Students in this course will be introduced to Oaxaca and its biodiverse environs as home to a radical mixture of cultures and ethnicities: Zapotec, Mixtec, and a host of other indigenous communities; mestizos, or those with mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage; as well as the historically under-recognized AfroMexican communities.
Led by Kate Irvin (Curator, Costumes & Textiles, RISD Museum)
Course Dates: Jan 4, 2020 — Jan 27, 2020
Minimum 2.5 GPA required. Open to first year students with approval from the Dean of EFS.
Centro de Arte de San Agustín (CaSa), Oax-i-fornia
Includes accommodation, field trips, local transportation, some group meals, museum entrances, health and travel insurance. Airfare not included.
This course will explore the region’s internationally regarded textiles, ceramics, and cuisine, as well as to the complex practices of using plants, insects, and shellfish as dyes and colorants. With an understanding in place of the rich foundation of ancient, precolonial techniques and material culture, students will experience the vibrant postcolonial culture of contemporary artistic practice that has been fueled by political activism, self-determination, and local artistic support and patronage. They will see and respond to the ways in which centuries of social inequities brought about by Spanish colonial subordination are being addressed and repaired through the reclamation of artisanal expertise and through the social reach of activist graphic arts messaging.
Students in this studio course will directly engage with Oaxaca’s bio-diverse environment and radically vibrant cultural, social, and artistic mestizo history by focusing on materials and colorants that have moved from ancient use to colonial appropriation to indigenous repossession, including cotton, agave, feather, cochineal, and indigo. Via special lectures and workshops at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca and immersive collaborative workshops organized by Oax-i-fornia and co-led by visiting artist Christina Kim, students will learn how contemporary indigenous makers use traditional techniques and applications of color to address and repair centuries of social inequities brought about by Spanish colonial subordination.
Palm artisans and students with traditional petates; Pictured: Natyana Fonseca TX 22, Rowan Kelly TX 22, MacKenzie Luke BArch 23, Veronica Bello TX 22; Photo: Kate Irvin
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Basket Collorabation with Xula Palma Artesanal; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color, Mestizaje & Design Futures; Khadi Oaxaca workshop; Photo: Kate Irvin
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Natural dyeing with cochineal; Photo: Kate Irvin
Spinning Cotton; Pictured: Veronica Bello 22 TX; Photo: Kate Irvin
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Dyeing yarns; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Final Exhibition; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Orozco Textiles Collaboration Group; Photo: Nina Yuchi 21 GD
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Bento Bags Collaboration with Orozco Textiles; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Indigo Dyeing; Pictured: Haley MacKeil MFA 21 PR; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Waiting for the Indigo Bath; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Orozco's Weaving Studio; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Monte Alban; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Jacob Betz 20 TX weaving; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
WS20 Mexico: Color Mestizaje Design Futures; Oaxaca Toile by Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX; Photo: Kelsey Roebelen 21 TX
The application for Wintersession Travel Courses 2024 is now closed.
Have questions? The RISD Global team is available to meet for a 1:1 advising session. We can give you more information about your study options, help you figure out which program makes sense for you, and assist you with the application process.
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