It will be a busy time for Eric Chavez and his sister Janet when they return to the U.S. in October 2008. They will be demonstrating natural dyeing techniques at Cloth Fiber Workshop in Asheville, NC, on the evening of Thursday, October 2. They will explore cochineal, moss, and pomegranate and the color variations achieved using alum and baking soda. Then, there is a possibility for them to present dyeing techniques using cochineal at a weaving class already scheduled at Penland School of Crafts after that. Penland has already discussed inviting them to teach a two week workshop in summer 2009.
I have just completed writing a Grassroots Grant in partnership with the Arts Incubator in Siler City, NC, to the Chatham Arts Council, for Eric and Janet to do a series of arts in education teacher in-service trainings, classroom demonstrations, artist workshops and public exhibitions with demonstrations in Pittsboro and Siler City, NC, from October 15-26. Then, Eric and Janet will travel to South Bend, Indiana, where they have been invited by the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame to participate in their Day of the Dead program in early November. At Notre Dame, they will construct an altar that represents the village of Teotitlan del Valle and Oaxaca, and interpret it for this exhibition. The Snite Museum is purchasing one of the Chavez rugs woven by Eric’s father, Federico, in their permanent collection. I’ll be writing more about this, but wanted to give you advanced notice so you can attend an event if your schedule permits.
