“REWEAVING ANCIENT MEMORY: Community Fashion in Oaxacan Mexico” with Eric Mindling, Fine Art Documentary Photographer, Textile Expert, Entrepreneur

Sponsored by Textile Museum Associates of Southern California.
Once, all humans dressed in ways that reflected the materials, stories, and imagination of their home place, shaped by generations of weavers. In the modern world, these deeply rooted traditions have faded. But in Oaxaca, dress is far more than decoration—it is community fashion, a shared way of adorning the body that connects people to their village, region, and ethnic heritage. Each style is unique to a particular place, and to wear it is to make a powerful statement of “I am from here, and I am of we.” In Oaxaca, the cloth still whispers, and the stories still flicker with life.
Step into the vibrant world of Oaxaca’s indigenous textiles and living traditions in this visually stunning lecture by photographer and textile expert Eric Mindling. He honors the people who keep these woven traditions alive in everyday life, and celebrates the enduring mosaic of human diversity, artistic brilliance, and ancient knowledge carried forward by hands and thread.