A hands-on workshop for Penn students to create Wixarika yarn paintings inspired by the museum collection, featuring a talk by Professor Teresa Giménez.
The Penn Museum is hosting a Penn Student Making Workshop on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, centered on the yarn paintings of the Wixaritari people of western Mexico. It's a hands-on session for Penn students: you'll start with a talk and end by making a painting of your own to take home.
Those paintings are a distinct tradition. The Wixaritari tell their creation story by pressing thin, brightly colored yarn into beeswax on a wooden base, building vibrant scenes that map out their stories, their spirituality, and their relationship to the land. The workshop opens with a talk from Professor Teresa Giménez, the faculty advisor for the 2025-26 student exhibition Between Worlds/Entre Mundos, who'll be joined by the exhibition's student curators. After that, you'll get to try the process yourself and walk away with your own piece.
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It's part of the museum's wider program on Native American histories and cultures, and if you want to see the real thing before you start, the galleries are showing yarn paintings by JesĂşs LĂłpez Cosio. The whole evening is free for Penn students, with dinner and materials provided. Space is limited and spots are filled first come, first served, so it's worth getting your name in early. The workshop runs from 6:30 to 8:30 PM on Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Penn Museum.
