Oaxacan Folk Art
Oaxacan Folk Art Artes de México, 35. Textiles de Oaxaca. 1996. High quality art journal featuring the textiles of Oaxaca, with text in English and Spanish and magnificent color photographs.
Barbash, Shepard. Changing Dreams: A Generation of Oaxaca’s Woodcarvers. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press, 2007. Barbash’s follow-up study –- over 10 years later—of the woodcarvers portrayed in his first book, conveying their struggles as economic times became more challenging; individual carvers are interviewed and captured in evocative black and white photographs.
Barbash, Shepard. Oaxacan Woodcarving: The Magic in the Trees. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1993. A lively portrait of the artistic and economic emergence of woodcarvers from San Martín Tilcajete, Arrazola and La Unión Tejalapam in the 80s and early 90s, profusely illustrated with beautiful color photographs.
Barbash, Shepard. Carving dreams with machetes. Smithsonian Magazine, May, 1991, pp. 118-129. An article that preceded publication of Oaxaca Woodcarving: The Magic in the Trees, covering similar material in less depth.
Chibnik, M. Crafting Tradition: The Making and Marketing of Oaxacan Wood Carvings. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2003. Scholarly study of the history, production, and marketing of Oaxacan woodcarvings, a craft that exemplifies globalization.
Forcey, John M. The Colors of Casa Cruz: An Intimate Look at the Art and Skill of Fidel Cruz Award Winning Textile Weaver. Oaxaca: Impresos Árbol de Vida, 1999. A desk top published book documenting the artistic process of rug weaving of Fidel Cruz of Teotitlán del Valle.
Gagnier de Mendoza, Mary Jane. Oaxaca Celebration: Family, Food, and Fiestas in Teotitlán. Santa Fe, Museum of New Mexico Press, 2005. This richly illustrated book narrates the complex festival cycle that underlies spiritual and social life in the celebrated weaving town of Teotitlán del Valle. Additional photography is by Ariel Mendoza.
Klein, Kathryn (Ed.). The Unbroken Thread: Conserving the Textile Tradition of Oaxaca. Getty Conservation Institute, 1998.
Mindling, Eric. Oaxaca Stories in Cloth. Loveland Colorado, Thrums Books, 2016. Cultural identity is magnificently conveyed by Mindling's sensitive and intimate photography. Lovers of fine textiles will welcome this profoundly human record of the rich cultural heritage of Oaxaca.
Rothstein, Arden A. & Rothstein, Anya L. Mexican Folk Art from Oaxacan Artist Families. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2007. A user-friendly guide to Oaxaca’s spectrum of folk arts, featuring 50 individual artists from 100 families in 13 pueblos immediately surrounding Oaxaca City illustrated with over 700 color photos of the artists and their work; family trees, pueblos maps, contact information help visitors plan an itinerary.
Sandoval, Judith. Shopping in Oaxaca. Oaxaca: Sedetur, Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca, 1998 (now out of print). Brief overview of the crafts produced throughout the state of Oaxaca.
Stanton, Andra F. Zapotec Weavers of Teotitlán. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press, 1999. The development of rug weaving in Teotitlán del Valle – the blending of ancient Zapotec tradition and innovation and the process of creation is described and illustrated with fabulous color photographs.
Stowens, Christopher. The Carvers of La Unión Tejalapam. 2009. Desk top published booklet with a page – consisting of a portrait photograph and a brief biographical sketch—devoted to nearly every carver in the pueblo of La Unión Tejalapam.
Stowens, Christopher & Sosa, Rogelio. The Carvers of San Martín Tilcajete. 2009. Desktop published booklet with a page – consisting of a portrait photograph and a brief biographical sketch—devoted to nearly every carver in the pueblo of San Martín Tilcajete.
Van de Velde, Paul & Van de Velde, Henriette R. The Black Pottery of Coyotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. Southwest Museum Papers, Volume 13, 1939. Monograph describing the process of creating the black ceramics for which the pueblo San Bartolo Coyotepec is known.
Ward, William E. & Ward, Evelyn S., Folk Art of Oaxaca: The Ward Collection. Cleveland Institute of Art, 1987.
Wasserspring, Lois. Oaxacan Ceramics: Traditional Folk Art by Oaxacan Women. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000. In-depth portrayals of six leading Oaxacan ceramicists and the cultural influences that inform their works, generously illustrated with evocative color photos.
