Maryam Monadi (Lake Oswego) is a Persian rug weaver who studied with a master in Tehran to learn this ancient art. An expert in different weaving styles, Monadi makes carpets, decorative weavings, and woven purses and wallets.
Bio
Maryam Monadi, who is of Persian heritage, grew up in Iran. Though she went to nursing school and made nursing her career, she grew up surrounded by intricately woven carpets, wall hangings, and other objects. In the early 2000s, after she retired, Monadi sought out a master weaver in Tehran from whom she learned various styles and techniques, including those for weaving kilim, the term for woven wool carpets; she also learned to make the more elaborate woven cut-pile silk rugs. From her home in Lake Oswego, Monadi makes rugs and carpets for practical and decorative use on her two hand looms. She is also teaching her daughter this traditional craft of Persian weaving. Though there is a small Iranian community in Lake Oswego, it is difficult for Monadi to find the appropriate materials and tools to create her intricate kilim and rugs. In order to practice her craft, whenever she visits her homeland, Monadi fills her suitcases with beautifully dyed wool, silk, and cotton. She enjoys sharing her craft with others and often sets up her loom in her building’s community room, where she demonstrates traditional techniques to friends and neighbors, occasionally selling a piece or two. Monadi weaves using a combination of patterns and creative inspiration. Persian kilim and woven cut-pile carpets feature a variety of traditional motifs and colors, which Monadi adapts for her weavings. In addition to carpets and kilim, she repurposes the same techniques to craft purses and wallets.
