In September 2021, “When a Woman Rises: Maya Weavers Creating Relationships Through Textiles” opened at the New Mexico State University Museum. It finally closed in June 2023. The exhibit was a collaboration between then Curator, Dr. Kristin Otto, Weaving for Justice, and our partner collectives in Chiapas, Mexico. The exhibit paid particular attention to the many layered relationships created through textiles, including the transmission of weaving skills through the generations, the global circulation of textiles through fair trade, and the diversity of weaving techniques, styles and designs in Maya communities of Chiapas.
The centerpiece of the exhibit was a ceremonial huipil and shawl from Santa María Magdalena Aldama. The huipil and shawl were brocaded on back-strap looms by Juana María Arias Pérez and María del Carmen Ruíz Pérez of the weaving collective, Tsobol Antsetik (Women United). The exhibit documented the weaving process which took several months. For those of you who were not able to see the exhibit, we will post a video tour on YouTube, hopefully by the end of 2023. Below is a picture of the ceremonial huipil in progress.
