BY ALIA KATE The threads of culture, history and environment Set against the backdrop of a babbling brook that meanders its way toward two gently sloping mountains, the idyllic village of Ait Hamza boasts endless fields with mud brick houses that…
BY SHERI BRAUTIGAM Women’s wear from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Most North Americans get their first exposure to the traditional Mexican embroidered, or woven huipil/blouse, from the artist Frida Kahlo with her exotic style of dressing in Mexican indigenous clothing. Frida’s collection…
BY LESLIE RINCHEN The art of silk thangkas One of the literal meanings of the Tibetan word for “meditate” is to familiarize or habituate. Making a sacred image by hand is a profound process of familiarization with the qualities of an…
BY ANNIE WATERMAN Cynthia Alberto’s Weaving Hand In 2007, Cynthia Alberto followed what she says “was a whisper in her ear,” telling her it was time for a life change. This voice led to the opening up of Weaving Hand, an…
BY MARCELLA ECHAVARRIA Maximo Laura’s award-wining tapestries Maximo Laura was recently designated as one of Peru’s Living Treasures, an honor worn easily by this self-taught artist whose textiles have received numerous national and international awards during a 35 year career. This…
BY ANNIE WATERMAN Olga Reiche and the Izbalanke womens’ weaving cooperative Since 1989, Olga Reiche, a native Guatemalan, has been visiting the town of Coban, Alta Verapaz, located in northeast Guatemala. Olga vividly recalls memories spent with her Ketchi grandmother who is part of the Izbalanke womens’ weaving…
BY LYN HART The Tapestry Life of Silvia Heyden, a film by Kenny Dalsheimer How does one peer into the mind of an artist, into the deep recesses where creativity and vision abide? What would be visible there? How could it…
BY RACHEL DAVEY The art of ajrakh Sufiyan Khatri shakes out a length of cloth and a sky unfolds in the cramped family office, spilling stars. Blue like a summer twilight and patterned with intricate geometries, the cotton has an almost…
BY ADRIENNE SLOANE Adrienne Sloane’s Political Knits I am a self-confessed sculptural knitter. It is always difficult to describe what that means since for most people it is a bit of an unusual obsession. However, I seem to be compelled by…
BY KEITH RECKER Nani Croze, her buildings made with recycled materials, and her health and education projects. Nani Croze, German artist and community activist, settled in Kenya many years ago. Her flower-child idealism has inspired a complex of Gaudi-esque buildings with…