Creating a Connected Textile Community
For more than 700 years, the legacy cloth, lubugo (barkcloth), made from the mutuba tree (ficus natalensis) has been used to clothe Ugandans, bury the dead and mark sacred ceremonies in Uganda. In 2005, it was designated as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO to be preserved and protected. Today, it is inspiring contemporary artists, designers, scientists, scholars and researchers locally, regionally, continentally and globally.
During her 16 years living in Oaxaca, Kalindi Attar undertook as co-founder and coordinator of several projects in a Zapotec village in the Sierra Sur. These projects are focused on creating sustainability, community, and innovation at various levels.
Dispositif d’Initiatives pour les Métiers de l’Artisanat (DIMA) is a nonprofit vocational training school located in Niamey, Niger, offering programs in weaving, tailoring, and leather working. This conversation about DIMA was presented by Soumana Saley, the President and Founder of DIMA, Judith Sen, DIMA textile design volunteer, and Dr. Genevieve Hill-Thomas, educator and DIMA volunteer.
Jennifer Moore specializes in exploring mathematical patterns in doubleweave wall hangings. She has exhibited throughout the world, receiving numerous awards for her work, and has been featured in many weaving publications.
Tucked in a small studio near the sea in Beirut, Espace Fann is a creative school offering university-level art and design courses. Amidst the covid pandemic, a severe economic meltdown, an energy crisis, and the Beirut explosion in 2020, Espace Fann has continued to provide healing, education, and sanctuary to the community, through the arts.
In 2007, the weavers of the Andean rural community of Huancarani asked Dorinda Dutcher, then a Peace Corps volunteer, for assistance in rescuing natural dye techniques and preserving their textile heritage. So began PAZA, a joint effort of the Bolivian weavers, foreign weavers, WARP members, and many others interested in the preservation of textile traditions.
A conversation with members of the team coordinating Churro Week, an annual event in Northern New Mexico raising awareness about the importance of the Navajo-Churro sheep and its deep local roots.
Rikki Quintana, founder of HoonArts Fair Trade, is passionate about using her long-term partnerships with internationally acclaimed master artists to help art and travel lovers who are drawn to remote, unknown worlds experience the authentic and colorful world of the Silk Road.