Abby Hollis is a fiber artist and craft community organizer in Fayetteville, AR working toward the revitalization of local fiber systems. In her own craft practice, she spins and weaves using predominantly Ozark wool. Her work places emphasis on material processes, object memory, and relational skill sharing over finished product and often questions the way that modern western society values (or fails to value) textiles and their makers.

After growing up in Fayetteville, AR, Hollis attended the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) where she received a BFA in Fibers and Design for Sustainability. During and after her time at SCAD, she studied textile systems in Northwest Arkansas, Coastal Georgia, Hong Kong, Northern India, and south-central Peru, striving toward cultural literacy and an understanding of the global impact of art and design. She has worked as a product designer for LIVSN Designs, Darcy Apparel, beardedgoat, Nativ, Sequoyah Collective Inc, Awamaki, and JOYN Bags and has been featured in the Crystal Bridges Mobile Art Lab, the Crafting Art History in the Ozarks Symposium, Ozark Folkways Fiber Fest, NWA Fashion Week, the CFDA Fashion Future Showcase, the Interface Uplifted by Design Exhibition, Sustainable Fashion Week, and more. She is a co-founder of the Ozark chapter of Fibershed, a board member at Ozark Folkways, and the Product Manager and Head of Sustainability at outdoor apparel brand LIVSN Designs.

education

  • SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN, BFA Fibers & Design for Sustainability | Savannah, GA and Hong Kong | September 2017 - August 2020 | Summa Cum Laude, National Merit Scholarship, and SCAD Academic Honors Scholarship

DESIGN EXPERIENCE

  • PRODUCT MANAGER AND HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY, LIVSN Designs | Bentonville, AR | August 2023 - present

  • APPAREL DESIGN CONSULTANT, Contractor | Fayetteville, AR | October 2021 - August 2023

  • PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, Sequoyah Collective | Fayetteville, AR | November 2020 - August 2021

  • INTERIM PRODUCT MANAGER, Awamaki | Ollantaytambo, Peru | July - August 2019

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • FEATURED ARTIST, Crystal Bridges Mobile Art Lab | NWA Region | May - November 2024 | Developing an adaptable, interactive lesson plan with connections to featured artwork and popping up at after-school programs, libraries, and festivals to increase access to art and making.

  • CAMP DIRECTOR, Ozark Folkways Kids Fiber Camp | Winslow, AR | Summer 2023, 2024 | Organized and executed a week long kids camp where students learned traditional textile processes from sheep shearing to wool processing to spinning, weaving, felting, and more.

  • WORKSHOP ORGANIZER, Ozark Folkways x Shiloh Museum Intro to Ozark Weaving | Winslow, AR | July 2024 | Collaborating with craft and Ozark history experts to organize a beginner weaving workshop highlighting weaving in the Ozarks.

  • EXHIBITOR, Shiloh Museum Fibers to Fabric | Springdale, AR | April 2024 | Demonstrating shearing and teaching students about “fiber miles”

  • ACTIVATION LEAD, Experience Fayetteville First Thursday | Fayetteville, AR | September 2023 | Taught First Thursday attendees how to spin on a drop spindle as part of the folkways themed event.

  • ART EDUCATOR, Founder Classical Academy | Rogers, AR | August 2022 - May 2023 | Taught middle school students a variety of art and design mediums and principles.

  • DEMONSTRATOR, Wool and Wheel Spinning Guild at Cane Hill Harvest Festival | Cane Hill, AR | September 2022, 2023

  • DEMONSTRATOR, Wool and Wheel Spinning Guild at Prairie Grove Battlefield Reenactment | Prairie Grove, AR | December 2022

  • WORKSHOP LEAD, Art and Entrepreneurship Residency | Fayetteville, AR | July 2022 | Taught attendees how to spin on a drop spindle as part of a summer residency under the supervision of Professor Adrienne Callander

  • WORKSHOP ASSISTANT, Awamaki | Ollantaytambo, Peru | May - July 2018 | Developed visual communication tools and organized workshops to promote entrepreneurship among artisan women

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

  • “AGRICULTURE, ECOLOGY, AND CRAFT” PANELIST, Crafting Art History in the Ozarks Symposium | Fayetteville, AR | January 2024

  • “CONVERSATIONS AND COMMUNITY WITH OZARK FIBERSHED” MODERATOR, Hillfolk | Springdale, AR | December 2022

  • “FASHION AND SUSTAINABILITY” PANELIST, NWA Fashion Week | Bentonville, AR | November 2022

  • “CRAFTIVISM” PANELIST, Ozark Folkways Fiber Fest | Winslow, AR | October 2022

  • “ENCOUNTERS WITH WOOL” ORGANIZER AND FACILITATOR, Shoulder to Shoulder | Fayetteville, AR | July 2022

  • “BUSINESS ETHICS SUSTAINABILITY SHOWCASE” PRESENTER, Emory University | Virtual | May 2021

  • “DESIGNING HUMAN-CENTERED LOGISTICS SYSTEMS” FEATURED GUEST, Dynamo VC Future of Supply Chain Podcast | July 2020 

  • “STUDENT VOICES ON GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP” PANELIST, EF Global Education Symposium | Boston, MA | 2018

ADVISORY ROLES

  • ADVISORY BOARD, Ozark Folkways | Winslow, AR | January 2023 - present

  • CO-FOUNDER, Ozark Fibershed | Prairie Grove, AR | August 2022 - present

  • JUROR, Savannah College of Art and Design Cotton Inc. Competition | Virtual | March 2024

  • COUNCILPERSON AND CHAIR, Fayetteville Arts Council | Fayetteville, AR | Councilperson March 2022 - December 2022, Chair January 2023 - July 2023 (role ended due to a move out of the city)