprehensive when I have to mix dyes to arrive at a certain shade that I am after but if I miss, it will not be wasted as it will inevitably be used for another project. But usually, I get to the color I want – I think having mixed oil paint over the years, the blending of color with powdered dye is no different.
Have you encountered challenges specific to working with fiber arts and creating tapestries and how have you confronted them? Do you have a favorite aspect of the process?
Working with fiber and especially tapestry weaving, there are often challenges. These are typically mechanical such as warp threads having different tension but this can be resolved by simply using cardboard wedged between the warp and the upper beam. I’m sure I’ve made nearly every mistake possible but at this point, I pretty much have the process down. The one downside to weaving a tapestry is how labor intensive it is. But short of having someone else do the weaving, which I would not prefer, it simply has to take the time it takes.
My favorite aspect of the process of weaving is the intimacy. There is a relationship one creates with the piece. It’s a kind of dance and when there is an uninterrupted flow, it is especially satisfying. The completion of the piece is always acutely felt when I have to cut the warp and prepare for the finishing. The finishing process is never as rewarding as the weaving itself.
You described creating as, “an irrepressible need,” can you elaborate on that? What is driving your artistic process and creativity?
The irrepressible need to create feels sometimes like a compulsion. Not an oppressive one, just an opportunity to actualize ideas and images I think about. To not be able to execute them, would leave me feeling terrible.
How do you imagine your work evolving in the future?
My tapestry work is continually evolving. Currently, I’m developing ideas for future projects, beginning with preliminary sketches. However, my immediate focus is on completing the fourth and fifth pieces of my current series. Once these are finished, I can devote my time to developing what I plan to do next.
I’m also contemplating a series of paintings. These are in the nascent stages, supported by a few initial sketches and drawings that will serve as the foundation for further development.
Do you have any upcoming shows or projects you are excited about?
Other than this show at Heirloom, right now no others are imminent. I am hoping to include some recent pieces in this show that I am very excited about. I have been working on them in tandem with the tapestries and they are completely different from what I have done so far. These pieces are not tapestries; they are woven on a multiple harness loom. The idea itself was conceived about eight years ago and I have made a few prototypes but am only now arriving at final pieces.
