Tag Archives: meeting

Mexican Anthropologist Marta Turok to Give Keynote at WARP Textile Conference

Marta Turok, the noted Mexican applied anthropologist and specialist in folk art and textiles, will give the keynote address at the WARP (Weaving a Real Peace) International Conference in Oaxaca, on Saturday, June 9, 2017.

I’ve been working with WARP and program chair Judy Newland for the better part of a year to help organize the conference. Marta just wrote this morning to summarize the remarks she will make.

Textiles from the village of Cancuc, Chiapas

“My talk will focus on how I learned that a project requires a methodology. It begins with a good assessment (diagnostic) in order to draw a master plan.  There are many imponderables as the project continues and one has to be constantly evaluating to see how to make adjustments.  

This diagnostic includes understanding the role of crafts production and marketing in the community/region, the number of craftspeople/families involved, the capacities that exist and those that need to be developed, how raw materials are acquired and distributed, what the means of production are, what markets one wants to target.   

The approach should be integral, analyzing the environmental, cultural and socio-economic issues surrounding the community and the group.  The clearer the goals, the more investment in capacity building and decision-making, the better chance the group will be able to appropriate the process.”

Applied anthropologist Marta Turok to speak in Oaxaca

Click Here to see the complete program and to register. It’s not too late!

Other conference speakers include Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation representative Lorena de la Piedra, Zapotec weaver Porfirio Gutierrez, designer and natual dye expert Rocio Mena Gutierrez, University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty member Carolyn Kallenborn, social entrepreneur Ana Paula Fuentes, and founder of Chamuchic project Claudia Muñoz Morales.

There will be an expoventa (exhibition and sale) of folk art and textiles on June 9 in the ex-convento San Pablo patio presented by Andares Arte Popular.  On Saturday, June 10, conference-goers will travel to villages to meet textile artisans as part of their conference registration.

Here is the complete Program

Saturday, June 9, 2017

8:00 a.m. Breakfast

Morning Sessions –

9:30 Cindy Lair, WARP President – Welcome and Acknowledgments

9:45-10:30 Marta Turok, our keynote speaker from Mexico City, an applied anthropologist who focuses on socio-economic artisan development in Mexico; she is considered one of the foremost experts on Mexican Folk Art and will discuss her work and what it means for artisans in a global world market

10:30-11:15 Lorena De la Piedra will discuss the work of the Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation, it’s commitment to artisan development, bringing products to market and the natural dye culture of Oaxaca

11-30-12:15 Porfirio Gutierrez, Teotitlan del Valle master weaver, will present innovation and preservation in Zapotec Weaving – the evolution of design and the incorporation of innovative materials

LUNCH from 12:30 – 1:45pm

Afternoon sessions

2pm-3pm Panel Presentation followed by roundtables discussions with all attendees participating

Topic: Working with Indigenous Artisans to create fashion and design projects, bringing products to market, design influences, integrity of design, cultural impact, ethical issues and challenges.

  • Rocio Mena Gutierrez: WARP member and panel moderator, founder and designer of Zikuri Natural Dyes, Mexico City
  • Ana Paula Fuentes: consultant/textile designer currently working with Fabrica Social
  • Claudia Munoz Morales: textile designer, creator of the initiative Viernes Traditional, counselor for Impacto Textil and leads the Chamuchic group
  • Carolyn Kallenborn – Associate Faculty at University Wisconsin Madison has worked with textile artisans in Oaxaca since 2003, and produced/directed the film, “Woven Lives”

3:00–3:30 Attendees will select discussion questions prior to meeting and break into small groups with leaders to talk about issues/ideas facing textile artisans around the world, including attribution, copyright, and working with foreign designers

3:45 Scholarship winners 5 minute presentations

1:00–7:00 ExpoVenta – a marketplace of regional artisans at San Pablo Cultural Center

6:00–7:30       Reception with visits to Museo Textil de Oaxaca which is next door

Saturday, June 10, 2017

8:00 a.m. Breakfast – we will have the WARP Annual Meeting during our Saturday breakfast

9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Natural Dye Weaving and Textile Tour, includes van transportation, lunch and visits to artisan studios with demonstrations and discussion of the natural dye tradition in Oaxaca, Mexico. Participants will meet weavers of rugs, home goods, handbags and clothing in their home studios. Tour will make four stops. You will see weavers working on the flying shuttle loom and tapestry loom. See traditional carding, spinning and dyeing methods using cochineal, indigo and other local plant sources. We offer honoraria to artisan-demonstrators on your behalf. Tour provider is Norma Schafer, Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC.

 

Register Now! Oaxaca WARP Textile Conference, June 8-11, 2017

Since early 2016, I’ve been working behind the scenes with Weave a Real Peace, otherwise known as WARP, to help them plan their 2017 annual meeting/textile conference in Oaxaca. Attendees will arrive on June 8 and the events go through Sunday, June 11. There are also many optional activities planned, too.

CLICK to Find Out More About the WARP Conference.

A panel of designers, artisans and academics will explore how indigenous traditional design elements are used in contemporary fashion, the issues and ethics of ownership and recognition, and ways to innovate responsibly. We’ll break into round-tables so you can participate, too.

Innovative materials combine with traditional at Porfirio Gutierrez studio

My role as conference planner has been to help program chair Judy Newland with on-the-ground logistics and administrative details. I’ve also helped her make connections with some of Mexico and Oaxaca’s most notable textile experts and artisans who will participate in the program.

Variations of indigo blue, depending on wool color and number of dye dips

On Saturday, June 10, I’m organizing a one-day textile study tour for all the conference participants. This is included in the conference fee.

We will go out into the Valle Central de Oaxaca (Central Valley of Oaxaca) to visit only artisans who weave using naturally dyed fibers. We will see natural dye demonstrations with cochineal, indigo, wild marigold and other plant materials. We will meet weavers who work on the pedal and back strap looms. We’ll have a traditional Oaxaca lunch at a great home-style restaurant.

There will also be an expoventa (exhibition and sale) of the best Oaxaca folk art courtesy of the Fundacion Alfredo Harp Helu project to promote Arte Popular de Oaxaca.

Selection of Teotitlan del Valle wool rugs from the tapestry loom

I hope you will join me at the conference. The cost is reasonable and the benefits are many.

What is WARP?

Founded in 1992, WARP members strive to support long-standing textile traditions as a means for cultural preservation and economic development. We do that by fostering a global network of textile enthusiasts, artisans, academics, wholesalers, retailers, and many others.

Natural dye workshop participants experiment with color