Last Tuesday I drove from Taos to Denver through the La Veta Pass studded with snow capped mountains on my way to the annual meeting of one of my favorite textile organizations, Weave a Real Peace (WARP). I’ve been involved since I organized their 2017 annual meeting in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The welcome circle, that included more than 80 people from through the USA, Canada, and Europe, was a testimony to our knowledge, expertise, and diversity. Some of us are anthropologists, historians, archeologists, textile faculty and students, collectors, appreciators, educators, tour leaders, business people who import and sell artisan craft.
I was especially interested in hearing the keynote speaker, Lynda Teller Pete, a Navajo weaver from Two Grey Hills community on the Navajo Nation. She talked about cultural appropriation and appreciation, how she was raised to become a spinner and weaver in the tradition of Spider Woman, and her take on what it means to be an artist or an artisan. Lynda is also co-author of the book Spider Woman’s Children. https://navajorugweavers.com/books/
She says, As a Navajo weaver you live as your culture and accept those lessons. Art and artisanry are colonial terms. The definition goes much deeper. What we create is art and has to do with meaning, our lifestyle, family and traditions, and dreams and culture.
In October 2023 I went on a Southwest roadtrip with my sister through Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo territories. We made a detour to Two Grey Hills and the trading post where Lynda grew up learning to become a master weaver with her sister Barbara.
Above: amazing embroidered textiles with bling beadwork from Guatemala.
The conference also includes an artisan vendor gallery that features homemade goods from Mexico, Central and South American, Africa, Uzbekistan, China and Lithuania.
On the left, Lanita and I are modeling indigo jackets made by Azure Blue created by Kathy McHenry, San Francisco. Kathy also designs and sews clothing made from Guatemala fabric. On the right, my dear friend Leslie Roth is wearing an indigo jacket and I’m wearing one made from indigo dyed ikat from Guatemala.
Tonight the conference ends with a textile auction and fashion show. More about that soon!
Posted onThursday, April 11, 2024|Comments Off on Come Join Me! WARP Annual Textile Conference 2024 in Colorado
WARP stands for Weave a Real Peace. I have been a member since 2017 when I helped organize their international conference in Oaxaca, and provided most of the programming. I love this organization. It is committed to social and economic justice for artisans all over the world. The women and men who attend are deeply involved in the textile world as makers and supporters. Come to Golden, Colorado this spring. The conference is May 15-18. It is a perfect opportunity to network, learn, and expand your textile friendship circle.
This year, the conference program features an excellent lineup of speakers, starting with keynote Lynda Teller Pete, who is a Navajo weaver and co-author of Spider Woman’s Children. She is from Two Grey Hills community where I traveled to last October, and marveled at the weaving acumen there.
In addition to speakers from the region’s textile community, there are a number of fun networking opportunities including the annual Welcome Circle, live auction and fashion show, international vendor marketplace, and discussion groups.
Will you be attending? EVENT DETAILS: NOTA: puede ver la historia en español abajo del inglés.
This program is a series of monthly Fireside Chats on Zoom with a different WARP member each month. (This month with two sessions to choose from, one in English and one in Spanish.)
Eric Chávez Santiago was born in Teotitlan del Valle, he is part of the fourth generation of weavers in his family and has been involved in the textile world since 2002. He has a degree in business from Universidad Anahuac Oaxaca. His professional work experience is in the fields of natural dyes, education programs for artisans and coordination of exhibitions in museums and galleries. Eric was the founding director of education department at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca from 2008 to 2016, serving as a liaison between the museum and textile artists from Mexico and other countries. In 2016 he became director of the Folk Art Department for the Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation. In addition, from 2017 to 2021, he directed the Andares del Arte Popular project, where he managed a private fund to promote the work of artisans reaching 16 states in Mexico and over 40,000 handcrafts in purchases. Eric is currently in charge of the production of his textiles at Taller Teñido a Mano studio. He is also travel leader and partner at Oaxaca Cultural Navigator with Norma Schafer.
Conozca un Miembro: Una Seria de Conversaciones en frente de la Chimenea con miembros de WARP Este programa será conversaciones casuales, Fireside Chats, por Zoom, con miembros diferentes cada mes. Nota: las sesiones van estar grabadas y compartidas en la página de nuestra website para Solamente Miembros (Members Only) entonces miembros interesados pueden verlas más tarde.Eric Chávez Santiago nació en Teotitlán del Valle, es parte de la cuarta generación de tejedores de su familia y se dedica al mundo textil desde el 2002. Es licenciado en negocios egresado de la Universidad Anáhuac Oaxaca. Su experiencia laboral profesional se encuentra en el campo de tintes naturales, programas de educación para artesanos y coordinación de exposiciones en museos y galerías. Eric fue el director fundador del departamento de educación del Museo Textil de Oaxaca de 2008 a 2016, sirviendo como enlace entre el museo y los artistas textiles de México y otros países. En 2016 asumió como director del departamento de Arte Popular de la Fundación Alfredo Harp Helu, adicionalmente de 2017 a 2021 dirigió el proyecto Andares del Arte Popular, donde administró un fondo privado para promover el trabajo de artesanos que llegó a 16 estados de México y más de 40.000 artesanías compradas. Eric actualmente está a cargo de la producción de textiles en su estudio “Teñido a Mano”, también es líder de viajes y socio de Oaxaca Cultural Navigator junto con Norma Schafer.
