MAN: THERE ARE NO BORDERS WHEN IT COMES TO CULTURE, WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNITY.

USING ARTWORK IS THE BEST WAY OF TAKING AWAY LAS FRONTERAS.

SECOND MAN: MEXICO IS A CRUCIBLE.

WE HAVE BEEN PART OF A LARGER PICTURE SINCE PRE-COLUMBIAN TIMES.

WOMAN: I PICKED UP A KIND OF HONESTY OF WORK ETHIC FROM MEXICO.

IT WASN'’T REALLY ABOUT ART, IT WAS JUST ABOUT WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY MADE.

SECOND WOMAN: I SEE INFLUENCES FROM OAXACA IN LOS ANGELES.

ONE OF THEM IS DIA DE MUERTOS.

THIRD WOMAN: MY MEXICAN HERITAGE TIES IN WITH WHAT I DO TODAY IN THE UNITED STATES, MAKING ALTARS TO CARRY ON THE TRADITION OF REMEMBERING OUR ANCESTORS.

THIRD MAN: AT THE TEXTILE MUSEUM, WE DON'’T BELIEVE IN STRICT BORDERS.

EVERY TIME WE CAN, WE TRY TO CROSS CULTURES.

FOURTH MAN: AND I SAID, I'’M GONNA WEAVE GEORGE WASHINGTON, AND I CAN DO IT WITH FEATHERS.

FOURTH WOMAN: I WAS HOPING THAT IN THIS VERY HUMBLE WAY, TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT OPENNESS TO OTHER CULTURES.

AND OFTEN IT IS ART AND ARTISTS WHO CROSS THOSE BORDERS AND EXCHANGE WAY MORE EASILY THAN MOST.

FIFTH WOMAN: CULTURE IS AN EVOLVING THING, AND WHEN YOU MIX ART INTO CULTURE AND ARTISTS INTO CULTURE, THEN ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

[MAN SPEAKING SPANISH] ["SIMPLE THINGS" PLAYING] CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY CRAFT IN AMERICA, INC. ANNOUNCER: MAJOR FUNDING FOR CRAFT IN AMERICA WA OFELIA ESPARZA: WE ALL SUFFER 3 DEATHS.

THE FIRST DEATH IS THE DAY THAT WE GIVE OUR LAST BREATH, THE DAY THAT WE DIE.

OUR SECOND DEATH IS THE DAY THAT WE ARE BURIED, NEVER TO BE SEEN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH AGAIN.

AND OUR THIRD DEATH, THE MOST DREADED DEATH OF ALL, IS TO BE FORGOTTEN.

AND THAT'’S WHY I DO THIS.

THE BIG ONES COULD GO DOWN THE MIDDLE '’CAUSE THEY'’LL OCCUPY MORE SPACE.

WOMAN IN BLUE: I'’LL OPEN MORE OF THOSE.

OFELIA: THE WORK THAT I DO TODAY IS BUILDING ALTARS FOR DIA DE LOS MUERTOS.

WOMAN IN BLUE: HOW'’S THAT, MOM?

OFELIA: ONE OF MY FRIENDS COINED THIS TITLE ON ME-- ALTARISTA.

SO I'’VE BEEN CALLED AN ALTARISTA ALL THESE YEARS.

AN ALTAR, FOR ME, IS A BEAUTIFUL WAY OF CELEBRATING THE DEAD.

THE PROCESS OF REMEMBERING AND GATHERING ITEMS FOR THE ALTAR, IT'’S LIKE A PRAYER, BUT IT'’S ALSO A RELEASE.

MAKING FLOWERS IS A TRADITION IN MY FAMILY.

MY MOTHER WAS A QUITE TALENTED ARTISAN, AND SO I LEARNED EARLY.

MY MOTHER CAME FROM A SMALL VILLAGE IN MEXICO, AND SHE BROUGHT HER TRADITIONS.

SHE WAS VERY ADAMANT, ACTUALLY, FOR ME TO LEARN ABOUT MY ANCESTORS, MY FAMILY.

SHE REALLY WANTED ME TO CARRY ON, NOT SO MUCH DOING ALTARS LIKE I DO TODAY, BUT TO CARRY ON THE TRADITION OF REMEMBERING, AND IT TIES IN WITH WHAT I DO TODAY WITH DIA DE LOS MUERTOS.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] FOR DAY OF THE DEAD.

WE DON'’T CELEBRATE DEATH, WE CELEBRATE LIFE.

WE INVITE THE SOULS TO COME AND VISIT US.

ELENA ESPARZA: I AM MAKING THE ARCH, OR THE ARCO.

WHEN WE FILL THE ARCHWAY WITH PAPER FLOWERS, IT BECOMES THE DOORWAY FOR THE SOULS TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO US.

LOOK AT HOW MANY HANDS HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND OPEN UP THESE FLOWERS.

OUR ENERGY THAT WE POUR INTO IT BECOMES THE DRAWING FOR OUR ANCESTORS AND OUR LOVED ONES TO FIND US.

OFELIA: FOR DAY OF THE DEAD WE WOULD GO TO THE CEMETERY IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF EAST LOS ANGELES.

MY AUNTS AND MY MOTHER WOULD DECORATE AN ALTAR WITH SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE, AND THEN THEY WOULD CALL US TO COME AND EAT THE MEAL THEY HAD BROUGHT WITH THEM.

I'’M GONNA PUT THIS BIG ONE IN THE MIDDLE '’CAUSE IT'’S TOO BIG.

ELENA: OK. OFELIA: DIA DE LOS MUERTOS WAS NOT CELEBRATED PUBLICLY IN A BIG PARTY LIKE IT IS TODAY.

THIS PUBLIC CELEBRATION ACTUALLY BEGAN AT SELF HELP GRAPHICS.

LINDA VALLEJO: SELF HELP GRAPHICS WAS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST ORGANIZATIONS TO EVER CELEBRATE DAY-- DIA DE LOS MUERTOS IN EARNEST IN THE UNITED STATES.

