Livermore Public Library Launches Indigenous Artisan and Traditional Loom Weaving Heritage Series

The Livermore Public Library inaugurated a comprehensive Native American artisan and cultural heritage series on Sunday afternoon, welcoming dozens of local families to the Civic Center Library for hands-on loom weaving workshops and traditional craft preservation seminars. The cultural program is supported by the Livermore Library Foundation and California Humanities, offering East Bay residents direct engagement with regional Indigenous textile traditions.

Master artisan and cultural educator Corrina Gould led Sunday’s inaugural session, guiding participants through traditional willow loom warping, glass bead arrangement, and geometric symbolic motifs common to Ohlone and Northern California tribal traditions. Participants crafted wearable heirloom bracelets while learning about the botanical resources historically gathered across the Livermore Valley and Arroyo Mocho watershed.

Library Services Director Anji Brenner emphasized that public libraries serve as essential repositories of living history and civic understanding. Brenner noted that this autumn series expands the city’s equity and heritage commitments by connecting modern residents with thousands of years of Indigenous land stewardship in the Tri-Valley through authentic, community-centered cultural education.

The library’s heritage initiative also features an archival exhibition in the central gallery showcase, displaying historic basketry photographs, contemporary California Native poetry, and a dedicated bibliography of regional indigenous scholarship available for checkout across all three municipal branches. The exhibition remains open to library patrons through November 30.

Attendees of Sunday's workshop expressed deep appreciation for the hands-on learning format, noting that interacting directly with indigenous master weavers provided profound insights into the ecological balance and cultural sophistication of California's first peoples. Several local high school history teachers in attendance announced plans to incorporate the library's digital curriculum materials into upcoming social studies lessons across Livermore Valley Joint Unified classrooms.

Civic leaders emphasized that public arts funding in Livermore continues to prioritize cross-generational storytelling and local cultural preservation. The library foundation confirmed that recorded video documentation of each workshop will be added to the library's permanent digital oral history collection for future researchers and students.

Future workshops in the heritage series will take place every other Saturday at 2:00 PM inside the Storytime Room at 1188 South Livermore Avenue. Advance registration is free through the Livermore Library online portal or at the central reference desk, with all specialized loom materials provided at zero cost to participants.