transcending borders rsArtists representing the five generations of Taller Artesanal de Don Alfonso Castillo Orta, who are famous for their colorful and intricate Tree of Life candelabras and who are highlighted in a film that will be screened during the inaugural Transcending Borders documentary film discussion series at Western New Mexico University’s ¡Fiesta Latina! from June 22-24, 2018.Silver City, NM – This year, Western New Mexico University's ¡Fiesta Latina! presents Transcending Borders, a free, five-part documentary film discussion series, featuring the stories behind the art of four world-renowned Mexican folk artists and a photographer-storyteller from Oaxaca. Designed to deepen ¡Fiesta Latina! participants' appreciation and understanding of the historical, economic, social and cultural significance of various forms of traditional Hispanic folk art, the film discussions will take place throughout ¡Fiesta Latina! weekend, June 22-24, 2018, in WNMU's Brancheau P.E. Complex.

In each session, these master folk artists will show films to illustrate the many aspects of their traditional art forms, then engage their audience in a facilitated discussion period, with an experienced translator to ensure effective communication. This event, in conjunction with the three-day juried folk-art market, gives ¡Fiesta Latina! attendees a rare opportunity to engage with four of Mexico's finest folk artists, as well as nationally recognized photographer and storyteller, Eric Mindling. Scholars will share their personal stories, discuss their family heritage as expressed through their handcrafts and explore the historic roots of their indigenous art.

Other themes to be examined include how and why folk art has survived through the millennia, how it defines communities and culture, the changing role of women in folk art, and how and why this art continues to awe and inspire us today. Folk art becomes the vehicle for transcending geopolitical borders and even linear time, as scholars and audience members join together in an exploration of its pre-Columbian roots to its present-day influences on contemporary New Mexican cultural traditions and artistic expression.

Film one — "Taller Artesanal de Don Alfonso Castillo Orta — An Introduction to the Unique Creative Process of the Castillo Family" — will be screened on Friday, June 22, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. San Antonio-based ceramicist Patricia Castillo, who will be returning to ¡Fiesta Latina! for the second time, shares tales and images of her life's passion, working with her family in Puebla, Mexico, to preserve their acclaimed clay art tradition. Castillo will share how she melds traditional Mexican folk-art forms such as the Arbol de la Vida (Tree of Life) and Day of the Dead themes, with her unique expression of contemporary life, rooted in the traditions of her homeland, yet inspired by her adult life in Texas. The art of the Castillo family combines utilitarian, ceremonial and decorative objects, juxtaposed with modern techniques and inspired by nature.

On Saturday, June 23, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, "Ritual de los Suenos: Traditional Zapotec Weaving in Teotitlan del Valle" will be screened. World-renowned Zapotec weaver Porfirio Gutiérrez will take participants on a virtual tour of the mountains near Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, where he, as a child, walked with his family, learning about and collecting the plants they would use to make natural dyes — pericón, jarilla leaves and "old man's beard." In Teotitlan, which is internationally recognized for its fine, hand-woven rugs, Gutiérrez and his family are among a small group of textile artisans working to preserve the use of natural dyes whose use has waned, as weavers struggle with the tension between global commerce and tradition. Gutiérrez will inspire participants with his efforts to preserve this tradition, ancient designs depicting Zapotec history, and innovations combining wool with agave fiber and palm, traditionally used to make sleeping mats.

Film three will be shown Saturday, June 23, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. "Dyes of the Coast: The Quest to Save the Mixtec Weaving Tradition" follows Don Habacuc Avendano, Mixtec master weaver and founding member of Cooperativa de Tintoreros de Pinotepa in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. Audience members will engage with the Mixtec people through the eyes of Avendano as he works to save the endangered purpura pansa snail, the world's only source of tixinda, the sacred purple dye of the Mixtec people.

Avendano will be accompanied by Patrice Perillie of the Mexican Dreamweavers, a 60-member Mixtec cooperative of women weavers who use the purple dye to weave their traditional clothing. Avendano and Perillie will discuss ancient uses of purple dye, and how this natural resource is vital to the survival of the Mixtec people. Other themes to be explored include the historic religious significance of the color purple, and how the cooperative is engaging youth to preserve Mixtec art and culture.

On Saturday, June 23, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., film four, "Living Threads — A Portrait of Cultural Diversity, Roots and Belonging Told Through Cloth" features the work of photographer and storyteller, Eric Mindling, who uses evocative environmental portraits of modern Oaxacan folk artists in their homes, tallers (workshops) and natural landscapes to draw viewers into these ancient, deeply rooted cultures. Through the telling of his personal experiences living and working among the indigenous weaving communities of southern Oaxaca, Mindling provokes engaging discourse on questions of common human themes such as belonging, connection to family, tradition and place. The film is part of the Living Threads Project, a photo documentary showcasing how clothing and adornment are culture made visible.

The Transcending Borders series wraps up on Sunday, June 24, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., with "El Maestro del Arte Don Roberto Ruiz: Su Vida Sigue junto con Su Arte." Brothers Roberto Abraham and Jose Manuel Ruiz, world-renowned carvers and sculptors in miniature on bone, will share the life's work of their father, Don Roberto Ruiz, who rescued this forgotten art form and is a featured master artisan in "Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art," published by Fomento Cultural Banamex. Don Roberto's skills, artistic techniques and passion for the art live on today through his sons, who have become master folk artists in their own right, earning national and international recognition. The Ruiz brothers will trace the footsteps of their childhood, watching their father at this bench, lovingly revealing the unique images hidden within each bone. They will compare and contrast their designs with those of their celebrated father, explain the cultural significance of the symbols and imagery used in their art, and share why they chose to continue this important family tradition.

Funding support for Transcending Borders is provided by the New Mexico Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Town of Silver City and Western New Mexico University. More information is available at fiestalatina.org or 575-538-6469.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.