OUR DAY OF THE DEAD CONSISTED OF LIKE 12 PEOPLE, A FEW NUNS AND A FEW ARTISTS, AND EVERYBODY BROUGHT A DISH.

I BROUGHT MOLE.

I REMEMBER, I BROUGHT MOLE.

OFELIA: THE CO-DIRECTOR THERE, SISTER KAREN BOCCALERO, WHO WAS AN IMPORTANT PERSON IN MY ARTISTIC LIFE AND IN MY PERSONAL LIFE, WANTED TO HAVE AN EVENT THAT WOULD INVOLVE THE COMMUNITY, WHERE THEY COULD DO ART, WHERE THEY COULD BRING PEOPLE TO A CULTURAL THING.

LINDA: THE MISSION OF SELF HELP GRAPHICS HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO BRING ART INTO THE COMMUNITY, TO BRING THE COMMUNITY INTO ART EXPERIENCE.

THIS IS WHAT SISTER KAREN REALLY BELIEVED, THAT ART BELONGED TO EVERYONE.

SISTER KAREN WAS DEFINITELY AHEAD OF HER TIME, AND WE WERE ALL A LITTLE BIT CRAZY, SO WE WENT RIGHT ALONG WITH HER.

[LAUGHING] BETTY AVILA: THE ARTISTS AND SISTER KAREN CARVED OUT ALMOST A TEMPLATE THAT IS NOW USED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

THEY TOOK DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FROM SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY INTIMATE, VERY FAMILIAL, UH, AND BLEW IT UP, WITH THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING COMMUNITY.

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CONSTANTLY EVOLVES.

AND IT'’S A REFLECTION OF THE COMMUNITY AS THE CHICANO IDENTITY HAS EVOLVED, AS THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES HAS EVOLVED.

ANY SORT OF FUSION OR EXCHANGE OF IDEAS, UM, I THINK IT'’S SO-- IT'’S SO L.A. OFELIA: I WAS BORN IN EAST LOS ANGELES, AND I'’VE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE.

I HAVE 9 CHILDREN.

I WAS A SCHOOLTEACHER FOR 28 YEARS.

MY WHOLE CAREER WAS IN MY IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY, AND I THINK I'’M ALWAYS A TEACHER.

I THINK WE COULD ADD A COUPLE OF THESE LIKE YOU ADDED THESE, JUST TO BRING BACK THIS COLOR.

CALIFORNIA WAS MEXICO UNTIL 1849.

BEFORE THAT IT WAS THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.

HERE IN LOS ANGELES IT WAS THE TONGVA PEOPLE.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION] IT'’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT HISTORY BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE HAVE NOT BEEN RECOGNIZED AS PART OF THIS LAND.

BETTY: WITH DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE SPANISH CATHOLIC INFLUENCE, YOU HAVE THE INDIGENOUS AZTEC INFLUENCE, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE REMIX THAT THE CHICANO COMMUNITY PUT ON HERE.

LINDA: CHICANO BASICALLY IS MEXICAN BORN IN THE UNITED STATES.

I MEAN, THAT'’S LITERALLY WHAT IT IS.

BUT NOW THE CHICANO MOVEMENT HAS ALSO TAKEN ON LATINOS OF ALL-- FROM ALL COUNTRIES, FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS, FROM ALL HISTORIES.

I WOULD SAY THAT CHICANISMO HAS A PLACE FOR EVERYONE.

JOEL GARCIA: THE WAY CHICANOS AND FOLKS HERE ON THE EASTSIDE CELEBRATE DAY OF THE DEAD IS DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY IT'’S CELEBRATED IN MEXICO, BUT VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH THE SPIRITUAL TRADITION OF IT.

THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS ACCESS TO THE CEMETERIES AT NIGHT.

HERE IN THE U.S., AT SUNDOWN, THEY'’RE CLOSED.

SO THAT IMMEDIATELY KIND OF SHIFTS THE WAY YOU CAN CELEBRATE IT AND HOW YOU CELEBRATE IT.

BETTY: WE HAVE BEEN PARTNERING WITH GRAND PARK TO BRING IN ARTISTS, TO BRING IN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO CREATE DIFFERENT ALTARS.

WE, OF COURSE, ALWAYS HAVE OUR MASTER ALTAR MAKER ARTIST, OFELIA ESPARZA, AND SO SHE'’LL MAKE THE LARGE COMMUNITY ALTAR THAT PEOPLE CAN THEN CONTRIBUTE TO ON THEIR OWN.

JOEL: HOW DO YOU GROW TO BE A MASTER ALTAR MAKER, RIGHT?

OBVIOUSLY SHE WAS TAUGHT BY HER MOTHER AND THAT TRADITION IS CARRIED ON IN HER FAMILY.

WOMAN: IS THERE A SISTER KAREN DOWN THERE?

JOEL: BUT IT TAKES A DIFFERENT SHAPE WHEN YOU'’RE DOING IT AMONGST THE PUBLIC.

XAVIER ESPARZA: IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD THAT THE YOUNG PEOPLE, THEY'’RE ACTUALLY REALLY INTERESTED IN IT.

WHEN I WAS A KID, I DIDN'’T REALLY GRASP IT, BUT NOW, YOU KNOW, I SEE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS AS FAR AS WHAT WE COME FROM, WHO WE ARE.

BOY: THE DAY OF THE DEAD IS CELEBRATED TWO DAYS.

THE FIRST DAY IS FOR KIDS AND BABIES AND PETS WHO'’VE PASSED AWAY.

THE SECOND DAY IS FOR GROWNUPS WHO'’VE PASSED AWAY.

AND IN SPANISH IT'’S CALLED DIA DE LOS MUERTOS.

JOEL: IT'’S OUR WAY TO CONNECT TO OTHER COMMUNITIES.

AND SOMETIMES IT'’S THE ONLY TIME THAT WE CONNECT WITH THESE COMMUNITIES, BUT IT'’S AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.

