Gathering of Weavers of the Americas/Encuentro de Tejedores de las Americas
October 2010 - Gathering of Weavers of the Americas/Encuentro de Tejedores de las Americas:
The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco and its Advisory Committee has the pleasure of announcing the Encuentro de Tejedores de las Américas (Gathering of Weavers of the Americas), which will take place in the city of Cusco from the 12th to the 18th of October of 2010. The goal of this gathering of weavers from all the Americas is to create a forum for the exchange of
knowledge and experience, and for establishing bonds of fellowship.
Weavers over the centuries have wrought one of the most outstanding cultural legacies. Thousands of years before receiving the name “America,” up until the present day, this land has harboured one of the most representative expressions of people and culture: hand-made cloth. The indigenous peoples of South and North America have centuries-old, yet still living, textile traditions that exhibit unsurpassed skill, sophistication, and beauty. Beyond their functional uses, these textiles embody expressions of their cultures and narratives of their makers’ lives.
Through weavings we not only create an aesthetic flow, we also establish a connection between the observer and the creator. Weaving is both a diagnostic of culture and a narrative instrument that can convey everything from domestic scenes to ancient myths. The woven discourse, sometimes implicit and at other times explicit, is grounded in the world-view of
the weaver.
This conference aims to re-unite, as well as pay homage to, the weavers of America to their extraordinary work. The need arises for modest reparation, for finally paying tribute to the weavers. El Encuentro will bring together weavers, spinners, and dyers from South, Central, and North America to exchange knowledge and expertise, and to establish bonds of friendship
and cooperation.
The conference will take place in the Municipal Convention Center of Cusco. Not only will this space house the presentations of weavers, panel sessions, and special lectures, as well as it will also host an international weaving fair, workshops, exhibitions and other Cultural events.
The Center for the Traditional Textiles of Cusco was founded in 1996 by a group of textile lovers and the Director Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez and, an internationally-known weaver and teacher who has brought economic development opportunities and cultural preservation to the weavers of the Cusco region. The Center comprises nine weaving villages in the Andean
highlands, and a museum and gallery in downtown Cusco.
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Please note that the Encuentro will also include knitting, basketweaving, braiding, embroidery and other textile arts.
Contact for information about a textile tour being organized which will include this Encuentro:
puchka@puchkaperu.com
www.puchkaperu.com