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Kevin Aspaas

He // Him // His

Weaver

Shiprock, NM

Kevin, a Navajo person with glasses and dark hair, stands in a room in front of shelves of various vessels. He wears a blue button down over a white shirt, brown pants, and dangling turquoise earrings. On one hand he wears a bracelet featuring turquoise stones. On the other hand, which is placed on the back of a wooden chair, he wears a turquoise ring and a black watch. In front of him is a table with colorful woven tapestries on top.
“As a textile artist, it’s a responsibility to create work that continues the legacy left to us by my ancestors. By actively practicing the ways of Navajo textile arts, I ensure the art form continues for the next generation. We once wove for one another. While creating traditional textile work, I also push beyond the frameworks that Navajo textiles are known for.”

Kevin Aspaas (he/him) is a Navajo textile and fiber artist. Known for his work with the Navajo wedge weave technique, Aspaas practices a process he calls “sheep to loom.” This process entails gathering and spinning wool from the small flock of Navajo-Churro sheep he raises in Shiprock, New Mexico. In addition to spinning his own yarn, Aspaas works exclusively with natural dyes, noting that “producing textiles in the manner that [his] ancestors have done honors not only [his] relatives from the past, but also the land and animals."

Donor -The Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft are supported by the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation.

This artist page was last updated on: 05.21.2025

Craft
A woven tapestry features a colorful zigzag motif, as well as smaller black-and-white checkered and colorful triangular motifs. In the center is a light-colored rectangle featuring colorful geometric shapes. The top and bottom edges of the tapestry are slightly scalloped. From each corner, threads of wool are lain out.

Metamorphosis by Kevin Aspaas, 2024. Textiles, wool, 28 × 39 inches. Installation at Crystal Bridges Museum.

Photo by Garrett Vreeland.

A mannequin standing amid a rocky landscape is outfitted in an ankle-length, light cream-colored garment with a geometric pattern border along the hem of the skirt and across the bodice. A red sash with a green border and a white geometric pattern is tied around the mannequin's waist, with red, white, and green twists of yarn hanging down the mannequin's hips. Around the mannequin's neck is a red beaded necklace with turquoise accent beads and several strings of turquoise beads hanging down at the center.

Kinyáa’aanii Asdzaan (Towering House Woman) by Kevin Aspaas, 2024. Textiles, wool, 28 × 48 inches. Personal collection.

A woven tapestry features a zigzag motif of gold, beige, black, and various shades of blue. A border of solid blue and beige is at the top and bottom of the tapestry. There are loose blue threads collecting at the four corners of the tapestry.

Untitled by Kevin Aspaas, 2022. Textiles, wool, 32 × 46 inches. Gochman Collection.