MAN: HER FATHER PASSED AWAY LAST YEAR, AND SHE SAID, "HUH, IT WOULD BE NEAT TO BUILD ONE FOR MY DAD."

SO, IT'’S NOT IN OUR DIRECT CULTURAL LINEAGE, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE AN INTERESTING WAY TO CELEBRATE.

WOMAN: I THINK IT'’S A GREAT WAY TO REMEMBER SOMEONE.

MM-HMM.

OFELIA: CAN YOU HELP PUT MY MOTHER SOMEWHERE IN THE CENTER?

ELENA: MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD SAY THEY WERE WITH US, BECAUSE, LOOK, THE BREAD IS DRIER.

THEY SUCKED THE LIFE OUT OF IT.

AND THE WATER IS A LITTLE LOWER.

SO, YOU COULD SEE HOW WE CAN'’T STOP DOING THIS.

WE CAN'’T.

WE HAVE TO KEEP THE THIRD DEATH FROM EVER OCCURRING.

OFELIA: WE'’RE SHARING DIA DE LOS MUERTOS WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD, AND THE MORE WE UNDERSTAND WHY WE CELEBRATE CERTAIN WAYS, IT GIVES YOU A WHOLE INSIGHT ABOUT EACH OTHER.

LINDA: CULTURE IS AN EVOLVING THING.

AND WHEN YOU MIX ART INTO CULTURE AND ARTISTS INTO CULTURE, THEN ANYTHING GOES.

IT'’S OPEN.

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

BETTY: WE WORK WITH ARTISTS WHO ARE LESS CONCERNED WITH PHYSICAL WALLS AND PHYSICAL BORDER SPACES AND MORE CONCERNED WITH HOW THEIR WORK AFFECTS COMMUNITIES.

FINDING WAYS TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND BORDERS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'’RE VERY GOOD AT IN THIS COMMUNITY.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER] [J. ISAAC VASQUEZ GARCIA SPEAKING SPANISH] [GUADALUPE VASQUEZ GUTIERREZ SPEAKING SPANISH] [J. ISAAC SPEAKING SPANISH] ALEJANDRO DE AVILA BLOMBERG: TEOTITLAN, THEY HAVE BEEN A WEAVING COMMUNITY FOR MILLENNIA.

AND THE ISAAC VASQUEZ FAMILY ARE RESPECTED IN TEOTITLAN AND BEYOND TEOTITLAN FOR THE FOR THAT DON ISAAC HAS DONE.

HE TOOK VERY SERIOUSLY THE TASK OF RELEARNING WHAT HAD BEEN LOST, BECAUSE THE WEAVERS HAD BEEN USING SYNTHETIC DYES FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

AND HE, BY TRIAL AND ERROR, BY REALLY WORKING WITH THE DYESTUFFS, CAME BACK TO A MASTERY OF COCHINEAL, OF ALL THE HUES THAT YOU CAN OBTAIN, AND IN MY OPINION, HE IS THE MASTER DYER IN TEOTITLAN, AND HIS FAMILY CONTINUES WITH HIS TRADITION.

[LILA LUIS DE VASQUEZ SPEAKING SPANISH] [J. ISAAC SPEAKING SPANISH] ALEJANDRO: WHAT WAS WOVEN FOR THE RURAL MARKET, BECAUSE THESE WERE WORN AS BLANKETS BY MEN IN THE VALLEY OF OAXACA AND IN THE MOUNTAINS BEYOND, MADE THE TRANSITION TO TAPESTRIES THAT ARE HUNG ON WALLS OR DISPLAYED ON FLOORS.

IN THIS TRANSITION, THE WEAVING TRADITION HAS BECOME ENRICHED IMMENSELY.

AND PEOPLE ARE NOW DOING FINER TAPESTRY THAN WAS EVER DONE, AND THEY'’RE MUCH MORE EXPERIMENTAL.

[WILMER VASQUEZ SPEAKING SPANISH] [BELLS RINGING] VANESSA RUIZ: WE CELEBRATE DIA DE MUERTOS, AND ONE OF THE TRADITIONS THAT THEY HAVE HERE IN TEOTITLAN IS THAT FROM 3 P.M.

WHEN THE SPIRITS COME AND VISIT US, FROM THAT TIME, THE BELLS KEEP RINGING 24 HOURS.

MY FATHER IS FROM TEOTITLAN DEL VALLE.

I AM HALF ZAPOTEC, HALF MICHOACANA, AND SINCE I WAS BORN IN THE UNITED STATES, HALF AMERICAN.

[LILA LUIS DE VASQUEZ SPEAKING SPANISH] [VENDOR REPLIES IN SPANISH] [LILA SPEAKING SPANISH] [VENDOR REPLIES IN SPANISH] VANESSA: I MET WILMER AND WE FELL IN LOVE, AND WE ARE PLANNING TO MARRY PRETTY SOON HERE IN TEOTITLAN.

THE VASQUEZ FAMILY CELEBRATES DIA DE MUERTOS.

WE BUY IN THE MARKET BREAD... [WOMAN SPEAKING SPANISH] VANESSA: FLOWERS, FRUIT.

THEN WE BUY NUTS, SEEDS.

WE MAKE CHOCOLATE.

AND THAT'’S FOR THE ALTAR.

[GUADALUPE SPEAKING SPANISH] [J. ISAAC SPEAKING SPANISH] VANESSA: THE BELIEF IS THAT MARIA VASQUEZ COMES, AND THEY MUST HAVE MESCAL, SODA, AND BEER, BECAUSE THAT'’S WHAT SHE LOVED TO DRINK.

IF THERE'’S NONE OF THOSE THINGS THERE, THEN SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN, LIKE A SUPERSTITION.

[ALL TOASTING IN SPANISH] [BELLS RINGING] [INDISTINCT CHATTER] VANESSA: I DO SEE INFLUENCES FROM OAXACA IN LOS ANGELES.

ONE OF THEM IS DIA DE MUERTOS.