Sesiones de Fireside Chats con Miembro de Eric Chávez Santiago:Martes, 9 de abril a las 3 pm hora del este (español)Miércoles 10 de abril a las 3 p.m. hora del Este (inglés)
I’ve been a member of WARP (Weave a Real Peace) since 2017 when Thrums Books recommended that I organize an international textile conference in Oaxaca for the organization. Over the years, I have come to respect and embrace what they do even more — connecting textile artisans from around the world to support, encourage and promote creativity and economic opportunity. This is the WARP mission:
WARP is a catalyst for improving the quality of life of textile artisans worldwide. We are an inclusive global network of individuals and organizations who value the social, cultural, historic, artistic, and economic importance of textile arts.
The international conference at Kent State University located about forty-five minutes east of Cleveland, Ohio just ended. It was a three-day, jam-packed event that included demonstrations, discussions, presentations, a marketplace filled with textiles for sale from all over the world, a fashion show, an auction, a gallery show, delicious food, and great networking among all of us — weavers, dyers, spinners, educators, collectors, makers, entrepreneurs, and social justice advocates. Now, I’m back in Albuquerque with my son, and will return to Taos tomorrow.
WARP is an inspiration and a place for us to share what we love. It is where we can talk about and see innovation and change. Kent State gave us a place to explore this — how design innovation melds with technology to create ikat, jacquard, and supplementary weft on technologically advanced, computerized looms. It is where we can understand how the Fibershed movement of farmers, fashion activities and makers influences a new textile economy — earth and people friendly, sustainable, and circular, minimizing fast fashion waste. It is how we can embrace the resurgence of innovation in the Rust Belt by meeting entrepreneurs like Faan‘s Aaron Jacobson, who started a Cleveland-based fashion company after working as an architect in China. They make low-waste, recycled, community-centric, eco-friendly fashion with everything sourced locally. We meet John Paul Moribito, assistant professor and head of textiles at Kent State. They open our eyes to creating textiles that speak to a Queer sensibility with beads, loose shimmering threads, evoking drag queen glamour. We talk with Praxis who created a community garden of indigo, involved children and the local neighborhood in natural dye activism to overcome the slave history of indigo culture in the USA.
This is also a place to share our concerns about what threatens hand weavers across the globe. As the global economy tightens its grip on the production of cheap goods made in countries that have no regulation for labor protections, and where often political prisoners are forced labor to reproduce what is authentic around the world, we must read labels and be vigilant about buying hand made. In this way, we personalize rather than depersonalize the shopping/buying experience.
Daniel and Norma, last dance of the evening
A highlight for me during this conference was seeing my friend, North Carolina ceramic artist-potter Daniel Johnston, who is engaged to be married to WARP’s executive director Kelsey Wiskirchen. I’ve known Daniel for almost 25 years, and met him when he was a young studio apprentice with Mark Hewitt Pottery in Pittsboro, NC. I attended Daniel’s first solo show in Asheboro, NC, bought some of his work and continued collecting, going to see his new kiln in Seagrove, and attending studio openings. Even as I was leaving NC, heading to New Mexico, I went to visit him and Kelsey before I left.
The great news is that they have purchased land in Abiquiu, near the Georgia O’Keefe home, and will be back and forth between NC and NM. So, once again, dear people whom I love are migrating to the southwest. In case anyone is interested, Daniel is represented by the Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe. He has a major installation at the North Carolina Museum of Art sculpture garden, and is among the most decent, humble, and caring young men I know (similar to my son, Jacob). A perfect match for Kelsey who mirrors his attributes.
This is Lidia Amanda Lopez de Lopez, Antigua, Guatemala. We will visit her on our 2025 tour!
I delivered the last presentation of the conference, talking about and comparing the weaving traditions of two villages, one on the Oaxaca coast — San Juan Colorado, with a Chiapas Maya village — San Pedro Chenalho, just outside of San Cristobal de las Casas. We had a lively discussion about cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and I’ll be writing more about that as soon as a survey I’m conducting comes in. BTW, we have a few spaces open for both these textile study tours.
Next WARP Annual Meeting: May 16-18, 2024, Golden, Colorado. Join Us!
Yesterday was a travel day, from Taos to Albuquerque by car, then a flight from there to Denver to Cleveland. I arrived by bedtime and slept at an airport hotel, hauling one huge piece of luggage filled with Mexican textiles to sell at the WARP (Weave a Real Peace) Conference Marketplace. I got to Kent, Ohio, about an hour away, via Lyft. I’ve just finished setting up.
There are representatives here selling goods from Guatemala, Africa, Bhutan, Uzbekistan. Some haven’t arrived yet, so there will be more!
