Bertha Estrada learned to make rebozos at the age of 11. Over her career as a dyer and weaver in Ahuirán, Mexico, she has mastered many kinds of knowledge: environmental, cultural, chemical, historical, and tacit. Bertha and her son Mateo shared their embodied knowledge with undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines in the Making and Knowing Project’s laboratory seminar class. The seminar investigates embodied knowledge, historical techniques, and the intersections between artistic making and scientific knowing. Students have the opportunity to work alongside Bertha and Mateo, learning about the materials for creating natural colors (including marigold flowers, coconut husks, and pomegranate peels), techniques, and the many forms of knowledge embedded in dyeing. During this showcase, Bertha and Mateo will give an introduction to their work and the Purépecha dyeing tradition and students will share their textile results and insights from their hands-on experience.
New York City, NY; NYC