Joy Totah Hilden Author

Joy Totah Hilden is an acknowledged authority on Bedouin textiles. Born in Jerusalem in 1935, she spent her childhood in Palestine, where she observed many crafts in action, including Bedouin weaving. Subsequently, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute, and later earned teaching credentials in Art and English. She took her interest in textiles with her to Saudi Arabia, and her experience with Arabic enabled her to communicate with Bedouin women about their dyeing, spinning and weaving, while her academic background proved useful with the writing, drawing and photography involved in her detailed and exhaustive field research. From her home in Berkeley, California she has continued to present on the subject and correspond with textile artists and members of the thriving weaving community from around the world.