Loading...
Presentation Type
Recorded Presentation Video
Event Website
https://naturelab.risd.edu/events/recap-the-regeneration-a-virtual-series/
Start Date
18-3-2021 12:00 PM
End Date
18-3-2021 1:15 PM
Description
March 18 hosted the sixth conversation in the Regeneration series with Maida Branch, founder + director of Maida Goods, a collective that supports the growth of Indigenous artists and preservation of their homelands through sustainable business practices. Take a look at this document with resources that were mentioned during the conversation to further your learning.
The conversation centered around Maida’s coming home story: her return to Vallecitos, New Mexico, in order to come home to herself, and her experience bringing MAIDA Goods to life to tell the stories erased and lost. She opened up with this story about the now-uninhabited Pecos Pueblo: “Within the pueblo there was a room that always had a fire going, and needed constant tending. There was always someone from the village who was assigned to attend to this eternal flame. The belief was that if the fire went out, so would the people and culture disappear.”
For Maida Branch, the way she tends to her flame is through MAIDA Goods. The collective allows her to learn more about where she is from and the people from which she came. She partners with local artists who preserve Indigenous histories in their work, including Brandon Adriano Ortiz, Josh Tafoya, Johnny Ortiz, Gino Antonio, and Camilla Trujillo. Using local materials and inspired by tradition, these artists bring stories of the past into the future through handcrafted objects like wool headbands, silver jewelry, ceramic spoons, bowls, and candlestick holders. The ability to use these objects every day makes life fuller and brings awareness to histories that might otherwise disappear with older generations.
Living in a small, fragile village, Maida strives to be thoughtful about bringing attention to her community and sharing their stories without exploiting the place. Small villages like hers are alive and full of people with distinct ways of life. She asks, “How can we strike a balance between not being erased, and not hurting ourselves or each other while we share our stories with the world? How can we regenerate instead of revitalize?”
Regeneration with Maida Branch
March 18 hosted the sixth conversation in the Regeneration series with Maida Branch, founder + director of Maida Goods, a collective that supports the growth of Indigenous artists and preservation of their homelands through sustainable business practices. Take a look at this document with resources that were mentioned during the conversation to further your learning.
The conversation centered around Maida’s coming home story: her return to Vallecitos, New Mexico, in order to come home to herself, and her experience bringing MAIDA Goods to life to tell the stories erased and lost. She opened up with this story about the now-uninhabited Pecos Pueblo: “Within the pueblo there was a room that always had a fire going, and needed constant tending. There was always someone from the village who was assigned to attend to this eternal flame. The belief was that if the fire went out, so would the people and culture disappear.”
For Maida Branch, the way she tends to her flame is through MAIDA Goods. The collective allows her to learn more about where she is from and the people from which she came. She partners with local artists who preserve Indigenous histories in their work, including Brandon Adriano Ortiz, Josh Tafoya, Johnny Ortiz, Gino Antonio, and Camilla Trujillo. Using local materials and inspired by tradition, these artists bring stories of the past into the future through handcrafted objects like wool headbands, silver jewelry, ceramic spoons, bowls, and candlestick holders. The ability to use these objects every day makes life fuller and brings awareness to histories that might otherwise disappear with older generations.
Living in a small, fragile village, Maida strives to be thoughtful about bringing attention to her community and sharing their stories without exploiting the place. Small villages like hers are alive and full of people with distinct ways of life. She asks, “How can we strike a balance between not being erased, and not hurting ourselves or each other while we share our stories with the world? How can we regenerate instead of revitalize?”
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/naturelab_regeneration/conversations/videos/6