Wood, W. Warner. Made in Mexico: Zapotec Weavers and the Global Ethnic Art Market. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2008. Scholarly examination of the production, marketing and purchasing of Zapotec rugs and the social practices that are integral to them.
Children’s Books On Oaxacan Folk Art And Artists
Ancona, George. Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. A portrayal of cultural aspects of the Day of the Dead as experienced by a child from Teotitlan del Valle, illustrated with vivid color photograph.
Cohn, Diana. Dream Carver. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002. A storybook for young children with original illustrations based on the life of Manual Jimenez Ramirez, of the original woodcarvers of San Antonio Arrazola.
Weill, Cynthia. & Basseches, K.B. ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2007. The first of a series of books for young children, illustrating each letter of the alphabet with woodcarvings by Armando and Moises Jiménez of Arrazola.
Weill, Cynthia. Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites in English and Spanish. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2009. The second of a series of books for young children illustrating the concept of opposites (e.g., up and down) with woodcarvings from La Unión Tejalapam.
Weill, Cynthia. Colores de la vida: Mexican Folk Art Colors in Spanish and English. El Paso, Cinco Puntos Press, 2011. The third of a series of books for young children illustrating colors with pieces of Oaxacan folk art.
Weill, Cynthia. Count Me In!: A Parade of Numbers in English and Spanish. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2012. The fourth in a series of books for young children illustrating numbers with pieces of figurative ceramic made by the Aguilar sister of Ocotlán.
Weill, Cynthia. My Skeleton Family/Mi Familia Calaca. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2013. The fifth in a series of books for young children illustrating family names and relationships using papier mache calacas made by Jesus Canseco Zarate of Oaxaca City.
Weill, Cynthia. (2016). Animal Talk: Mexican Folk Art Animal Sounds in English and Spanish. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2016. The sixth book in a series of books for young children teaching the sounds animals make. With beautifully painted wood carvings by Rubí Fuentes and Efraín Broa.
Winter, Jeanette. Josefina. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996. A story book for young children with original illustrations based on the life of Josefina Alcántara Aguilar, ceramicist from Ocotlán de Morelos.
Mexican Folk Art
Artes de México. High quality arts magazine in English and Spanish, many volumes of which feature Mexican folk art, illustrated with magnificent photographs.
Caswell, James & Ramos, Jenise A. (Eds). Saints & Sinners: Mexican Devotional Art. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2006. Mexican devotional art from the 18th-mid-20th centuries, including masks, devils and angels, saints, Milagros, retablos and ex-votos employed in homes in churches, illustrated with plentiful lovely color photographs.
Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C. Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2001. A magnificent coffee table volume featuring 180 extraordinary folk artists from all of Mexico, with biographical statements and excellent color photographs of their works.
Mulryan, Lenore H. Mexican Figural Ceramists. Monograph #16, Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, 1982. (see especially the sections on Teodora Blanco and Josefina Aguilar).
Oettinger, Marion. Folk Treasures of Mexico. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.,1990. Devoted to Nelson Rockefeller’s passionate interest in Mexican folk art, including Rockefeller’s own account and an expert curator’s commentary on the collection, illustrated with color photographs of examples of this collection.
Peden, Margaret S. Out of the Volcano, Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. Portrays 49 of Mexico’s most recognized artists, both graphic and popular art.
Sayer, Chloë. Arts and Crafts of Mexico. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990. Presentation of the spectrum of Mexican folk arts, accompanied by portraits of the people and lives of those who create it, illustrated with excellent black and white and color photographs
Sayer, Chloë. Costumes of Mexico. Austin, University of Texas Press, 1990 (Published in the UK as Mexican Textiles, London, British Museum Press, 1990). Sayer traces the development over many centuries of Mexican textile arts, and examines the social role still played by clothing in countless communities. Photographs and diagrams document weaving and embroidery techniques, and show regional styles of dress.
Sayer, Chloë. Fiesta: Days of the Dead and Other Mexican Festivals. London and Austin, British Museum Press and University of Texas Press, 2009. The festive cycle is described and gloriously evoked by colour photographs of Mexican ritual objects from the British Museum's extensive collection and Sayer's contextual photographs.
Sayer, Chloë. Mexico: Clothing & Culture. Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum, 2015. The story of Mexican clothing from the distant past to the present, richly illustrated with colour photographs of textiles from the ROM's wide-ranging and important collection. Sayer's contextual photographs show makers and wearers. This book accompanied a year-long exhibition at Royal Ontario Museum.