NAVAJO WEAVING & CULTURE
Pearl Sunrise
Beginning to Intermediate
Feel free to call for details 575-758-0350
Limited to 12 participants
Materials extra
Special Features
"We learned not only
Navajo Weaving Techniques
but also experienced some
of the vibrant Navajo Culture
through ceremonies & stories.
Pearl is an engaging storyteller,
and shares personal accounts
of her life as well as
traditional tales about Spider Woman
The daily opening ceremony was very special!"
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Photo by John H. Beck
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YOUR CLASS EXPERIENCE
This class is as much about Culture
as it is about Weaving. Pearl Sunrise is a luminous person whose gentle presence will encourage you while her extensive knowledge of these techniques helps your hands to know what to do.
Each morning starts with a Drumming ceremony & Stories. In this way we become centered and ready to weave. Pearl is a great Storyteller ! and we will hear about Spider Woman and her gift to the Dine People
Class starts on a Sunday so we have a full day to focus on the all important warping. Monday morning we start weaving. Pearl demonstrates a technique which the students then try on their own under her encouraging supervision. All levels are welcome, as each participant works at their own pace.
Come join us!
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Extra Cultural Events
1) We usually try and find
Some Churro sheep for
you to see. This breed is highly prized by the Navajo for the
fine wool, 4-horns
& their hardiness in
rough country.
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2) Visit a private
collection of historic Navajo weavings
3) Taos Pueblo
Pow Wow TBD
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DAILY SCHEDULE
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Class starts Sunday morning, and ends mid afternoon on Friday. Daily hours will be from 9 AM to 4 PM, with an hour off for lunch. Sunday is spent on the all-important warping, for which Pearl supplies her own yard to ensure the proper tension. Students are divided up into pairs, together warping one loom in the morning and a second in the afternoon. This not only means each student has a properly warped loom to start work on Monday morning, but also means that the students' "hands" will retain the knowledge of how to do this important task.
Then the students are guided through the design stage. For beginning students, this will be a block design, while advanced students will work with diagonals or even twill. The Navajo way is not to use a cartoon but rather to design right on the loom. Monday through Thursday we weave. All techniques will be demonstrated first by Pearl, then done by each student under her encouraging supervision. All levels are welcome as each student is encouraged to work at his or her individual pace.
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About Our Instructor
Pearl Sunrise is a gentle and knowledgeable teacher whose luminous spirit inspires all who meet her. As a 3rd generation Navajo weaver, she learned her craft from her mother and grandmother. She has been the unofficial Navajo ambassador to the world for years, receiving a Fulbright to teach in New Zealand, and a commission by the U.S. State department to visit Lesotho, South Africa, and Toronto, Canada as a Cultural Specialist. She’s on the advisory board of the New Indian Museum, in Wash, D.C., and is currently a professor at the School of American Indian Arts, in Santa Fe. Her work is collected worldwide.
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Feel free to Call us for more Information about this workshop.
We love to chat about our classes. 575-758-0350
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SPECIAL FEATURES!
Because this is an experience as much about Culture as it is about Art-making, we have arranged four additional events offering immersion for you.
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Taos Pueblo Pow Wow (TBD)
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We will view 2 hard-to-find movies about pearl and her weaving.
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Give you a chance to see a private collection of historic Dine' tapestries.
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Note: Friends and family members of class participants, who are not attending the workshop,
are welcome to join us for these events for a small additional fee.
Please call the office to arrange.
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All materials may be purchased directly from Pearl during class. Following is the list of materials needed. Please bring a firm pillow for sitting. This for your chair, we are not on the ground.
1) NAVAJO LOOM SMALL
2) TOOLS - batten, comb, shed stick, heddles, edging cords, twince for binding, etc.
3) YARN - 4 skeins of Navajo Handspun. A variety of colors will be set out on a table for students to use as needed. At the end of the week, you will be charged for only what you have used. You may also purchase extra yarn to take home.
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TAOS ART SCHOOL
PO Box 2245, Ranchos De Taos, NM, 87557
(575) 758-0350
http://taosartschool.org
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