Maija Kolsi-Mäkelä was a Finnish textile designer who caught the imagination of an artist, researcher and writer, Mandy Pedigo.
In an article published in 2020 in Surface Design Journal from the Surface Design Association, the writer explains her search for information about the designer after coming across a mention in a small booklet. The article includes photographs of pieces and designs that give an idea of how these works were made. It also explains that the creations were made for the company Helmi Vuorelma Ltd, that used industrial handicraft. This concept employed industrial designers in collaboration with homeweavers. Handcrafts in Finland are highly valued and this model provided jobs for women, linking industrial output to artistic integrity, and helped the country survive economic downturns.
There is little information on the internet about the designer but there are a few pieces of her work in the textile collection. Please get in touch if you would like to see them.
Thank you to our reader who sent these links in to share.
Read more:
You have to love a place that has, as part of its aims, “joy” and “courage”! The Craft Museum of Finland.
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