“I enjoy seeing folks go from beginning to end of the class … being part of the development of someone’s creativity, celebrating with them when they have a breakthrough or when they finally realize, ‘oh, I can do it.’”
In this episode
Juliana Fagua-Arias speaks with Molly and Lara Manzanares from Tierra Wools about life as sheep ranchers, the musicality of weaving, and the intersection between business, artistry, and education.
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Download transcript here.
Molly Manzanares is a lifelong rancher and a master hand weaver. She and her husband Antonio currently own Tierra Wools, a wool weaving, spinning, and dyeing business that uses the wool from northern New Mexico sheep to create a wide range of traditional and contemporary wool products. Her leadership and work in economic development work over the years has been instrumental to the success of this traditional arts and agriculture business.
Lara Manzanares is an award-winning musician and songwriter, and a weaver in the Rio Grande weaving tradition. She holds a post baccalaureate certificate in visual communication from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in design from California College of the Arts. Manzanares grew up weaving in the Tierra Wools workshop under the tutelage of her mom, Molly, and other weavers. She currently performs music, weaves, and teaches weaving courses at Tierra Wools.
Juliana Fagua-Arias received her MA from Bard Graduate Center in 2021, where her research focused on the material culture of colonial Latin America and the transpacific trade. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the Department of History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell University.
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