Latin American Masks and Popular Art
Xipe Projects A California Museum in the Making!
Past Event Highlights
Seri Cultural Exchange and MarketplaceThursday November 7th, 2013 Between 3PM and 9PM
Huntington Beach Gallery
On November 7th 2013, between 3PM and 9PM, Xipe Projects will host the Seri/Comca’ac Women’s Artisans Cooperative from Desemboque and Punta Chueca on the Sea of Cortez in Sonora, Mexico. The talented artisans will be demonstrating their craft at the Xipe Projects exhibition hall and works on sale will include traditional coiled baskets, ironwood carvings, and shell and fishbone necklaces made from native materials gathered in the Sonoran Desert and the Sea of Cortez.Confirmed participants include Ms. Angelita Torres, the iconic “Angel Woman” featured in the photography of Graciela Iturbide and Mr. Abe Sanchez, an artist and promoter for the Revitalization of Indigenous Arts and Foods.Join us for a unique cultural experience and the opportunity to purchase these crafts directly from the artists themselves.
The event is scheduled to take place at the Xipe Projects gallery at 15121 Graham Street, Suite 103, Huntington Beach, CA. Accepted forms of payment will be taken in cash and by personal check. All proceeds directly support the Women’s Artisans Cooperative.
Refreshments and light hors d'oeuvres will be served and parking and admission are free. For directions or more information about the
Seri Cooperative, please contact us via email at staff@xipeprojects.com
We hope to see you there!
¡Hasta luego!
About the Co-Organizers
Abe Sanchez has been involved in the revival movement of Native American basketry for 15 years throughout the Southwest with an emphasis on Southern California traditions.He is experienced in identifying, gathering, and processing from the wild most materials used in Native American basketry in the Southwest. He has coordinated trips to the US for the Seri Indians Women’s Cooperative. of Sonora, Mexico with the intention of exposing them to Native American and Mexican Folk art collectors, in order to help supplement the income of these women.Furthermore, he is currently launching a project for the reintroduction of native foods among Native Americans in Southern California. He spends time assisting tribes in the gathering and processing of wild local foods once used, by trying to encourage a sustainable and healthier diet to combat illnesses affecting Native people today.
Mike Gray has worked with the Comca’ac for nearly 20 years, coordinating volunteer assistance and assisting the tribe with small development projects that contribute to their economic well being and cultural survival. He has worked with many of the tribes in the southwest, but lately has focused on nomadic peoples, notably the Seri and the Oglala Lakota. For nearly 10 years, that assistance to the Comca’ac has been shaped by the need for economic development.Fisheries and arts and crafts are the two most significant economic activities of the tribe and have retained their cultural relevance. While fishing has modernized with appropriate technology, basketry remains essentially unchanged. With rare exceptions, such as the use of a steel awl or an occasional chemical dye, baskets are still made with the same tools, techniques and materials that were in use centuries ago.
Image of "Angel Woman," Angelita Torres by Deborah Small (2nd, column, bottom row)