We Are Woven Words
This experimental video and spoken word were inspired from the time I spent in Guatemala with the children and the Women’s Circle. Textiles were a large source of income for the organization and I was intrigued by the creation process.
Unfortunately I didn’t notice how the video was cut off on the online version so I will need to upload the full version later.
Artist Statement for Video
This experimental video is an exploration of the endurance and strength displayed by the communities of Guatemala and the physical, mental, and spiritual toll that it has taken on their lives. Through observation and from various dialogues that were exchanged with the members of the community, we were able to learn about a few of the challenges that they have had to withstand over the past centuries. I have used their traditional practice of textile weaving with the foot loom as a metaphor for the process of survival. The interaction of the tension and contrasting colors of the threads symbolizes the struggle and triumph over the challenges they are presented with. Each thread is positioned with such meticulous precision and refined detail. A strong force is then applied on the loom pounding each thin thread into the textile, representing the tolerance that they have become accustomed to. As no two textiles are exactly alike, each final creation then serves as a unique and one of a kind official documentation of their stories. I have also inserted layers of physical portraits of the members of the communities we visited.
In 2011, I was awarded a scholarship to study abroad in Guatemala. I was enrolled in an Art Education course called Art Transformation: Social Change in Arts and Literacy. The course was taught wonderful by Jan Johnston and Sharon Zumbrunn. They were amazingly empathetic professors who were perfectly suited for framing young and impressionable minds in humanitarian and philanthropic work. To learn more about my trip and the Mayan Arts Program, watch the video below.
Teaching the Comic Book Activity
I was assigned to a group in the class and being that this was an art education course we were responsible for designing and facilitating an activity with students of various age levels. We came up with the idea of using illustration as a means of communicating and teaching language through a comic book activity. I will need to expand on this memory and share more at a later time.
These are drawings from the children in my notebook.
