I studied weaving at Weaver House in Philadelphia. An artist there attended the Texere internship for one week and posted to her Instagram account about her time there. Inspired by their story, I was motivated to apply. Texere is an organization located in Oaxaca Mexico that seeks to bring in artists to familiarize them with the practices of local artisans in Oaxaca. Culturally, Oaxaca is significant because of the large indigenous population of Zapotec people. The artisans of the Teotitlan, Mitla, Aztompa and Oaxaca Centro area are actively working to preserve and retain their ways of being. Texere helps to support preservation of these crafts and artisans by bringing in outsiders to familiarize them with the importance of Zapotec people and their work.
My direct supervisor is the on-site coordinator for the organization. She supervises both individual and group interns and also coordinates local artisan trainings both at Texere and within the local community with Texere staff and local artisans.
While at Texere, I had time to shadow each member of the staff and learn from them their primary responsibilities, as well as learn from local artisans in the community about their artistic practices and the business side of selling their work. I learned about embroidery. table top, pedal floor loom, rug, mechanized floor loom, and cloth weaving. I also learned about other crafts such as candle making, pottery and other types of textile production including fashion and garment production.
One of the things I am most proud of is that I did a three-day cloth weaving intensive with a weaver Mitla. He invited me back to stay for a longer period of time in his family home. I was so touched and moved by his generosity, how willing he was to extend himself, his family, his studio and his time to me. I was told by my supervisor that I was the first Texere resident to do an in-depth internship with him, and I am proud that I was so warmly received. Under his’s watchful eye, I wove over 5 meters of beautiful natural hand-dyed white marigold thin cotton cloth. I also learned how to weave rugs, as well as how to make patterns into cloth for weaving. I also learned how to embroider— adding another new skill to my arsenal.
I learned so much during this experience in terms of technical skills (weaving, embroidery, etc.) but I also gained so much confidence in myself as an artist. Many times, I received positive feedback about my risk-taking around color or material choices. This residency introduced me to so many new ideas, but also reinforced my connection to my artistic voice. This semester, I will be taking garment design and fabrication. I have long dreamed of being able to weave my own cloth and make my own garments. All around me throughout my Texere internship, I also observed and learned about the business practices that allow artisans to sustain their studio practices.
This experience has made me want to come home and get to work. I am looking forward to seeing how the new skills and ideas I was exposed to at Texere in Oaxaca will be integrated into my own artistic practices as well as how they will motivate me around career goals. I am continually keeping an eye on the intersection of my work as a psychotherapist and my artistic practice.
