VIVA Guest Artist Gaby Marvan shares her work and that of other Mexican artists through the Folk Art Collective
Folk Art Collective Origins
We are a group of Mexican folk artists living in towns throughout Mexico and Wisconsin.
We are a group of artists from different towns in Mexico and Mexican artists living in the USA. Through pottery (barro), cartonería (a traditional technique stronger and smoother than papier-mâché) sculptures and masks, textiles, and corn husk creations, we are happy to share our culture and traditions with you. Some of us work in a family studio, some of us have a traditional heritage passed down from generation to generation, and some of us are experimenting with a combination of traditional and contemporary techniques, but we all respect and appreciate the work of each other.
“The origin of this idea began when I realized that my artist friends in Mexico were struggling with the pandemic situation. I know how talented they are, and I know that the world would be interested in knowing more about their art. Our goal with this Collective is to develop a connection between the Mexican folk artists living in Mexico and the Mexican folk artists living in USA, empowering our art through sharing our process, our towns, our inspiration. We think that sharing this with you will be a way to give greater value to our work. We deeply believe that by working together we can show a sample of our cultural diversity and demonstrate that the future is better working in Collective. I moved to the USA in 2019, and I feel so happy of bringing Mexico with me through my art and now through my artist friends’ art.” -Gabriela Marván, papier-mâché artist.