Oksana Kononova

Kyrgyzstan

Year(s) attended: 2010, 2011

Felt Work and Embroidery

With Kyrgyzstan’s independence in the 1990s, the country’s economic infrastructure was destroyed.

For Oksana, who then had two small children, it was difficult to find work amid high unemployment. She and four other young women artisans formed a group to produce felt headwear.

The group now consists of 11 Kyrgyz women and four men who aim to revive, preserve, and develop folk art that originated from sheep-breeding and their culture’s previously nomadic way of life. Together they are studying and transferring their knowledge and skills to younger generations.