Maija Atvars
Latvian embroidery
Renton, WA
Maija Atvars is a first-generation Latvian who has studied traditional Latvian
embroidery basics in Latvian Elementary schools and who apprenticed for many years under
the late master Skaidrite Abolins. For nearly twenty years Abolins taught Maija to make
her own traditional Latvian folk costumes, incorporating ornamental symbols grouped in
the orders and sequences which reflect and express Latvian folk traditions. For many years,
Atvars has become a master in her own right and has taken over the role as the Washington
Latvian community’s primary teacher.
During WWII many Latvian immigrants fled to the US, bringing with them many traditional
embroidery techniques. While under Russian rule, many Latvian art forms were modified to
suit the general concept of the ideal non-nationalistic Soviet citizen. All costumes and
dances were modified to blend various cultures. As such, some Latvian-Americans hold a more
traditional form of Latvian art than do native Latvians.
In addition to participating in WSAC’s Apprenticeship Program, Maija was a featured artist
in the Seattle Arts Commission’s exhibit Traditional Contemporary Ethnic Textiles:
New Acquisitions To the Portable Collection.