Tasha Abourezk
Studio 12
Artist medium(s): Textiles
Artist Website: https://mhazuetsa.com/
Tasha Abourezk is Mandan/Hidatsa and a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes. She grew up in National Parks in North Dakota and Montana. She was raised around sewers and quilters, and she she started sewing at age 8. She credits her grandmothers for inspiring her love of sewing and quilting, and her mom for teaching her how to be absolutely precise.
“I found that with sewing and quilting, I could utilize textiles as a means to explore my heritage and personal experiences. It was like I was stitching together my culture into a contemporary interpretation that honored the past.”
Tasha started her sewing career as a quilter, but the entire time dreamed of creating bags. However she didn’t know the first thing about how to construct a bag, especially leather. After about five years of thinking about it, she finally dove in head first and hasn’t looked back since.
The MHAZUETSA tote bag aims to flow seamlessly through the day-to-day go-go-go into fun, effortless nights. Mhazuetsa means sweetgrass and is Tasha’s middle name passed down from her grandma and great-great-grandma. Like the tradition of passing on a family name, Tasha hopes her totes and bags are revered as heritage pieces passed from one generation to the next.
Current Work
