Fabric flowing, emblazoned with ancient designs painted in bright contemporary colors - scarves in peach geometric patterns or blue organic forms to wrap around and bring the ancient ones back from beyond.
Santa Fe has long been an arts mecca. It is an inspiring place - the environment itself is stunning, but the people there are also interesting, creative, and open-minded. It's no surprise then that Santa Fe lays claim to the biggest gathering of Native American artists: every August, thousands of Native artists come together to participate either directly in the annual Santa Fe Indian Market (headed up by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts) or indirectly, participating in the numerous periphery events happening on the fringes.
I am reading Taller Flora - a book compiled by fashion artist Carla Fernández. I first became aware of Fernández's work on my recent trip to the East Coast when I took a day trip to Boston and visited Fernandez's fashion exhibit. Though it was a small show, it had a great impact on me. The exhibit was titled Carla Fernández: The Barefoot Designer: A Passion for Radical Design and Community and explored how the traditions and techniques of Indigenous Mexican artists can be applied to modern fashion and styles.
I am in Massachusetts. I'm here for meetings at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem about an upcoming fashion exhibition. Curated by Karen Kramer, this exhibit will look at Native American-made fashion from the 1950s to the present.