WARP is an international textile organization that I’ve belonged to since 2017, when we helped organize their Oaxaca conference. They promote and support the work of indigenous artisans around the world, offer scholarships and support for young talented artisans, and are committed to social justice. It is comprised of weavers, dyers, spinners, all fiber artisans, and collectors. Consider joining if you aren’t already a member!
We know the culture! We are locally owned and operated.
Eric Chavez Santiago is Zapotec, born and raised in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca.
Norma Schafer has been living in Oaxaca for almost 20 years.
We have deep connections with artists and artisans.
63% of our travelers repeat -- high ratings, high satisfaction.
Wide ranging expertise: textiles, folk art, pottery, cultural wisdom.
We give you a deep immersion to best know Oaxaca and Mexico.
Creating Connectionand Meaning between travelers and with indigenous artisans. Meet makers where they live and work. Join small groups of like-minded explorers. Go deep into remote villages. Gain insights. Support cultural heritage and sustainable traditions ie. hand weaving and natural dyeing. Create value and memories. Enjoy hands-on experiences. Make a difference.
What is a Study Tour: Our programs are learning experiences, and as such we talk with makers about how and why they create, what is meaningful to them, the ancient history of patterning and design, use of color, tradition and innovation, values and cultural continuity, and the social context within which they work. First and foremost, we are educators. Norma worked in top US universities for over 35 years and Eric founded the education department at Oaxaca’s textile museum. We create connection.
OCN Creates Student Scholarship at Oaxaca Learning Center Giving back is a core value. Read about it here!
Why We Left, Expat Anthology: Norma’s Personal Essay
Norma contributes personal essay, How Oaxaca Became Home
We Contribute Two Chapters!
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Meet Makers. Make a Difference
Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC has offered programs in Mexico since 2006. We have over 30 years of university, textile and artisan development experience. See About Us.
Programs can be scheduled to meet your independent travel plans. Send us your available dates.
Designers, retailers, wholesalers, curators, universities and others come to us to develop artisan relationships, customized itineraries, study abroad programs, meetings and conferences. It's our pleasure to make arrangements.
Select Clients *Abeja Boutique, Houston *Selvedge Magazine-London, UK *Esprit Travel and Tours *Penland School of Crafts *North Carolina State University *WARP Weave a Real Peace *Methodist University *MINNA-Goods *Smockingbird Kids *University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Oaxaca has the largest and most diverse textile culture in Mexico! Learn about it.
When you visit Oaxaca immerse yourself in our textile culture: How is indigenous clothing made, what is the best value, most economical, finest available. Suitable for adults only. Set your own dates.
One-Day Custom Tours: Tell Us When You Want to Go!
Ruta del Mezcal One-Day Tour.We start the day with pottery, visiting a master, then have lunch with a Traditional Oaxaca Cook who is the master of mole making. In Mitla, we meet with our favorite flying shuttle loom weaver, and then finish off with a mezcal tasting at a palenque you will NEVER find on your own! Schedule at your convenience!
October 27, 28, 29: People and Place Photography Workshop in Teotitlán Del Valle with Luvia Lazo, featured in The New Yorker Magazine. Portraits and Street Photography, recipient of Leica Women Foto Project Award Winner 2024. This is an insider's Street and Portrait photography experience. We visit families in their homes to arrange photo sessions, we take you on the back streets where tourists rarely go.
October 30: Day of the Dead in Teotitlan del Valle--Altars and Studio Visits. A one-day immersion into culture, traditions, and meaning in Teotitlan del Valle. In this traditional village, where the native language is still spoken, we take you to meet local artisans who also explain their personal family traditions including who and what is on the altar and why. P.S. We know Teotitlan. We live here!
November 1: Day of the Dead Magic in Mitla--Visit the cemetery with our local host, understand the meaning of the pre-Hispanic altar, help honor the ancestors with offerings, enjoy a traditional meal of mole negro, a feast day speciality in Mitla. A one-day immersion experience.
January 11-19, Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour. Visit five remote weaving villages on the Costa Chica--Pacific Coast. See backstrap loom weaving, natural dyeing with rare purple snail dye, diverse language, culture, food. Discover Afro-Mestizo roots. This is one of our more Amazing study tours! We will not offer this tour in 2026! Don't miss it.
February 6-15:Guatemala Textile Study Tour: Cloth and Culture. Discover Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Panajachel, Chichicastenango Market, and visit Coban where they weave fine gauze cloth called pikbil. SOLD OUT
March 12-17: Deep Into the Mixteca Alta: Oaxaca Textile + Folk Art Study Tour 2025. This is cultural immersion at its best! Following the Dominican Route, we visit potteries, churches, Triqui weavers working in natural dyes, a cooperative in Tijaltepec that makes smocked blouses, the expansive Tlaxiaco Saturday Tianguis. Experience another side of Oaxaca.
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Dye Master Dolores Santiago Arrellanas with son Omar Chavez Santiago, weaver and dyer, Fey y Lola Rugs, Teotitlan del Valle
