Lenna Designs



Lenna Designs

About The Artist

Lenna Keshishian • New City, NY
Fiber & Textiles • CUSTOM COMMISSIONS

Lenna is a textile artist and designer interested in creating work related to interior spaces. She received her BA from Tyler School of Art and went on to obtain her MFA in Textiles from Parsons School of Design. Born and raised in New York, Lenna’s stand out pieces are made bold by their combination of material choices & colors. Bridging the gap between fine art and design, Lenna hopes to revive appreciation for hand crafted objects by incorporating ancient techniques into fresh, modern designs.



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Q&A with the Artist

Tell us how your work is made.

My love and curiosity for textiles has prompted me to explore all types of making techniques from weaving and crocheting to embroidery and beading. I have a floor loom in which I spend much time sourcing my yarns and planning out my design before I dive into a new woven piece. My embroidered work is fun for me as well. As an Armenian who can see firsthand the major role of craft in my culture, like needlelace and embroidery, I find that it’s important to study traditional craft forms before implementing these techniques into my making practice. I approach my making with the aim to honor these traditional crafts while also making more relevant work for today. I do this through my material choices, playing with colors and by utilizing new technology like laser cutting and 3D printing.


What makes you passionate about the medium you work with?

I grew up with a strong cultural identity as an Armenian woman, but I was also born and raised in New York with strong Western ideas about the world. This dichotomy of traditional vs modern plays into my work through materiality. I source my materials by thinking about what each signifies to create a dialogue and a story within my work. By combining classic, natural materials with synthetic, urban materials I unify old-world craft with modern day society.

What is something unique about you or your practice?

The use of various techniques within one piece is something that makes my work unique. Taking methods used for basketry and incorporating them into an embroidered wall decor piece, for example, makes my work stand out. Using pops of color from recycled materials and combining materials that normally wouldn't be used together has always been fun for me and is an unexpected visual spark for the viewer.