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Inspiration Thursday: National Museum of Mexican Art

January 12, 2012 1 Comment

Last Saturday, my husband headed down to Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood to visit a textile outlet (which is closed Saturdays – oops!), eat some delicious Mexican food, and check out the National Museum of Mexican Art. PS: They have no admission fee!

So much of the work was so incredible that I just *had* to share some of the pieces. Some of these are made with teeny tiny beads on wax, feathers, reclaimed wood, and dyed reeds. Next time you’re in Chicago, you should really check out this remarkable museum.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen these pics as they were posted. 

The New Awakening by Santos Motoaopohua de la Torre de Santiago
made with about a zillion chiquira beads in campeche wax

By Luis Guillermo Olay Barrientos
made with dyed reed and varnish on wood

Santiago Apostolic Matamoros by Luis Olay
made with feathers

nude with calla lilies by Luis Olay
made with feathers

The Worm by Miguel Linares Mendoza
made with cartoneria (traditional Mexican type of paper mache – made with cardboard and a type of newsprint, rather than paper)

The Visionary II by Einar and Jamex de la Torre
made with glass

The Garden of Earthly Delights by Ruben Ortiz-Torres
A customized tractor lawn mower with hydraulic systems, gold-plated chain steering wheel, metal flake candy paint and low rider rims!

This is one of the coolest pieces of art I’ve seen in person.

From the National Museum of Mexican Art’s website:

Juan Ángel Chavez (b.1971, Chihuahua) creates large-scale interactive installations and temporary environments. Compiled of wood scraps and found debris, his multifaceted structures highlight the contemporary urban landscape, the natural world, and our human impulse for survival. NEPTUNO presents Chavez’s latest constructed environment, an unassuming passageway that metaphorically connects two unraveling worlds.

I ended up visiting the museum just in time, too! Neptuno’s exhibition ended on Sunday the 8th, and I’m really excited that I got to experience this amazing piece in person.

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: chicago, juan angel chavez, luis olay, national museum of mexican art

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Sonia Millan-Uribe

    April 12, 2013 at 5:56 pm

    Thanks soooo much for posting! The minute I saw that beaded wall…I knew it had to be from The Mexican Fine Art Museum here in Chicago! I love going there every chance I get. Good food @ Nuevo León, MFA & tamales. I’m sharing- GRACIAS!!

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author & pattern designer ❤️💛💙
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Please email for pattern support. 🧶

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
When you have four big skeins of pretty 2 ply yarn When you have four big skeins of pretty 2 ply yarn, you immediately think sweater, right? 
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My wardrobe could use another handmade sweater - I’m thinking something simple, seamed and with a decent amount of ease for potentially wearing tucked in with jeans or skirts. 🤔 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica and Dragon’s Breath, wound in thick skeins of 100% superwash wool that’s a light DK weight.
How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style . How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style 
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In knitting, there are a few common knitting styles. Most often you’re going to encounter continental style and English (throwing) style on your knitting journey. I recently had an old video teaching continental style get a lot of views. Based on the comments, it was clear the people wanted to also see a throwing tutorial, so here you go! 🧶
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Please note that there is a LOT of variation in knitting styles, and one isn’t necessarily better than another. Most often, I’ve found it comes down to two things: how you were taught and whether or not you’re really into colorwork knitting (which can involve a mix of styles). 
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Longer-term knitters who’ve made it this far: do you prefer one over the other? And why? 
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#handsoccupied #englishknitting #learntoknit #knitting #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitting_inspiration
How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on / a.k.a. crochet provisional cast on, scrap yarn cast on
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I read recently that tiktok and Instagram are being used as search engines more and more. 🤔 I thought since I’m going to all the work of making tutorials on YouTube, I should experiment with making a quick version of them for other platforms. There are obvious teaching limitations to vertical video, short-form content like this, but I think I covered the gist of this cast on in a minute. The YouTube version also covers how to unzip this cast on because there was time for it 👍🏻 L1nk is in my profile. 
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I’m very much looking for feedback as I continue to make instructional knitting & craft videos. Sometimes good tutorials are hard to find, and (ideally polite) feedback helps me improve. 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #knititngtutorial #knittersofinstagram #crochethook #knittingtutorial
For the first time in a long time, there’s a new For the first time in a long time, there’s a new tutorial from Hands Occupied! 🎉 The video is live on YouTube & the blog. 
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The post covers what provisional cast ons are & how they differ, and the video covers how to work a one-step provisional cast on using scrap yarn and a crochet hook. (This is a great one to save for future reference.)
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I learned several names for this method while researching this video & post. Crochet provisional cast on, one-step cast on, scrap yarn cast on - if you know even more names for this technique, please share! 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #scrapyarn #crochethook
Working on a sample for some upcoming videos. It’s an overcast day with intermittent sunshine & I have a scruffy little sidecar. 🐶 Can’t complain! 
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What’s on your needles this week? 
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Yarn: @debbieblissknits Cashmerino Aran 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #knittinglife
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