Bertha Estrada learned to make rebozos at the age of 11. Over her career as a dyer and weaver in Ahuirán, Mexico, she has mastered many kinds of knowledge: environmental, cultural, chemical, historical, and tacit. Over a nine-day residency at Columbia University, Bertha and her son Mateo shared their embodied knowledge with undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines in the Making and Knowing Project’s laboratory seminar class. The seminar investigates embodied knowledge, historical techniques, and the intersections between artistic making and scientific knowing.

Students have the opportunity to work alongside Bertha and Mateo, learning about the materials for creating natural colors (including marigold flowers, coconut husks, and pomegranate peels), techniques, and the many forms of knowledge embedded in dyeing. During this showcase, Bertha and Mateo will give an introduction to their work and the Purépecha dyeing tradition and students will share their textile results and insights from their hands-on experience.

Event Speakers

• Bertha Estrada, dyer and weaver
• Mateo Rodriguez Estrada, dyer and weaver

Event Information

Free and open to the public; registration required. Contact scienceandsociety@columbia.edu with questions.

This event is held by the Center for Science and Society at Columbia University.

The Center for Science and Society makes every reasonable effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you require disability accommodations to attend a Center for Science and Society event, please contact us at scienceandsociety@columbia.edu or (212) 854-0666 at least 10 days in advance of the event. For more information, please visit the campus accessibility webpage.