Ilse Anysas-Šalkauskas

b. 1942, Berlin, Germany to Lithuanian refugees

A student of the Alberta College of Art (1976–1980), Ilse Anysas-Šalkauskas credits Katharine Dickerson for teaching her how to weave and instilling an experimental approach.

After graduation she began investigating the use of locally sourced leather scraps—upcycling and thrift a part of her family ethos. Rising from the Ashes is the second leather tapestry she created. It represents healing and survival against all odds—as Lithuanian refugees in Germany and later as immigrants to the U.S. and Canada. It also references her deep appreciation for the undulating landscape of the foothills in western Alberta with their cycles of growth and decay. Anysas-Šalkauskas continues to work with fibre, most often quilting and applique, and is teaching her granddaughter how to weave.