Smithsonian Artisan Initiative

Heritage & Handicrafts: OAXACA

Oaxaca, the southern Mexican state known as a global arts and culture hub, boasts a staggering array of Indigenous-led, artisan craft-based creative industries. It is also considered one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, where artisans play an important role in both stewarding the environment and utilizing natural materials in their work. Oaxaca is home to important archaeological sites, whose folklore, history, and iconography contribute to craft practices and drives additional tourism interests.

Heritage & Handicrafts: OAXACA was a community-based project that aims to deepen connections between culture bearers and with local and international markets. Sponsored by the Cultural Heritage Center in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, the two-year pilot project launched in September 2022 with the aim of increasing visibility and revenue for artisan enterprises while decreasing trafficking of objects from historic and other culturally significant sites.

The project was designed in partnership with artisans, cultural leaders, and educators. Using a cultural ecosystem model, our Center and a team from the Benito Juarez Autonomous University of Oaxaca – School of Fine Arts and the CIIDIR Oaxaca unit of the National Polytechnic Institute identified needs, relationships, and activities required to support community cultural sustainability goals. The result was a suite of research, documentation, workshops, exchanges, and presentations, all aiming to amplify artisan enterprises, enhance the visibility of the sector, and strengthen pathways for intergenerational knowledge and skills transfer.

Community Focus

The project focused on programs in the town of Zaachila and surrounding communities in the Oaxacan Central Valleys. Zaachila is known for significant Zapotec and Mixtec archeological sites and the Danza de la Pluma (Feather Dance), an important tradition connecting the community to its tangible heritage and which uses various artisan craft practices.

A man wearing safety glasses sits at a work table, holding a screwdriver-like tool in one hand and a cylindrical silver tin art piece in the other.

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Key Activities

A man manipulates bright orange material into the shape of a large flower.

Research and Documentation

The UABJO – School of Fine Arts conducted community-based research through artisan interviews and digital documentation of traditional crafts and processes to better understand the relationship between cultural heritage sites and their intangible cultural heritage. The collected documentation is available to the artisans during and after the program.

Artisan Workshops and Exchanges

From December 2023 through March 2024, artisans participated in three workshops using the cultural ecosystem approach, a method which prioritizes community support. The workshops focused on topics including marketing, product design, and more, and it allowed artisans to build their networks and connections with fellow experts in the field.

A man poses holding a red and orange sculpture of a lion or other teeth-bearing large cat, wearing a bright blue scarf, next to culptures of a green iguana and a black cat with green and orange feather headdress.

Continuing Education Course

The UABJO – School of Fine Arts hosted a forty-hour continuing education course built upon the program and individual study. With the completion of the optional course, artisans receive a certificate from the university. The school will continue to offer this opportunity after the project is finished.

A woman works on a large loom in front of a small crowd of people outdoors.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Representing their craft and Oaxaca, two artisans from the cohort will participate in the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, celebrating Indigenous communities and creative expression from across the Western Hemisphere. The Festival provides a unique opportunity for artisans and culture bearers to meet each other and build connections with practitioners from around the world.

Stone relief art of a person wearing a semicircular headdress, adorned with brightly colored feathers.

Group Exhibition

The UABJO – School of Fine Arts will host a group exhibition incorporating work from each participant. Part of the exhibition will include a collaborative production of the Feather Dance regalia to provide a visual representation of the community’s cultural ecosystem. The show is tentatively scheduled for August 16–September 5, 2024.

Catalog cover with photo of a person holding up a multicolored feather crown. Title in Spanish: Artesanos y Artesanas del ecosistema de la danza de la pluma catalog.

Artisan Catalog

The project culminated in 2024 with the publication of Artesanos y Artesanas del Ecosistema de la Danza de la Pluma, a Spanish-language catalog that showcases the knowledge and skills of Oaxacan craftworkers involved in the traditional feather dance.