Irvin Trujillo has won countless major awards for his weaving, including The Spanish Market Master’s Award for Lifetime Achievement and a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship. His work is collected throughout the world by individuals and major museums, including The Smithsonian. Yet, he didn’t even mention these accolades to me. More important to him is creating new pieces—not necessarily to stretch the tradition itself, but to expand his own “vocabulary of design.” This philosophy is the foundation of what his father taught him: to make a uniquely individual piece every single time you step up to a loom. It is a tradition Irvin faithfully upholds. Shocking to me, he doesn’t design the piece ahead of time but, rather, creates it in real time on the loom.
As a seventh-generation weaver, Irvin first learned the craft from his father at just 10 years old, back when he still had to stand on a chair just to reach the loom. His dad had begun weaving at home in a newly spare bedroom after Irvin’s sister left for college, and Irvin remembers being drawn to the rhythmic noise coming from behind the closed door. “I was fascinated, really,” he says. He listened for a couple of weeks before finally going inside to watch. After another couple of weeks of observation, his father asked if he wanted to learn. He eagerly accepted, though it wasn’t until Irvin entered college years later that he began to realize his father was widely considered a master.
One particular tradition Irvin highly admires—and was taught by his father—seems largely lost to the past: the acceptance of imperfection. “My perception of what people want today is perfection,” Irvin notes. “The old pieces happened because it was what they had to do. They were utilitarian, practical, everyday items needed for survival, but the tourist industry changed that. My dad taught me that if I wanted to make an interesting design, I should make some elements different—break the pattern a little, or make one stripe a smaller size. Then the eye has to look at it differently for the brain to recognize what it’s seeing. The old designs weren’t perfect, and that’s exactly what makes them art.”
These historical shifts in the craft itself mirrored a much larger, structural disruption in the region. Decades earlier, the arrival of the railroad brought swift and unfortunate changes to New Mexico. As newcomers flooded into the territory, they brought a strict concept of private land ownership, promptly fencing off acreage that had been utilized as free-range land for centuries. Consequently, local livestock could no longer freely forage where sustenance was most plentiful. While these economic shifts allowed some outsiders to thrive, they caused many long-standing, ancestral families to lose their traditional livelihoods.
It is against this backdrop of historical survival that Centinela Traditional Arts takes on a deeper meaning. The weaving business Irvin started with his wife and father more than three decades ago now supports 10 full-time weavers, many of whom come from those very same ancestral families. In this way, Irvin feels they are keeping the tradition alive not just for their own household, but for the broader community that managed to stay.
Still, following his heritage and his heart has not always been easy. As a licensed engineer, Irvin could easily earn a more stable, consistent living elsewhere. “Having the shop is a blast, but it’s been hard,” he admits. “We’ve been broke many times. I’ve tried to learn how to just live in the day—I’ll have fun in the day. I live my bliss as much of the time as I can.”
Ultimately, Irvin speaks a truth that resonates with so many who choose the artist’s path: no matter the challenges, we continue. We take leap after leap into the unknown, creating art simply because it is a part of who we are. And it is, in fact, a blast.
See more about Irvin, the history of weaving, and Centinela Traditional Arts at chimayoweavers.com.
Love to you all,
Jeane
Tradition is rich in NM. It’s wonderful to see it honored in this way. Thanks for both of the Centinela posts. I have learned something deeper about these wonderfully creative souls.
Yes, it is wonderful how these two, and others like them, live lives that express and honor tradition. It’s a privilege to be able to sit with them to learn more and a joy to be able to pass it on. Glad you liked the posts. Thanks!
The history and technical data is amazing to see. The designer in me appreciates so much the joyful creative process that goes into each and every piece 🙂
Jeane, if I may speak to Irvin here: Thank you so much Irvin for sharing with Jeane – so she could bring us in for a glimpse of your creative process and your rich family history.
Your gorgeous woven art seem to me a testament to your Father’s wisdom and your soulful respect of your own. The planet is blessed by your energy. And I consider myself part of the planet….so I thank you personally:)
Thanks Jeane for the beautifully composed blog you have graced us with!
XOXOX
Love and peace to you
Grace
Yes, one of a kind tapestries are not what we expect in this mass-produced culture in which we live. It takes so long for Irvin and Lisa to finish one piece, it almost boggles the mind. But their work is priceless on so many levels. It was a privilege to be with them and learn their stories in their own words. I’ve read about them but hearing their voices and their choice of words; seeing them work, was an honor.
Loved the post of this blog. Wonderful to see a beautiful tradition live on in the lives of these two. I love learning about artists and their work; was neat that you were able to incorperate videos into it so that we could get a real feel for the art and feel like we are sitting right there watching the artist ourselves! Wonderful and again the rugs are such beautiful one of kind pieces of art! Thank you Jeane and Irvin along with his wife for their time!
Thanks, Cindy. I really loved doing these pieces. This weekend I’m supposed to learn how to import videos without having to compress them so they’ll maintain more of their original quality. I’ll be trying to do more of them when it’s appropriate. Stay tuned!
Jeane — Thank you. This is wonderful!
Gina
Thank you, Gina. It was a real privilege to spend time with both Irvin and Lisa. I was honored to get to tell a bit of their stories. So glad you liked it.
I saw these designs and they took my breath away — Irvin is a true master of this art. Thank you for this post!!!
You might want to check out the post I wrote about Lisa as well. They are both remarkable artists! So glad you enjoyed the piece. You’ll find Lisa’s interview on the blog. Search for Centinela Traditional Arts Part 1.