THEY HAVE THE SAME FOOD, SAME KIND OF ALTARS, BUT HERE IN TEOTITLAN, THIS IS SERIOUS.

THIS IS NOT LIKE A GAME.

DIA DE MUERTOS IS A REALLY, REALLY HEART-TO-HEART CELEBRATION.

[J. ISAAC SPEAKING SPANISH] [INDISTINCT CHATTER] ALEJANDRO: OAXACA BECAME WHAT IT IS TODAY, A BEAUTIFUL CITY WITH MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE, WITH BEAUTIFUL GILDED ALTARS, WITH BEAUTIFUL OIL PAINTINGS IN THE CHURCHES AND IN THE HOMES, ALL BECAUSE OF COCHINEAL.

JIM BASSLER: ALEJANDRO DE AVILA, WHO IS AN ARTIST, BUT ALSO AN ANTHROPOLOGIST, WAS ABLE TO DEVELOP AN ETHNOBOTANICAL GARDEN IN OAXACA.

IT SHOWS OFF THE VARIETY OF PLANTS THAT DO GROW IN THE STATE OF OAXACA.

ALEJANDRO: TO THE SIDES, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE THE WILD NOPALES, WITH A LOT OF THORNS, AND THEN AT THE CENTER WE HAVE THE CACTI THAT WERE DOMESTICATED HERE, AS THE HOST PLANTS FOR COCHINEAL.

JIM: HE BEGAN TO IDENTIFY THE PLANTS WHICH WERE ENDANGERED WITHIN THE STATE OF OAXACA.

AND IT INSPIRED ME TO DO A SERIES OF TAPESTRIES BASED ON THESE ENDANGERED SPECIES.

ALEJANDRO: OAXACA IS A REGION IN MESOAMERICA AS A WHOLE WITH THE GREATEST DIVERSITY OF MATERIALS FOR TEXTILES, THAT IS FIBERS AND DYESTUFFS.

THE GREATEST DIVERSITY OF TECHNIQUES... COME AND SEE, JIM.

AND THE MOST DIVERSE INVENTORY OF GARMENTS AND TEXTILE DESIGN.

SO THIS IS A FOUR SELVEDGE WEB.

HE HAS TURNED THE LOOM AROUND AND NOW HE'’S WORKING FROM THIS SIDE.

WE HAVE A 3,000-YEAR RECORD OF HOW TEXTILES HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME.

AND THAT IS A UNIQUE IN-WAY INTO UNDERSTANDING HUMAN EXPERIENCE THROUGH TEXTILES.

[NOE PINZON PALAFOX SPEAKING SPANISH] ALEJANDRO: THIS IS SILK THAT HAS BEEN RAISED FOR ALMOST 500 YEARS BY INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, AND THIS THREAD THEY DYED USING LOCAL PLANTS.

IN ADDITION TO THAT SILK THAT WE HAVE FROM THE MOUNTAINS, WE HAVE THE FEATHERED THREADS.

HECTOR MENESES LOZANO: FEATHERS HAVE BEEN VERY IMPORTANT IN TEXTILE TRADITIONS IN MEXICO.

SINCE PRE-COLOMBIAN TIMES, THE FEATHERS HAD A VERY SPECIAL PLACE.

ONLY THE ELITES WOULD BE AUTHORIZED TO WEAR FEATHERS ON THEIR GARMENTS.

THERE WAS A VERY ACTIVE TRADE IN FEATHER GARMENTS, AND PROBABLY BECAUSE IT'’S VERY LABOR INTENSIVE AND VERY EXPENSIVE, BUT EVENTUALLY IT DISAPPEARED.

FRANCISCO TOLEDO IS OUR PATRON SAINT.

HE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO PROPOSE THE GARDEN AND TO MAKE IT COME TRUE.

AND WE ALSO OWE TO HIM IN A LARGE MEASURE WHAT YOU SEE AT THE TEXTILE MUSEUM.

FRANCISCO TOLEDO PURCHASED A COLLECTION OF TEXTILES.

THIS COLLECTION HAD A FANTASTIC ANCIENT PIECE AND ONE OF THE VERY FEW SURVIVING EXAMPLES OF FEATHERWORK, FEATHERWORK TEXTILE.

[MUSIC PLAYING] HECTOR: THERE ARE SOME TEXTILES IN THE AMAZON, IN SOUTH AMERICA AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS, IN THE U.S.

EVEN, THAT USE FEATHERS IN THEIR TEXTILES.

JIM: MM-HMM.

HECTOR: BUT NO CULTURE USES THIS FEATHER YARN.

SO WE WERE REALLY EAGER AND INTERESTED IN REPLICATING THIS AND BRINGING IT BACK TO LIFE.

JIM: YEAH, THAT IS A BIG DIFFERENCE, I MEAN, TO BE USING IT IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE CLOTH, ALONG WITH OTHER THINGS.

HECTOR: IT IS ONLY ONE OF THE 6 TEXTILES THAT EXIST WITH THAT TECHNIQUE FROM THAT PERIOD.

IT WAS RESEARCHED, IT WAS STUDIED TO FIND OUT HOW THE DOWN WAS DYED AND HOW IT WAS WOVEN.

WE TRIED TO REPLICATE THE TECHNIQUE, AND 3 YEARS LATER, WE--WE ARE THERE.

WE ARE PRODUCING THESE BEAUTIFUL TEXTILES THAT NOBODY ELSE HAS SEEN IN 300 YEARS.

THIS WAS THE VERY FIRST FEATHER TEXTILE THAT THE MUSEUM ACQUIRED IN 2008, AFTER A WORKSHOP THAT WE HAD TO TEACH HOW WE THINK THE PROCESS WAS MADE.

JIM: MAGNIFICENT.

HECTOR: WE ARE NOT ONLY RECOVERING SOMETHING THAT WAS LOST, WE ARE ALSO CREATING SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW OUT OF THESE MATERIALS.

