Textile Crafts Workshop Exhibition Inaugurated at the ACAA

One hundred and fifty-eight works were displayed this Tuesday at the headquarters of the Cuban Association of Artists and Artisans (ACAA) of Matanzas, the result of the textile crafts workshop that, in its sixth edition, was taught for six months by designer and curator Alexander Rodríguez Castellanos.

«The academic program was composed of six modules, among them work with textile masks, work with the needleless patch or the work of expanded textiles, textile accessories, a module dedicated to the customization of garments with the principle of the circular economy, another dedicated to decoration with textiles, and, of course, the module of work with square-frame looms — an exploration we did toward this technique little used in our country.

«We took as a starting point and reference for that project the theme of landscape, with a view to developing at another time a workshop specifically with this technique and this theme, fundamentally the Matanzas landscape.»

Prior to the inauguration of the salon, the pieces made by the 42 creators who graduated from the course were part of a performance-runway that revealed the creativity of these men and women, most of them belonging to the amateur artists movement, stressed Rodríguez Castellanos.

«They presented works in each of the manifestations individually, in duos, or by team. The display is made up of those 42 students from the municipalities of Matanzas, Cárdenas, and localities adjacent to the city.

«It is a merit to have achieved this given the current transportation situation and that they have maintained themselves from May until November 10, when we closed this course with this magnificent exhibition that will be on display until the 24th of this month of November.»

After a time without being held, the master artisan resumed the work and learning sessions with the purpose of boosting the work of the textile section at the Matanzas ACAA.

«The works interact harmoniously within the exhibition and were integrated into a performance-runway — those textile works made during the different modules of the salon, which offer a curatorial tour through each of the modules.

«The techniques also interact with each other, each one from the particular seal of each student. From the knowledge and appropriation of the technical bases of each exercise, they incorporated the knowledge they brought and explored new trends.

«Precisely that is the response to the fundamental objective of the course: to revitalize the textile group of the ACAA, which has had a certain stagnation in the aesthetic proposal presented in different salons. As a member of that manifestation, in my capacity as master artisan, it was a concern for me to overcome that, always for the good of the artisans’ association.»

Masks, paintings, lamps, accessories, and clothing make up the exhibition inaugurated this Tuesday at the ACAA headquarters, where it will remain available to the public throughout the month of November.

Aniubis Segura and Ofreidy Águila Cedeño enlivened the inaugural day with their performances, while professional models from the María C Academy showcased the garments made during the course-workshop.