Traditional Arts Workshops
"A Gilroy Elevate the Arts Grantee"
"Made possible with a Gilroy Elevate the Arts Grant, a program of SVCreates, with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the City of Gilroy, and the County of Santa Clara."
Why is this project important to Gilroy?
Gilroy has had a rich history of art, but there have been groups and cultures that, historically, have been underserved. Institutions that uplift and share the culture and traditions that have been here for centuries are important, especially now that Gilroy has grown into a "commuter town". Traditional arts have been long oppressed in the contemporary art world by the division of Arts versus Craft to delineate Art primarily done by indigenous cultures, and women in Western culture. Traditional Arts skills like quilting, and fiber work hail from cultures that are native to Gilroy and the surrounding areas, yet they have not been celebrated or explored in our Arts Community. While this workshop series is not a large production, event, or a big public-facing mural, it is a quiet move toward elevating the Arts that have been silenced for centuries.
Traditional arts that involve fiber and textiles were taught by each generation and passed down through hands-on learning, and working together as a group to learn, improve, and share. The 2024 Traditional Arts Workshop Series will emulate this way of learning and sharing by creating a free workshop series that will teach these traditional arts from start to finish, as well as give the students a chance to share their finished product with the community and discuss it.
This series will serve as the foundation for an ongoing program to elevate Traditional Arts in our region, with future workshop series expanded into performance art, spoken word art, and more. As a three-part "event," workshop, artist talk, and exhibition, it will give the public plenty of opportunity to learn from the series, whether they are directly participating in the workshops, viewing the exhibitions, or attending the artist talks. The success of this project will be self-evident in the workshops being full, the students completing their projects successfully, and our marketing efforts bringing a large audience to view.
Star Quilts
With Charlene Eigen-Vasquez
The Start Quilts workshop will be 10 weeks long, with 35 hours of instruction, taught by Charlene Eigen-Vasquez. As a native of Gilroy, we think it is important to elevate her voice, and her art with this workshop as the traditions she carries on have been oppressed for thousands of years. Star Quilts are an important part of Ohlone and other Native American cultures. They are given to community members on important days of their lives, and are a sign of "honor" and "generosity." Charlene will walk the students through designing, cutting, patching, and quilting until their work is finished and ready to display.
Charlene Eigen-Vasquez: Charlene is an acknowledged peacemaker, trained by Tribal Supreme Court Justices. Charlene is the former CEO and Director of Self-Governance for the Healing and Reconciliation Institute. Charlene also serves as Chairwoman of the Confederation of Ohlone People, Co-Chair of the Pajaro Valley Ohlone Indian Council and Board Vice President for the Santa Clara Valley Indian Health Center. Charlene was recently brought into the Planet Women’s 100 Women Pathway, a cohort designed to increase the number of diverse women leaders at the helm of the environmental movement.
Handspun Yarn & Weaving
with Sofia Saenz
The Handspun Yarn and Weaving workshop will be taught by Sofia Saenz and will focus on fiber arts, specifically wool fiber. Sofia will teach the class to first spin the fibers, then dye, blend, and "paint" for a final product that can be exhibited in the window gallery. Fiber and textile arts have a deep-rooted history in Mexican culture and are a central piece to the identity of all its civilizations. Sofia has been teaching this class to homeroom communities in our area for several years but is ready to reach out to her community and teach the class to a broader audience.
Sofia Saenz: Sofia is a 20-year-old fiber artist who has been teaching fiber and textile arts to small groups of youth and adults in a private setting at the Windsor Farm in San Martin for several years. She is a local Gilroy resident and student at Gavilan College.
