Calendar of Events
Diné Weaving Demonstration by Gilbert Begay
August 17, 2013
10:00 am through 4:00 pm
Diné Weaving Demonstration by Gilbert Begay, Blommer Gallery as part of the closing weekend for the exhibit 'They Wove for Horses: Diné Saddle Blankets'. Gilbert Begay is a rare male weaver and was featured in the 2008 film "Weaving Worlds".
From the film 'As might be expected it is still primarily women who sit at their looms weaving, sometimes full-time, often just a bit here and there during time stolen from chores or full-time jobs. But there are men, such as Gilbert Begay, who have taken up weaving. Gilbert actually sells one rug about every two months, which translates almost into a full-time job (300 hours = 7 ½ 40-hour workweeks). Living in Red Valley, New Mexico, Begay uses his late grandmother’s loom and weaving tools, all made decades ago by his grandfather. To use the tools created by one’s grandparents must feel wonderful and timeless. Gilbert began weaving in his mid-teens. His first six rugs were crooked but marketable. He now incorporates his own designs rather than following strictly traditional images. Just as the weaving was passed on to him, he hopes his nieces and nephews will develop a love of weaving. To that end, he takes them up to the family ranch to tend sheep, ride horses, and live without electricity, just like his grandparents used to do. '