Ana Visits an Art Gallery: Arpilleras from Ecuador

Readers of Distant Cousin: Regeneration will know that Ana has a lively interest in the peoples of the Americas. Not long ago she attended an art gallery opening of textile art from a woman's cooperative in Ecuador. The women of the cooperative make and sell arpilleras, fabric constructions resembling three-dimensional paintings, showing their lives, their environment, and their hopes and dreams. These affected her deeply. She purchased several to frame for her home, and made a separate contribution to the cooperative.


The arpilleras are extraordinary creations, and strikingly effective pieces of folk art. Below are a number of photos from the exhibition, showing some of the artists and several of their works. Each human figure and many of the other features are individually constructed, and resemble tiny, fabric dolls, which are then stitched to the backing fabric. They range in size from small (the size of a place mat) to large (the size of a card table). The detail and emotional content of each creation is remarkable. (Click to enlarge.)

There were dozens of arpilleras in the exhibit. We will post more in the near future.

See some arpilleras in SIDE view, which reveals their three-dimensionality. Neat!

A classroom:

Inundación (Flood)

The Circle of Life

(Note where it begins, at the center: the home!)

Also: Ana's first encounter with the art of Earth

More

Even more!

A wearable arpillera!

Arpilleras from the side: textile sculpture

Is this an arpillera or not?

Ana discovers Panamanian molas

Wearable art from Mexico, Ecuador, and Guatemala

Art by Ana's Earthly Ancestors??

Meet Ana Darcy!

Distant Cousin now only $2.99!

Reader Remark: "I love the Distant Cousin characters, they feel like family to me, I am interested in their lives, I worry about them, and I just adore them. I think I've said this about each book, but I think [Recirculation] is my favorite."