Paper, Scissors, Glue...What will you make? We would love to see your creations! You can send us pictures and messages at kemely.gomez@state.nm.us
By far, piñatas are the best-known expression of cartonería outside of Mexico. Originally, they were only used for Christmas season celebrations. In Mexico, the season is generally known as Guadalupe-Reyes, beginning with the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12th, and ending with Epiphany, or Three Kings’ Day, on January 6th.
In Krakow, Poland during Christmas, carolers carry brightly decorated puppet theaters designed to emulate the shapes of stately churches and other impressive buildings through the city streets. These miniature puppet stages are called szopka or szopki (plural). The translation of szopka is Krakow crib, or manger scene, because nativity scenes are incorporated into the design.
During the annual celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico an elaborate collection of ofrendas (offerings) are placed in a ritual altar display to welcome deceased loved ones in a colorful reunion with the living. Global events like COVID-19 inspired contemporary Santa Fe, New Mexico Santero, Arthur Lopez to respond and process artistically what was going on around him to visually tell a story of this moment in time by creating Altar Vision 2020.
In West Bengal, India, a traditional caste community of artists, called patuas, paint colorful scrolls to accompany songs which they sing to relate historic, current, religious, and cultural events to their audiences. Many of the scrolls have a moral or lesson which relates to the story.
“In and Out, In and Out” goes the thread weaving through the warp strings. This special thread, the weft, goes “Over and Under” to the end and back again for another line. Most fabric today is woven, but the majority of fabrics are woven by a machine. Some very special fabrics, blankets, and rugs are still woven by hand.
Orihon are accordion-style books, composed of a continuous folded sheet of paper enclosed between two covers. In comparison to scrolls these accordion books were more practical and allow enough space for writing similar to a scroll, but in a compact form.
Ojos de Dios (oh-ho-day-DEE-ohs), “god’s eyes,” are ritual objects made by the Huichol (wet-chol) indigenous people of Mexico. The Huichol symbolism of the god’s eyes is primarily associated with the prayers for their children – prayers for a good long life, protection and to ensure abundant crops.
Sailor’s Valentines are intricate mosaics composed out of seashells of various colors, forms, and sizes. This unique art form appeared in the Caribbean during the late 18th and early 19th centuries with the arrival of trading sailing ships. It was believed that sailors were the makers of these seashell mosaics. However, recent research has attributed the art form to islanders from the West Indies (Caribbean).
Cultures all over the world integrate masked processions with celebrations. Some celebrations mark seasonal changes, others religious occasions or historical events, still others, spontaneous revelry.
A notch and a layer. Some wood and a knife. Patience and labor. These are the key ingredients of tramp art, a form of woodcarving that was common among working-class men (and occasionally women) primarily from the 1870s through the 1930s and 1940s in the United States and Europe.
Weaving is one of the oldest surviving crafts in the world. People learned to use plant and animal fibers to create useful and decorative objects such as clothing, carpets and baskets.
Maracas, sometimes referred to as rhumba shakers, are percussive instruments made from dried calabash, gourd, or coconut shell.