Our Team

  • A woman kneeling on the ground in a forested area, holding her hands up, interacting with a group of children who are gathered around her. The children seem engaged and are outdoors in a natural setting.

    Janice Arnold

    FOUNDER + ARTIST

    Janice Arnold’s handmade textiles, rooted in nomadic tradition, honor Central Asian Indigenous makers, linked to the origins of Felt. Since 1999, she has been pushing the boundaries of Felt as an art form while simultaneously incorporating education infused with culture and history to her work. In 2022, she was invited by the Smithsonian, the US Embassy, and the Union of Artisans of Kazakhstan (sponsored by Chevron) to deliver a series of presentations and masterclasses for Kazakh artisans and their communities. At the end of her residency, she was adopted as an Honorary Member of the Union of Artisans of Kazakhstan.

    The scope, character, quality, and passion of her work led to a feature in Smithsonian Magazine.

    In 2024, Arnold founded The FELT Road as a nonprofit dedicated to honoring and raising awareness of the Indigenous, nomadic origins of handmade Felt through the lenses of culture, history, science, and art. These goals are achieved through presentations, exhibitions, immersive experiences, and community-based projects for all ages, skill levels, and walks of life.

  • A woman in a blue rain jacket and patterned skirt standing in front of a large sign that reads "MUSEUM CRAFT DESIGN" on a white, metal garage door, smiling and gesturing upwards.

    Lisa Mothersbaugh

    PROJECT + RESEARCH COORDINATOR

    Lisa Mothersbaugh is a multimedia artist, writer, and musician. In 2016, she began researching Felt in collaboration with Janice Arnold for her Felt DeCoded exhibition at the San Francisco’s Museum of Craft & Design. Over the last 9 years, she has assisted in many JA Felt roles including install support, workshops, community events and international travel. Former relevant experience includes working in museum collections and curation at MOHAI and the Seattle Asian Art Museum, administrative support for the National Nordic Museum, Burke Museum, NBBJ architecture firm, and, most recently, as project manager of Botanical Colors’ natural dyehouse. She is inspired by the natural world and passionate about the connection between humans, textiles and nature.