Master weaver in the Zapotec tradition, Porfirio Gutierrez will teach a natural indigo dyeing workshop on Monday, September 11, 6-8 pm at SBCAST in Suite E. Gutierrez will begin the workshop with the oral history of the plant dyes in his community of Teotitlán del Valle. Students will learn to create a fermentation vat using natural ingredients such as fructose crystals and then dye yarn and cotton cloth with this solution. The cost for the two-hour workshop is $50 per person and includes materials and supplies. Space is limited to 20 people. Individuals may RSVP to the dyeing workshop at maizahixson@gmail.com.
Porfirio Gutiérrez is a proud descendant of many generations of Zapotec weavers from Teotitlán del Valle, in Oaxaca, Mexico. He currently lives in Ventura, California. While primarily an artist, Gutiérrez also lectures on Zapotec weaving and natural dyes at universities, arts foundations and museums. In 2015, Gutierrez was chosen by the Smithsonian Institute to be one of only four artists in the Western hemisphere to participate in its Artists-In-Leadership Program. Gutierrez also contributed to the Forbes Pigment Collection at Harvard University and continues to be an advocate, educator and ethnic ambassador for traditional Zapotec culture.