Exhibition

Entre Hilos de Colores, Sanan mis Dolores

March 10 – June 10, 2027

NAKA Dance Theater

Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam

An exhibition featuring backstrap weaving works created by 19 Maya Mam women from Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Eight Maya Mam women lie on their backs with heads together. They are smiling and are wearing red huipiles with colorful designs in blue, pink, yellow, orange, purple.

EastSide Arts Alliance

2277 International BoulevardOakland, CA 94606
Alameda, Moraga, Oakland, Walnut Creek

Friday–Saturday  12 p.m.–5 p.m.

Or by appointment.

Free

ADA Accessible

Entre Hilos de Colores, Sanan mis Dolores is a visual art and performance project created by members of the Indigenous Maya Mam immigrant community of East Oakland in an ongoing collaboration with NAKA Dance Theater and EastSide Arts Alliance.

Nineteen Maya Mam women from three municipalities in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, reflect on their artistic practice through the lens of what healing means to them. How does the practice of backstrap weaving in the diaspora keep them connected to traditional cultural practices from their ancestral homeland? How is the weaving practice passed down intergenerationally? What kinds of artistic exchange and innovative sparks arise while living and working in Oakland?

An antidote to disposable fashion, the colorful and intricate textiles require many months to create, enjoy a long life, and are eventually repurposed. The practice not only traces the threads of history back to Guatemala, it also cares for our Mother Earth.

The exhibit will be activated by the women’s stories as healers and culture-bearers. What role does the traditional chuj steam bath play in postpartum healing? How do Mayan herbal medicine and spuk treatments promote holistic health in a time of elevated anxiety? At the center of the work is the belief that community-led art processes have a unique power to cultivate healing and strengthen collective leadership and self-determination.

The artists hail from three municipalities in Huehuetenango, Guatemala: Xjan Xwan Atitan, Chimb'al and Torasant.

Exhibiting Artists

Alberta Aguilar Zacarias, Azulamita Jiménez Ordóñez, Candelaria Ramirez Mendoza, Floridalma Carrillo Martin, Francisca Vicente Jiménez, Guadalupe Jimenez Vicente, Juana Belinda Carrillo Aguilar, Juana Sales Vicente, Lilian Martin, María Claudio Domingo, María Jiménez De Sales, María Vicente Jiménez, Marina Sales Jimenez, Martha Pérez Cruz, Nancy Jimenez Ordóñez, Nicolasa Ramirez Mendoza, Rosalía Jeronimo Pablo, Victoria Pablo Jeronimo, Yerardy H. Ordoñez Martín

A young Maya Mam woman is dancing in a curtain of white strings. She is wearing a red huipil with brightly colored flowers across the chest, a red belt and black skirt adorned in colorful designs: pink, green, blue, white, orange. She is looking to her right and her right arm is outstretched.
A close up of a dark red scarf with colorful flower designs in yellow, orange, blue, pink, sky blue, green, peach. The bottom of the scarf has fringe hanging down.
Red woven textile with colorful, detailed patterns in blue, pink, yellow, black, light blue.
A Maya Mam woman weaver is seated in a park weaving on a backstrap loom. She is wearing a bright purple and red huipil and black skirt. Her hair is wrapped in a red tie. In the background are three other Maya Mam weavers in colorful, traditional clothing. They are all weaving on backstrap looms.
Eight Maya Mam women stand in a line, smiling. They are wearing red huipiles and black skirts adorned with colorful designs.

Yeraldy H. Ordoñez Martín. Courtesy NAKA Dance Theater. Photo by Scott Tsuchitani

Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam, Entre Hilos de Colores, Sanan mis Dolores, a collaboration with NAKA Dance Theater and EastSide Arts Alliance, 2026. Original Music by David Molina. Photography by Scott Tsuchitani. With support from California Arts Council, Alliance for California Traditional Arts

Exhibition Support

This exhibition was made possible with the support from California Arts Council, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, EastSide Arts Alliance, and through the Further Triennial’s Community Impact Fund.

Support for the Community Impact Fund is generously provided by the Carla and David Crane Foundation.

California Arts Council, a state agency logo in red, blue, sky blue, green and orange.
ACTA Alliance for California Traditional Arts logo in orange and black
Eastside Arts Alliance logo

NAKA Dance Theater

NAKA Dance Theater creates multidisciplinary, experimental art using dance, storytelling, and visual installations. We build partnerships with communities to create works that challenge viewers to think critically about social justice issues.

Learn More

Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam

Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam is a collective of women weavers and storytellers from Huehuetenango, Guatemala. We meet regularly to practice our art and share stories. Although we live far from our birthplace, we are committed to sustaining and evolving our backstrap weaving traditions in the diaspora.

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