“The origin of this collective began when I realized that my artist friends in Mexico were struggling with the pandemic situation. I know how talented they are, and I know that the world would be interested in knowing more about their art. Our goal with this Collective is to develop a connection between the Mexican folk artists living in Mexico and the Mexican folk artists living in USA, empowering our art through sharing our process, our towns, our inspiration. We think that sharing this with you will be a way to give greater value to our work. We deeply believe that by working together we can show a sample of our cultural diversity and demonstrate that the future is better working in Collective. I moved to the USA in 2019, and I feel so happy of bringing Mexico with me through my art and now through my artist friends’ art.” -Gabriela Marván, Mexican Folk Art Collective Director.

Thank you for supporting us by sharing our webiste with one of your friends.

Details:

This unique 3-day offering is a collaboration between the Mexican Folk Art Collective and Driftless Curiosity – the organizations who brought you the Driftless Region’s Día de Muertos Celebration. We are bringing special guest artists from Mexico, Nadia Figueroa, Pedro Netzahualcoyotl, and Liliana Filomena Ortiz, who will lead workshops on natural dyes and traditional weaving. On Friday, they will use dried marigold petals from the 2023 Dia de Muertos Celebration, as well as other natural dyes like walnut, indigo, and grana cochinilla, to teach color recipes that have been passed down for generations in Mexico. On Saturday and Sunday, they will use a small wooden frame loom to teach two simple designs using traditional weaving techniques. Each participant will go home with a piece they create. Nadia is a fashion designer from Mexico City who specializes in “slow fashion” and has dedicated her time to researching the original dye recipes of the Florentine Codex from the Central part of Mexico. Pedro is a national award-winning textile artist who belongs to the 5th generation of Nahua weavers in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Liliana is a textile artist who specializes in natural dyes, sustainability, and biocultural reconnection. These artists will collaborate to share their expertise in Mexican Fiber Arts. Instruction will be given in Spanish and translated into English, with multiple translators available to assist throughout the weekend, making this offering a great language immersion experience as well!

Natural Dyes Only
4/19/24
$60

Traditional Weaving Only
4/20/24 & 4/21/24
$120

Mexican Fiber Arts Full Weekend
4/19/24 – 4/21/24
$180