ALAMOSA – A hands-on workshop Natural Dyes and Rio Grande/Chimayo Style Weaving will be held during the second week of the La Monarca, Adams State University Art Symposium. The workshop is February 23 and the film Eternal Amazon will be shown on February 21. The events are free and open to the public.

Eternal Amazon, (2016 Brazil) directed by Belisário Franca will be introduced by Taylor Dunne, Adams State visiting professor of mass communication. The film begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the Visual Arts Building room 227. At a time when the world is discussing the impact of human actions on the environment, Amazônia Eterna presents a critical analysis of how the world’s largest tropical rainforest is understood and appreciated.

The Amazon rainforest is today a vast laboratory for sustainable experiments that are unveiling new relationships among human beings, corporations and this natural heritage that is crucial for life on the planet. This is where the guidelines are being drawn up for a new global economic model: the green economy. But how much are the services really worth, rendered to humankind by this invisible commodity? And who should profit from this? Seeking for replies, this film showcases successful initiatives, exploring possibilities with specialists and plunging into a sensorial journey through the daily lives of these rainforest dwellers.

The art workshop, Natural Dyes and Rio Grande/Chimayo Style Weaving, featuring Irvin Trujillo of Centinela Traditional Arts Studio, begins at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23, in the Visual Arts Building room 230. Trujillo is a seventh-generation Rio Grande weaver living in Chimayo, New Mexico. His work has evolved from the traditional styles of his forefathers. He uses design ideas from historic Rio Grande weavings of Northern New Mexico and adds his own aesthetic by combining old ideas with his own vision. Trujillo’s pieces may interpret his Hispanic history and culture, document events of the modern world, or make observations based on what is happening in his life. Most of his weavings develop spontaneously, as his father taught him. Executing an idea means discovering and overcoming the limitations imposed by traditional techniques and looms, and adopting, or perhaps changing, solutions as the weaving progresses. The binary logic of weaving makes the creative process and the execution of ideas inseparable. For Irvin, not knowing the final outcome makes each weaving a journey.

La Monarca represents beauty, migration, and transformation. These qualities are the conceptual starting point for a symposium that aims to cultivate discussion around the persistent and enduring effects of colonialism in the Americas. Through looking at the visual culture of indigenous and other underrepresented groups this symposium will highlight a chorus of voices and visions from the American Southwest, Mexico, Central and South America.

An exhibition, Local Traditions, Contemporary Visions, will feature select pieces from the Adams State Luther Bean Museum collection with work from artists featured in the La Monarca Symposium. The exhibit will be on display from February 26 through April 6 in the Hatfield Gallery, located in the Adams State Visual Arts Building. A closing reception will take place from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, April 6.

The Art Symposium will continue through March 14 featuring films and art workshops. For more information and a complete schedule visit art.adams.edu.