AT THE TEXTILE MUSEUM, WE DON'’T BELIEVE IN STRICT BORDERS.

AND EVERY TIME WE CAN, WE TRY TO CROSS CULTURES.

SO FOR THE EXHIBITION, "HILAR EL VIENTO," "SPIN THE WIND," WE INVITED DIFFERENT ARTISTS, NOT ONLY FROM OAXACA BUT FROM OTHER PLACES, AND JIM BASSLER WAS ONE OF THEM.

JIM: I WAS THINKING, I'’LL PROBABLY BE THE ONLY AMERICAN IN THE SHOW, AND I SAID, THAT'’S IT.

I'’M GOING TO WEAVE GEORGE WASHINGTON BECAUSE HE HAS ALL THAT GORGEOUS WHITE HAIR, AND I CAN DO IT WITH FEATHERS.

ALMOST ALL OF THE MATERIALS THAT I USED CAME FROM OAXACA, EXCEPT THE INDIGO BLUE LINEN.

THIS IS FROM A WOMAN THAT I MET IN THE MARKET IN 1970.

IT'’S HAND-SPUN SILK.

SHE WAS SPINNING RIGHT ON THE STREET.

AND I BOUGHT AS MUCH AS I COULD.

I WAS REALLY SORT OF WORRIED ABOUT HOW I WAS GOING TO GET SOME SORT OF CAUCASIAN GEORGE WASHINGTON SKIN COLOR.

A DEAR FRIEND OF OURS SENT US THE SOUNDTRACK FROM THE MUSICAL "HAMILTON."

AND I THOUGHT, I WILL MAKE MY GEORGE BLACK.

AND THAT GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE NATURAL BROWN COTTON THAT I HAD PICKED UP IN A LITTLE WEAVING VILLAGE IN THE ISTHMUS IN 1972.

AND THAT REALLY DELIGHTED ME TO THINK THAT SINCE 1972 I'’D HELD ON TO THIS NATURAL BROWN COTTON AND WAS ABLE TO USE IT.

SO GEORGE CAME OFF LOOKING-- SOME PEOPLE, WHEN I TOLD PEOPLE WHAT I WAS DOING, THEY SAID, WELL, HE DOESN'’T LOOK DARK ENOUGH.

AND I SAID, WELL, THAT'’S THE COLOR OF THE NATURAL BROWN COTTON.

I'’M SORRY.

ALEJANDRO: JIM'’S WEDGE WEAVES ARE FANTASTIC.

I LOVE THE CREATIVITY THAT HE HAS ACHIEVED WITH THESE ECCENTRIC WEFTS.

AND THE GEORGE WASHINGTON PIECE, FOR ME, IS A MASTERPIECE.

IT SYNTHESIZES HIS LAST SEVERAL YEARS OF WORKING IN THAT TECHNIQUE, BUT IT'’S BEYOND SKILL.

IT REFLECTS HIS DEEP PHILOSOPHY OF WHAT THE UNITED STATES IS ABOUT, WHAT AMERICAN CULTURE IS ABOUT, AND WHAT THIS CURRENT MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY IS ABOUT.

HECTOR: THE MISSION OF THIS SPACE IS TO CREATE A FORUM OF EXCHANGE, OF EXCHANGE OF IDEAS, OF DESIGNS, OF EXPERIENCES, AND TO CONTRAST CULTURES AND FIND SIMILARITIES, FIND THOSE LINKS AMONG HUMANS.

AND TEXTILES REFLECT THAT.

[MUSIC PLAYING] ALEJANDRO: WELL, BORDERS ALWAYS HAD A REFERENCE OF THE WARP AND THE WEFT ON THE LOOM.

YOU SAW IN WHAT NOE WAS DOING A FOUR SELVEDGE TEXTILE.

AND THAT IS VALUED.

IT IS VALUED SYMBOLICALLY BECAUSE IT IS AN ENTIRE PIECE, AND THE BORDERS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE, BECAUSE THEY'’RE NOT CUT BORDERS, THEY'’RE WOVEN BORDERS.

THEY HOLD TOGETHER.

THEY HAVE THE VALUE OF BEING AN ENTIRETY, AN INTEGRITY.

IT'’S THE WAY THE LOOM IS CONCEIVED.

AND I THINK IT REFLECTS AN IDEOLOGY THAT GOES BEYOND WEAVING.

IT'’S AN IDEOLOGY OF WHAT IS PROPER AND WHAT IS COMPLETE AND WHAT IS PRESENTABLE AND WHAT IS STRONG AND STEADY AND WILL HOLD.

IT WILL NOT UNRAVEL.

[MUSIC PLAYING] VERALEE BASSLER: THE GUELAGUETZA WITH A CAPITAL "G" IS THE GATHERING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE FROM THE REGIONS OF OAXACA.

THERE'’S A SIZABLE COMMUNITY OF OAXAQUENOS IN LOS ANGELES, AND HAPPILY, THEY WANT TO KEEP THESE TRADITIONS ALIVE EVEN FROM THIS DISTANCE.

[MUSIC PLAYING] JIM: VERALEE AND I MET AT UCLA AND WE MARRIED IN 1965.

IN 1967, WE DROVE TO MEXICO CITY IN ORDER TO SEE THE NEW ANTHROPOLOGICAL MUSEUM WHICH HAD JUST OPENED UP.

WE LOOKED AT THE MAP OF MEXICO, AND THERE WAS THE CITY OF OAXACA, WHICH I MISPRONOUNCED, AND WE SAID, I THINK THAT'’S SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY GOOD WITH FOLK ART.

IT WAS 3:00 IN THE AFTERNOON IN MEXICO CITY, AND I THOUGHT, OH, IT'’S ONLY 3 INCHES ON THE MAP.

WE CAN DO IT.

IT'’S A 12-HOUR TRIP.

VERALEE: THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE THAT WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

AND IT HAS INFORMED AND INFLUENCED AND IMPRESSED UPON OUR LIFE AND OUR WORK EVER SINCE.

