At Tinkuy Gathering of the Textile Arts in Cusco, Peru last fall, anthropologist Wade Davis, gave a remarkable keynote speech, “Geographies of Hope.” His talk was a celebration of the world’s indigenous cultures, but also he warned about the rapid disappearance of these cultures and the impact this has on the cultural web of life, […]
23
Feb
Feb
A few weeks ago, I read about an exhibition at the University of Wisconsin’s Ruth Davis Design Gallery, Whirling Return of the Ancestors. The exhibition presents the Egúngún masquerades inspired by a tradition of the Yorùbá peoples of West Africa that honors and celebrates the power and presence of ancestors. Egúngún is a unique cultural […]
29
Dec
Dec
» We’re very close to sending Maya Gods & Monsters to press, when we get a frantic message from our author, Carol Karasik: “Wait! A lot of those little designs around the edges are Aztec, not Maya! Not to mention that calendar wheel!” We do a hasty but thorough search for strictly Maya motifs, and find […]
