Every day I was at the show I made a visit to the room where a group of Huichol Indians were selling their beautiful crafts. After the first visit I was hoping to buy pieces from them for my store which is why I was at the show, but I also just loved being in their room.
Those guys had a presence of soft spoken, sweet energy that welcomed you with no words. Just walk into the room (a cheap hotel room converted into a wonderful world by their art being spread across every surface) and things felt remarkable - like stepping into another world. Human beings are capable of so much - just by being there those Huichols made a peaceful and magical space!
I'm also a lover of bright, rich colors. My office and bedroom are both full of bright colors: orchids, flowering plants and bright woven fabrics. Those colors wake up a part of my brain where new thoughts burgeon. So Huichol art which is all about explosive color is perfect for my temperament.
Most of all I love how the Huichol's vision sees everything as alive. That is what I see when I move around the world too. With my eyes I see there is spirit in everything informing us and yet in a way it is invisible too - not everyone sees this. It seems to many this phenomena is completely invisible :(
I feel gratitude to the Huichols for showing that life is bursting out of everything so beautifully in their art.
If you live in New Mexico - there's a really incredible Huichol exhibition called "Balancing the World" at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture in Santa Fe right now.
There are also a series of talks coming up at the O’Keeffe Theater at the museum and I am especially interested in the the one given by Dr. Peter T. Furst on Nov. 7
I'm a bit overwhelmed by this all right now. I've been trying to take in the Huichol mythology which has amazing ideas about the shadow (ala Jung) which I am very interested in these days. There are also profound immediate problems the modern Huichols are undergoing which breaks my heart and which I want to help with.