[MUSIC PLAYING] JIM: AS WE DROVE, WE WENT THROUGH ABOUT TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT ZONES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.

KEEP IN MIND THAT OAXACA, TO THIS DAY, HAS 14 DIFFERENT INDIGENOUS GROUPS LIVING WITHIN THE BORDERS.

AND EACH ONE OF THOSE IS EXPRESSED IN THE WEAVINGS THAT THE WOMEN WEAR.

[CHATTER, LAUGHTER] VERALEE: DRIVE UP THE COAST AND YOU'’RE APPROACHING THE STATE OF GUERRERO, AND THERE'’S THE AMUZGO, WHICH I AM WEARING TODAY.

AND MY HUIPIL IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLICATED WEAVINGS THAT YOU WILL FIND, AND THIS IS FROM XOCHISTLAHUACA, A TOWN RIGHT INSIDE THE BORDER OF GUERRERO.

JIM: I WAS REALLY TRYING TO CONCENTRATE ON WHAT IT WAS I WAS GOING TO DO FOR MY MASTER'’S DEGREE, AND IT WAS FROM OAXACA THAT I GOT THE IDEA TO DO MY PROJECT ON NATURAL DYES.

I WENT OUT TO THE WEAVING VILLAGE, TEOTITLAN DEL VALLE, AND IT WAS AMAZING TO ME TO SEE THE SOURCES THAT ALLOWED THEM TO HAVE THIS WIDE RANGE OF COLOR.

I HAD MY EXHIBIT, AND ALMOST HALF OF THE SHOW REPRESENTED INFLUENCES FROM THE OAXACA TRIP.

VERALEE: IN THE LATE 1960s, WE RECEIVED AN OFFER TO CONTINUE A SCHOOL IN OAXACA FOR TEENAGE GIRLS FROM THE STATES, AND IT TOOK ABOUT 5 MINUTES OF DISCUSSION FROM JIM AND ME TO COME UP WITH A RESOUNDING YES.

AND WE PACKED UP OUR CHILDREN AND OUR TWO DOGS AND WHATEVER WE COULD FIT IN OUR VOLKSWAGEN BUS AND DROVE 3,000 MILES TO OAXACA.

IT WAS THE ADVENTURE THAT WE WERE AFTER.

JIM: THE EMPHASIS WAS TO INTRODUCE ANOTHER CULTURE TO THESE YOUNG LADIES.

AND THAT MEANT THROUGH SONG, THROUGH DANCE, THROUGH LANGUAGE, AND, OF COURSE, THROUGH GOING OUT TO THE VILLAGES TO MEET THE PEOPLE.

MOLLY CLEATOR: I FIRST VISITED OAXACA WHEN I WAS 15 YEARS OLD.

I LIVED WITH VERALEE AND JIM.

THEY WERE MY ART TEACHERS, MY LIFE TEACHERS, AND AS VERALEE SAYS, YOU KNOW, MY ADOPTED PARENTS.

THE OAXAQUENA PEOPLE INVITED ME INTO THEIR HOMES, INTO THEIR LIVES TO UNDERSTAND THEIR ART, THEIR MUSIC, THEIR DANCE, AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE, MY COMPLETE WORLD VIEW.

OAXACA DID.

JIM: OUR STATUS WAS ALWAYS TOURISTS, SO EVERY 6 MONTHS WE HAD TO LEAVE MEXICO.

AND SO ON ALL OF THESE TRIPS THAT WE TOOK, WE WOULD FILL THE CAR WITH FOLK ART.

THERE WERE NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE WILLING TO BRING FOLK ART BACK FROM SOUTHERN MEXICO.

VERALEE: THIS IS A PUPPET.

YOU CAN SEE THAT MECHANISM, WHICH IS JUST KIND OF AMAZING.

IT'’S A VERY SOFT WOOD, AND THE MAN TALKS A LOT.

[CLACKING] [MUSIC PLAYING] JIM: ONE TIME, I HAD TAKEN ALONG WITH ME A "TIME" MAGAZINE WHICH HAD A TWO-PAGE SPREAD IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, AND THE CAPTION WAS, "MAN HAS A NEED FOR COLOR."

AND ON IT WAS A WOODEN ANIMAL.

AND WE ASKED IN THE CRAFT SHOP, WHO DID THIS?

AND THEY DIRECTED US OUT TO A LITTLE VILLAGE, ARRAZOLA, TO MANUEL JIMENEZ.

HE WAS INDEED AN EXCEPTIONAL FOLK ARTIST.

THIS IS REALLY AN AMAZING PIECE.

HE DIDN'’T OFTEN DO MUERTOS.

HE DID A LOT OF ANGELS.

HE WAS A VERY, VERY RELIGIOUS MAN.

SO WE WERE LUCKY TO GET THIS PIECE.

IT WAS ALSO A TIME THAT MID-CENTURY MODERN WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.

THE SLEEK AND THE RATHER STERILE KIND OF FURNITURE AND THE CONTRAST OF FOLK ART WAS QUITE AMAZING.

THINK OF CHARLES AND RAY EAMES ENVIRONMENT.

IT WAS MADE LIVELY BY THE FOLK ART THAT THEY HAD COLLECTED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

VERALEE: COMING OUT OF UCLA ART DEPARTMENT, WHERE THINGS WERE MORE OF A FORMAL QUALITY TO THEM, I WAS AMAZED BY THE POTTERS.

I LOVED THE CRUDENESS, ACTUALLY, OR THE QUALITY OF THE HANDS THAT CAME FROM THIS HEAVILY GROUTED CLAY THAT WAS DUG FROM RIVERS IN OAXACA.

THEY WERE SIMPLE FORMS, BEAUTIFUL FORMS, AND I DO TO THIS DAY LOVE THOSE FORMS AS WELL AS ANYTHING I COULD CREATE.

I PICKED THAT UP FROM OAXACA.

AND I PICKED UP A KIND OF HONESTY OF WORK ETHIC, YOU KNOW?

