Drop-In, no registration necessary

The Center of Southwest Studies is excited to welcome back artist Venancio Aragon for a half-day demonstration of Navajo Wool Dye techniques. Don't miss this amazing opportunity to dive into the rich Diné heritage of wool dyeing using local ecology and sustainable methods of harvesting and dyeing with plants, as Venancio shares the same process he uses to create the wool skeins for his incredible polychromatic textiles. This opportunity is free and open to the community to drop in and meet Venancio and learn about his studio practice as a dynamic Navajo textile artist, made even more fascinating with this background in anthropology and as a Fort Lewis College alum of the Native American and Indigenous Studies program.

About Venancio:
Venancio Aragon, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is a textile artist known for blending traditional weaving techniques with dynamic polychromatic designs. Venancio's "Expanded Rainbow Aesthetic" uses upwards of 250 colors of both synthetically and naturally dyed wool yarns to create work centered on themes of water and meteorological phenomenon.

With dual degrees in cultural anthropology (University of New Mexico) and Native American and Indigenous studies (Fort Lewis College), Venancio's background intersects history, archaeology, anthropology and art, and has led him on a journey of researching and reviving portions of the Diné weaving repertoire that are in danger of being lost. Prior to becoming a full-time artist, Venancio worked for the National Park Service as an interpretive ranger in various parks and monuments throughout the Southwest. He was selected as the 2020 Rollin and Mary Ella King Native Artist Fellow at the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and his work centered on documenting and recreating lesser known and uncommon Diné weaving techniques. Venancio lives and works in Farmington, New Mexico, where he continues to educate and promote the continuation of Diné weaving as a form of decolonial expression.