Cotton Circles

Cotton Circles was a collaborative weaving project using traditional Oaxacan loom instruments, structured around trees throughout the campus of Fresno State. The workshops served to re-link the community to some of the disappearing Mexican cultural craft traditions that are vital for cultural identity, as well as celebrate the role of immigrant farm workers today.  Groups of 10-15 volunteers each worked in circular formation around the trees to produce three tapestries. The final tapestries were displayed in the Fresno State Henry Madden Library in November 2011.

Margarita was in residence at California State University, Fresno durng October, 2011 for the creation of the pieces unique and relevant to the Central Valley.

This community-oriented project introduced original Mexican craft traditions from Santa Maria Huazolotitlan, Oaxaca that use cotton as their main material. An artesana from Santa Maria Huazolotitlan, Monica Luisa Nambo Torres, participated in the educational aspect of the tapestry workshops. She not only shared her expertise in craft, but she also taught the participating volunteers the ways in which craft productions can facilitate dialogue about social issues within an immigrant community.

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The work was created in collaboration with Kathy Wosika, Linda Guerrero, Halley J. Gildersleeve, Nathan Gomez, Miaka L. Wood, Stephanie Bradshaw, Melanie L. Marta, PC Flores, Maria E. Nunez, Jenny Zaragoza, Agnieszka Gill, Adriana Pineda, Justin Badorine, Samantha Calderon, Meghan Anderson, Sonja Bell, Valerie Voss, Pamela F. Flores, Yvette Stockton, Peter J. Calles, Jackie Aldern, Miguel J. Flores, Marisol Medina, Madeleine Yambupah, Katzi B. Engle, Erica Rodriguez, Belen Gomez, Blaize D. Banevedes, Alyssa D. Mendoza, Vitaly Maximov, Janette Gallardo, Rachel Toews, Lyssa Bird, Laura D. Meyer, Carol Velez, Jordan Atkins, Liliana I. Trejo, Catalina A Ramos, Martha Zarate, Kelsey A. Marston, Isabel Santos, Jonathan Mathis, Sarah Coker, Jose Elias, Pedro Urena, Laura Facciani, Stephanie Okada, Foroogh Dastgheib, Adrienne Olaivar, Jovana E. Lopez, Ronda Kelley, Julia Scott, Stephanie Bradshaw, Tamara L. Lane, Julia Bradshaw, Christina Rea, Aroob S. Abdelhamid, Justin Badorine, Omar Cadena, Miguel Flores, Nathan Gomez, Melanie Marta, Marisol Medina, Yvette Stockton, Whitney Wilson and Miaka Wood