I DON'’T KNOW HOW TO PUT IT, BUT IT WAS A PART OF THEIR LIFE-- IT WASN'’T REALLY ABOUT ART, IT WAS JUST ABOUT WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEY MADE.

AND, UH, I LIKE THAT.

JIM: JACK LARSEN INVITED ME TO PARTICIPATE IN AN EXHIBIT IN NEW YORK CITY, AND I SENT JACK A LITTLE MAQUETTE OF WHAT I WAS PLANNING TO DO.

JACK WROTE BACK AND SAID, NO, YOU'’VE GOT TO WORK MUCH BIGGER.

PEOPLE ARE WORKING BIG IN THE UNITED STATES.

AND IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IN LIVING IN MEXICO, MY WORK HAD TAKEN ON THE SCALE OF THE HUMAN BODY.

AND EVERYTHING I WAS DOING WAS TO THE SCALE BECAUSE THAT'’S SORT OF THE INTIMACY THAT I WOULD RELATE TO WHEN I WOULD GO TO THE VILLAGE TO WATCH THE WEAVERS.

AND MOST OF MY WORK I HOPE HAS THAT KIND OF ECHO IN IT, OF--OF--IT REALLY ALMOST LOOKS LIKE IT'’S FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY.

[MUSIC PLAYING] VERALEE: GUELAGUETZA IS A ZAPOTEC WORD, AND IT ROUGHLY, LOOSELY MEANS GIFT-GIVING OR RECIPROCITY OR SHARING.

I ALSO GLEANED THAT FROM OAXACA IN TERMS OF THE GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT WHICH HAS TO DO WITH ART AND SHARING YOUR IDEAS WITH PEOPLE WHO ASK AND NEED AND ALL THAT.

AND IT WAS LIFE IN OAXACA.

IT WAS WONDERFUL.

[MUSIC CONTINUES] JIM: I THINK THERE'’S SOMETHING SO HEALTHY ABOUT SOMETIME IN YOUR LIFE GETTING UP AND LIVING SOMEWHERE ELSE.

IT BROUGHT A GREAT RICHNESS TO OUR LIVES, REALLY.

AND IT STILL DOES.

[MUSIC PLAYING] [FRANCISCO TOLEDO SPEAKING SPANISH] JIM: OAXACA HAS REALLY DONE A REMARKABLE JOB.

THE GALLERIES, THE MUSEUMS, ARE SOME OF THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY.

AND IT WAS BASICALLY THE EFFORTS OF FRANCISCO TOLEDO, A LEADING ARTIST, AND OF ALEJANDRO DE AVILA, WHO IS A COMPADRE OF FRANCISCO TOLEDO, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO CONVINCE THE CITY COUNCIL, THE POLITICIANS, OF MAKING DECISIONS ON MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES, RATHER THAN GOING THE COMMERCIAL KIND OF WAY.

TOLEDO WAS FAMOUS FOR KEEPING A McDONALD'’S OUT OF THE ZOCALO, THE CITY SQUARE, SAYING THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT WE DO NOT NEED.

TOURISTS DO NOT COME TO HAVE A McDONALD'’S.

THEY WANT TO SEE OAXACA.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT TOLEDO DID IN PARTICULAR WAS HE BROUGHT OVER FINNISH PAPER-MAKERS TO ESTABLISH A PAPER-MAKING OPERATION BUT USING THE PLANTS AND MATERIALS THAT COME FROM OAXACA.

[FRANCISCO SPEAKING SPANISH] KIFF SLEMMONS: TOLEDO ASKED ME TO DESIGN JEWELRY THAT THE PEOPLE WORKING HERE COULD REPRODUCE.

AND I SAID, OH, NO, I CAN'’T POSSIBLY DO THAT.

BUT OF COURSE HE PUT THAT IDEA OUT THERE, SO THAT'’S HOW IT STARTED.

[FRANCISCO SPEAKING SPANISH] KIFF: I DIDN'’T INTEND TO BE A JEWELER.

I DIDN'’T REGARD JEWELRY VERY HIGHLY, TO BE FRANK.

BUT MY HUSBAND AND I FIRST CAME TO OAXACA ALMOST 50 YEARS AGO.

[LAUGHS] AT THAT TIME, WE WENT TO MONTE ALBAN.

WE WENT VERY EARLY ONE MORNING, AND IT WAS VERY CALM, VERY PEACEFUL, NO ONE ELSE THERE, AND IT WAS FANTASTIC.

WE SAW THE JEWELRY FROM TOMB 7.

IT MADE A DEEP IMPRESSION.

IT WAS THE INTIMACY OF THE SMALL SCALE AND ITS IMPACT THAT STAYED WITH ME, ALTHOUGH IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH, OH, I'’M GOING TO MAKE JEWELRY.

IT'’S MORE NOW I SEE, THE SEED WAS PLANTED.

[LAUGHS] WITH THIS PIECE, I'’M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THE CURVE CORRECT.

THE BUILDING WAS ORIGINALLY A HYDROELECTRIC PLANT IN THE 19th CENTURY.

IT'’S A GREAT PLACE FOR MAKING PAPER, SINCE YOU NEED THE WATER.

SO ALWAYS YOU HAVE THE SOUND OF THE WATER HERE.

[WATER RUSHING] [EVELINA MARQUEZ MORGA SPEAKING SPANISH] KIFF: IN A WAY, I REALLY WAS WORKING IN THE BEGINNING AS A TEACHER OF DESIGN.

AND THIS IS NOT SO MUCH RELATED TO THE WAY I WORK IN METAL, WHICH IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

THIS IS MY PETRI DISH.

THERE'’S NO GREAT VALUE IN ANY INDIVIDUAL OBJECTS, BUT THERE'’S SOMETHING THAT CAN HAPPEN FROM LOOKING AT THE JUXTAPOSITIONS OF THESE THINGS.

I WAS NEVER ATTRACTED TO THE PRECIOUSNESS IDEA OF JEWELRY, OF DIAMONDS, GOLD, AND NEW MATERIALS.

