handwoven rugs | Oaxaca Cultural Navigator : Norma Schafer

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Shopping Oaxaca: Galeria Lola y Fe

Posted on Saturday, October 31, 2009 | Comments Off

: Natural dyes have strong color, as strong as synthetic dyes

Around the corner from the Santo Domingo Church on Ave. Cinco de May #408 is the new gallery shop opened by my friends Federico Chavez Sosa and his wife Dolores Santiago Arrellanas. Her nickname is Lola and his is Fe! They weave the most spectacular tapetes (rugs) that I have talked about and featured on my blog and website for the past several years. This is a new adventure for the family. They have been based in Teotitlan del Valle their entire lives, where they live, work and sell their rugs from their home on Francisco I. Madero #55. Now, their dream to have a spot in the city that is more accessible to visitors is realized.

They work only in natural dyes, buying the hand carded and spun churro wool from friends in the Oaxaca highland town of Chichicapam. They wash the wool by hand and prepare it in skein for dyeing. Then, they create the glorious, vibrant colors using the natural, organic materials from the cochineal bug and plants: wild marigold, indigo, pecan leaves and shells, pomegranates, lichens and moss.

In addition to the rugs, wall hangings and table coverings, you will find handbags, folk art and other collectibles.

There are many rug vendors in Oaxaca, but few have the artistic mastery of this weaving family. Designs range from contemporary to traditional, and many rugs incorporate the Zapotec motifs from the archeological sites of Mitla and Monte Alban. There is depth and imagination that you will find no where else.

It is important to emphasize that chemical dyes used by most other weavers are toxic and put the people who use them at risk for cancer and respiratory illness. Using natural dyes takes time, skill and greater expense. Supporting weavers who use authentic natural dyes is a way to sustain the environment, promote good health, and reintroduce indigenous dyeing techniques.

Galeria Lola y Fe has been open less than a week. It is inside a lovely courtyard with a bubbling fountain, in a space shared by the Gestalt Institute. To get there, you enter into the courtyard and it is on your immediate left. The gallery is not visible from the street, so you have to venture inside the courtyard, past the shop that sells fabrics from Mitla. It is a few doors down from my other favorite gallery, El Nahual.

You can see the documentary I made about this work on YouTube: Weaving a Curve Movie

To contact Lola y Fe, telephone (951) 524-4078. Hours vary.

Or (951) 1302481 (son Eric Chavez Santiago, director of education, Museo Textil de Oaxaca)

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Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged Federico Chavez Sosa, Galeria Lola y Fe, handwoven rugs, Oaxaca, Oaxaca folk art, tapetes, weaving

Discover the REAL Teotitlan del Valle

Posted on Monday, December 3, 2007 | Comments Off

If you were to arrive in the village with a taxi driver or via tourist bus, you would have an entirely different experience than if you chose to travel independently. On your own, you might do some research in advance to identify the weavers working with the best wool, using higher count warp threads and only natural dyes, which could take time and study. Then, you would need to figure out how to get to Teotitlan del Valle — on a public bus, a shared collectivo taxi, or a taxi hired for transport only. I am the first to admit, jumping on a tour bus could be convenient (although, I’ve never done it, I can certainly understand it) and saves some time. But it will cost you an authentic experience.

My friends Eric Chavez Santiago and Elsa Sanchez Diaz are both graduates of the tourism program at Universidad Anahuac de Oaxaca. Eric is a very accomplished weaver who lectures and demonstrates weaving and dyeing techniques at museums, universities and galleries in the U.S. and Elsa is a cultural liaison and interpreter. Both have 10-year travel visas to the U.S. They want to create real experiences for visitors to meet Teotitlan weavers who are committed to working only in natural dyes. If you go to our website: www.oaxacaculture.com we have an explanation about the importance of continuing the traditions of using natural dyes — for historic and cultural preservation and for health. The toxic chemical dye vapors that indigenous weavers breathe is creating early onset lung disease, emphysema and some cancers. So, there are important reasons to support weavers who work with natural dyes, beyond the aesthetics of a more beautiful rug. If visitors can differentiate quality and only purchase rugs made with natural dyes, then more people in the village will dye their wool this way. Elsa and Eric have contacted weavers in the village who they know work ONLY with natural dyes and have asked them to be part of a self-guided walking map of the village that the two are creating. The map will include local spots of interest, lodging and dining suggestions, and contact information. Travelers can contact Elsa to purchase the map. If travelers desire, Elsa will personally guide them, and provide round-trip transportation to and from the village from Oaxaca City. The idea is to showcase the village from the perspective of those who live there, engaging in discussions about customs traditions and history with local experts, exploring the back alleys to meet weavers, or perhaps dining in the home of an accomplished cook. Elsa and Eric want to offer day visits, overnight stays, and residencies and workshops for artists, university students and teachers. If you’d like more information about this, let me know, or contact Elsa Sanchez Diaz directly at email: elsasanchezdiaz@gmail.com In Oaxaca, call her at 01(951)51-43069.