PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Mary Lukkarila, 218-879-1531
Rya (Ryijy) Rug – Finnish National Treasure
Liisa Ojala will discuss the development of Finnish rya (ryijy) from home handicraft to
contemporary art at the Cloquet Public Library on Saturday, November 1 at 10:00 a.m.
Her presentation will include 80 slides from century peasant rya to individually designed
textile art.
Finnish rya rug weaving dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries in Finland. The most
beautiful of the Finnish folk “ryijy” rugs were woven between the 1770s and 1820’s. By
that time, the art of weaving pile rugs of rya type had spread though the whole western
area of Finnish folk culture. During Gustavus Vasa time, ryas were collected as taxes and
used for decoration on the walls of crown manors. Folk weavers continued to work on
patterns taken from upper class ryas by combining motifs peculiar to various styles with
geometric squares and stripes. Later, in the hands of artists, the ryas, like other works of
art, conformed to major trends during the various eras past. They could be identified
through their motifs and colors to various regions. Rya further developed in modern times
into art complimenting architecture.
Liisa Ojala comes from a family of long textile tradition from Finland. In the U.S., for
the last 25 years, Liisa worked as an interior designer handling textiles on her job. With
an M.A. and B.A. from the University of Minnesota in German and Scandinavian
literature, the opportunity to be involved with museum quality exhibitions has honed
Liisa's design sense, working at the International Design Center for 9 years before
becoming an independent designer.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Cloquet Public Library and is free of
charge.