In the midst of the chaotic start of school, Fresno City College students are invited to indulge in treasures from around the world currently on display in the Art Space Gallery.
Until Sept. 16, the gallery is exhibiting “Inter-Woven: The Fabrics of Art, Life and Traditions Across Continents”.

The exhibition features a variety of woven textiles from different continents, with passages explaining the process, usage, and inspiration behind the works.

“I started to select the objects that were going to be grouped in different sections, so I decided to group them into continents,” said Teresa Díaz, curator of the Art Space Gallery.

The sections display textile works from Africa, Asia, Central America, North America and South America. The works include leather boots from the 1970s, a cotton textile inspired by the Disney character Donald Duck Jr. and a women’s clothing wrap featuring metallic threads.

Each continent is connected through their similar patterns and motifs in their textiles. Alongside the shared use of patterns, the colors used also emphasize the connection between the works in the exhibit.

Teresa Díaz, curator of the Art Space Gallery, said she anticipates that visitors flock to to the display to learn from the stories being told by the exhibition.

She hopes patrons realize that “all of the techniques and motifs from textiles from around the world are somehow cross-culturally interwoven.”

For example, a Zapotec weaver from Mexico uses almost the same motifs used in Central Asian textiles, without the weaver ever having studied art from Central Asia. The meanings behind the motifs from both countries are similar as well.

Porfirio Gutiérrez is one of the many artists featured in the art gallery. He is the Zapotec weaver whose textiles preserve his community’s traditional art of weaving.

“I think it’s very important that [students] know that there are still things being made with natural life, which you don’t see anymore,” says Gutiérrez.

Another artist featured is Kathy Wosika, a local artist and retired FCC art instructor who is popular in the craft arts scene locally, according to Díaz. Her displayed work combines handmade paper, plastic, and natural ink in a weaving technique like Gutiérrez’s.

“I knew that she [Wosika] had an incredible collection of textiles from around the world,” Díaz explained why her works were included in the exhibit.

During ArtHop on Sept. 1, Díaz will give a tour of the exhibition in a reception at the gallery.  Featured artists or experts often give lectures based on the exhibitions.

The next Art Space Gallery exhibition will open on Sept. 26. and will feature Mexican artists Francisco Onate and Angel Santos.