The online version of Weaving Has a Heartbeat was designed by Mariah Claw, Andie Zelnio, and Lisa Falk. This program and its accompanying exhibits are funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Weaving Has a Heartbeat shares insights garnered by three Indigenous emerging artists during a two-year internship working closely with two Indigenous master artists, Barbara Ornelas (Dine) and Porfirio Gutierrez (Zapotec), as well as with other master artists and museum professionals at Arizona State Museum and the Navajo Nation Museum. The exhibit explores how relationships are built while learning and sharing weaving and natural dyeing practices across cultures and borders, in Arizona, New Mexico, and in Oaxaca, Mexico. The interns reflect on shared values and practices that are embodied in the colors that blossom from natural dyes, the textiles they weave, and the mentorships and friendships that developed and nourished their creativity. The master artists reflect on how this program began an understanding and healing among Navajo and Zapotec weavers, which they wish to build on. The entire exhibit is a heartfelt reflection on the importance of relationships and the connections between Indigenous people and their worldviews and traditions, and how these are woven into their art.
This program and its accompanying exhibits are funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
