Toni Jo Gobin–born in 1985–was raised on the Tulalip reservation in the heart the Salish Sea and she is currently based in Hilo, HI.
Toni Jo is a first and foremost a cedar bark weaver, and a mixed media artist working in acrylic, pen and ink, cedar papermaking, watercolor, screenprint, printmaking, fashion design and paper cutting. Her works are innovative, fresh and contemporary, while incorporating traditional materials, techniques and motifs. Toni Jo is a well known baby board maker and she finds great joy in seeing her art being used to love and protect the next generation. She is also sought out for her Coast Salish tattoo designs. Her latest works have been papercut motifs inspired by the Salish Sea, its abundance and beauty.
Toni Jo started weaving with her mother and sister back in 1996, when the Tulalip Tribes Cultural Resources Department offered the first Cedar Bark Weaving class, made possible by a Cultural Rediscovery Grant. They were blessed to be taught by Anna Jefferson of the Lummi Nation, who was a student of the great Coast Salish Master Weaver, Fran James, also of the Lummi Nation. Around the same time, Toni Jo began participating in Tribal Journeys, which was where she gained much of her inspiration for Coast Salish Design. Jerry “Dxwsqius” Jones (Master Canoe Carver & Coast Salish Artist), taught her the basics of Coast Salish Design. She learned to sew from her mom, Judy Gobin. By age 15, Toni Jo was making her own dance regalia, from start to finish.
Toni Jo attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM and graduated with of Associates of Fine Arts in Studio Arts in 2006.