wool art

Nu'Kem Association of Textile Artisans share their ancestral heritage through their weaving arts. Working on white, they select a modern palette of light brown, grey and mustard to depict couples and stylized wheels. This charming wall hanging is a working example of their traditional backstrap loom. The pinewood loom rods and shed rods are still in place.

Nu'Kem Association of Textile Artisans share their ancestral heritage through their weaving arts. Working on white, they select a modern palette of light brown, grey and mustard to create a motif that repeats the colors in diagonal waves. This charming wall hanging is a working example of their traditional backstrap loom. The pinewood loom rods and shed rods are still in place.

By Elias Garcia, this charming wreath carries a message — "Be Happy Always." He covers it with handloomed Guatemalan textiles and adorns it with diminutive worry dolls who wear red clown noses. The dolls are crafted by his sister of the Lopez Garcia family.

According to Maya legend, the sun god gave princess Ixmucane the gift of solving people's problems. With time people started making dolls in Ixmucane's honor and they would tell her their woes, hoping she would solve them through the dolls. Many people whisper to the dolls, then place them under their pillows at night, hoping that the doll will provide a solution as they sleep.

Guatemala's jaspe fabrics are varied and beautiful. A type of ikat weaving, the threads are tie-dyed before they are placed on the floor loom. Members of the Women Artisans of Santa Cruz cooperative place 15 jaspe flags in assorted colors and patterns on a decorative garland. "These represent Tibetan prayer flags," the artisans say. "Their colors have meanings of their own — blue is a symbol of water, red is for fire, green for air and yellow for the earth. The cloth is woven by hand with much love. Many Maya hands have touched each textile, and we're proud to use recycled fabric. For us, recycling is another form of promoting peace and prosperity for ourselves and for our Mother Earth. Please remember that your attitude when installing these prayer banners is very important, and we ask that you take a moment to wish for peace for people everywhere so they can receive the benefits of our blessings. We want everyone to be free and at peace."