Our History
A photo of our organization’s co-founder, Yukako Satone, smiling with a short bob haircut and wearing a woven top.
A black and white photo of Misao Jo teaching a group of people about her weaving philosophy.
Our new logo in purple and blue with a thread running through the words Intertwine Arts. Underneath is a tagline, Weaving for Everyone.
Yukako Satone, a designer from Japan, created a SAORI weaving studio in NYC in 2008. As she established herself in this new environment, she saw the lack of accessible weaving services in the United States. So in 2015 she founded a 501(c)3 organization in collaboration with Ria Hawks, a pediatric nurse practitioner and weaver, and Brandy Godsil, a fiber artist and fashion designer.
Our organization was founded as SAORI Arts NYC, based on the weaving philosophy of SAORI. This term is a combination of the Zen term sai, which loosely translates to “the dignity of the individual,” and the Japanese word ori, which means “weaving”. The creator of SAORI Misao Jo and her son Kenzo designed looms with features that made weaving accessible for all, and gave opportunities for anyone and everyone to be creative.
Over the years, and particularly during the pandemic, we found that our work was transforming beyond using the SAORI loom. We developed virtual workshops that reached program participants in their homes, created communities of weavers sharing their work online, and our tools became materials that people could readily access at home. These new fiber arts techniques are now an integral part of our programming.
To reflect our organization’s growth and spirit, using do-it-yourself looms and alternative forms of weaving, we selected the new name of Intertwine Arts. With renewed vigor, our new name and tagline “Weaving For All” centers our goal to increase accessibility in fiber arts. We will continue to create opportunities for disabled and chronically ill communities to foster creativity and develop artistic independence.