Racimo con Brio: Peruvian Textile Treats

By Victoria Racimo Thursday, October 01, 2009

An exciting and different cultural evening was spent Monday night in Governors Land at the home of Lee and Paula Hougen. They hosted a presentation of Peruvian textile artist, Don Maximo Laura and his art.  His work is amazing.

His tapestries tell of Andean designs from the Inca times as interpreted by a 21st century descendant. They are made in hand looms with a combination of sheep, llama and alpaca wools. The technique he uses allows minute details, textures, and variation in the weaving.  The colors vary from studies of tones in one color to incredible color combinations that recall the patterns of the traditional native Quechua, Wari, and Aymara weavings. The designs are both modern and traditional in ways only an artist can imagine.

Maximo was born in 1959 in the village of Huamanga in the province of Ayacucho. His village suffered greatly from the killings of the Shining Path guerillas in the 80’s and now lives in Lima. He is self-taught, studied both traditional and modern methods of weaving. Now he consults, designs, teaches and has set up many textile workshops in Peru.

He categorizes his style as contemporary Andean designs. Yet when you look at his designs you cannot help be struck by the echo to native designs of all the Americas, especially from the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru. His images speak of the power of the Andean culture and other world views in which the vision of native peoples expresses their faith and harmony with nature. The tapestries express the energy native peoples receive from the earth and the beauty it gives to them. Other tapestries tell of traditional and folk tales.

He has had numerous exhibits in his native land and abroad. He won the UNESCO Prize in 1992 for Latin American and Caribbean crafts. He has won numerous awards in the world including Australia, Latvia and Argentina.  He has risen to the position of National Weaver of Peru, a country that has thousands of craftsmen who are skilled weavers. Just look at his designs on his Web site and you will understand their power. You will be both energized and inspired by their beauty.

On Friday night, a dramatic comedy titled “Pirates of the Chemotherapy” by Paul Schutte debuted at the Kimball Theatre as the first of several benefit performances for Beyond Boobs!.

A highly charged and imaginative production, (directed by Brandon Lyles) the audience was given a powerful, fresh approach to coping with breast cancer. Comedy, fantasy, vaudeville, and pathos comingle in this original dramedy. It’s a play that entertains and  enlightens. The ensemble cast worked nicely together. Included were some excellent characters as defined by Annie Cacioppo, Donna Wolf, and Ashlie Bruun Ranhorn. John Tracy’s music sets colorful and purposeful tones for each scene.

“Pirates” will be repeated October 23-25 at Thomas Nelson Community College in the Dr. Mary T Christian Auditorium. Tickets are $16 and all proceeds will be donated to breast cancer support groups. Contact 757-224-8937.

As fun raiser for yourselves and as a fundraiser for very important and worthwhile causes, I urge you all to catch the next performances.

Victoria Racimo digs arts and culture. She should; she's producing artistic director for Palomino Entertainment Group.