WHAT I VALUED WERE THINGS THAT WERE MAYBE OVERLOOKED OR DISREGARDED IN THE CULTURE, AND I BEGAN TO USE SOME OF THOSE MATERIALS.

I'’M OFTEN PUT IN THAT PLACE THAT I WORK WITH FOUND OBJECTS, BUT I THINK IN SOME WAYS, I'’M DIFFICULT TO CATEGORIZE OR DEFINE WITHIN THE JEWELRY MOVEMENT.

FOR ME, IT'’S NOT THE TECHNIQUE OF HOW I MAKE SOMETHING, BUT THE WHY I MAKE SOMETHING.

AND IF SOMETHING DOESN'’T HAVE VITALITY FOR ME, WELL, THEN, THERE'’S NO POINT.

SO, THE WHY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOW.

CESAREO MORENO: IF YOU REALLY LOOK AT CHICAGO NOW, YOU CAN SEE HOW THE MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS AND COMMUNITY HAVE GREATLY AFFECTED, IN A POSITIVE WAY, UH, THE FABRIC OF THIS CITY.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT IDEAS THAT THIS MUSEUM HAS HAD IS THE CONCEPT OF "SIN FRONTERAS."

AND WHAT THAT BASICALLY MEANS IS THAT THERE ARE NO BORDERS WHEN IT COMES TO CULTURE, WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNITY.

UM, BORDERS DO NOT EXIST IN THE ARTS.

THE STRENGTH OF ARTWORK IS THAT IT CAN CREATE BRIDGES, IT CAN SHOW YOU WHAT YOU HAVE IN COMMON WITH ALL HUMANITY, AND IT CAN DO IT IN A VERY SUBTLE AND QUIET WAY.

THIS MUSEUM'’S RELATIONSHIP WITH FRANCISCO TOLEDO GOES WAY BACK.

THE MUSEUM WAS A YEAR OLD IN 1988, AND WE DISPLAYED THE VERY FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION OF MAESTRO TOLEDO IN A MUSEUM IN THE UNITED STATES.

AND IT JUST MADE SO MUCH SENSE THAT WE WOULD, ALMOST 30 YEARS LATER, OPEN OUR GALLERY DOORS TO THE MORE RECENT WORK OF THE MAESTRO TOLEDO STUDIOS, THIS RECENT WORK FROM C.A.S.A, C.A.S.A.

BEING THE CULTURE ARTS CENTER IN SAN AGUSTIN OUTSIDE OF OAXACA CITY THAT WAS FOUNDED BY MAESTRO TOLEDO, AND THE WORKS THAT ARE ON OUR WALLS COME FROM THAT SPACE.

THEY WORK FELT AND MANY OTHER MATERIALS THAT ARE TRADITIONAL, YET, THE WAY THEY DO IT IS VERY, VERY CONTEMPORARY.

THERE WERE MANY HANDS THAT WERE A PART OF THE CREATION OF THESE WORKS, BUT THERE WAS ONE VISION, THERE WAS ONE MIND BEHIND IT, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN FRANCISCO TOLEDO.

KIFF: THERE WAS A SIMILARITY IN HOW HE SET UP THE FELT WORKSHOP TO THE PAPER WORKSHOP.

SOMEHOW HE HAS WAYS OF BRINGING OUT THE BEST USE OF THESE MATERIALS, IN AN--IN AN EXPRESSIVE WAY.

AND HE HAS A MUCH WIDER VIEW THAN A SINGLE MEDIA, A SINGLE TECHNIQUE, A SINGLE MEANS OF EXPRESSION.

I THINK THAT TOLEDO IS ALWAYS SEEING, LOOKING FOR, MAKING CONNECTIONS FOR HIS PERSONAL EXPLORATION, BUT ALSO FOR THE SURVIVAL, FOR THE VITALITY OF THE CULTURE THAT HE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT IN OAXACA.

I'’M NOT SURE HE LIKES THE TERM "ACTIVIST," BUT I THINK OF HIM AS THAT, AS A CULTURAL ACTIVIST.

[FRANCISCO SPEAKING SPANISH] [ENRIQUE RAMIREZ CASTELLANOS SPEAKING SPANISH] KIFF: THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF BORDERS.

BORDERS IN THE MINDS AND PHYSICAL BORDERS.

AND OFTEN IT IS ART AND ARTISTS WHO CROSS THOSE BORDERS AND EXCHANGE WAY MORE EASILY THAN MOST.

AND TO DO IT MAYBE INDIRECTLY THROUGH THIS VERY HUMBLE PROJECT, GIVES ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVOCATE FOR MANY THINGS, REALLY.

FOR JEWELRY, FOR ART, FOR... FOR FEWER BORDERS.

ANNOUNCER: COMING UP ON THE NEXT "CRAFT IN AMERICA"... WOMAN: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE U.S. AND MEXICO IS THIS STORY THAT GOES BACK AND FORTH, FLOWS BACK AND FORTH, FOR CENTURIES.

MAN: SOME OF US SEE OURSELVES AS BEING FROM BOTH THE U.S. AND MEXICO AND MAYBE NOT HAVING TOO MANY DISTINCTIONS.

[MAN SPEAKING SPANISH] ANNOUNCER: WATCH ADDITIONAL VIDEO ONLINE, INCLUDING MORE INTERVIEWS AND ARTISTS AT WORK, PLUS, VISIT A VIRTUAL EXHIBITION OF OBJECTS FROM AMERICA'’S LEADING ARTISTS.

VISIT "CRAFT IN AMERICA" AT PBS.ORG.

THIS EPISODE OF "CRAFT IN AMERICA" IS AVAILABLE ON DVD.

THE "CRAFT IN AMERICA" DVD COLLECTION, WHICH INCLUDES PAST SEASONS, IS ALSO AVAILABLE.

TO ORDER, VISIT SHOPPBS.ORG OR CALL US AT 1-800-PLAY-PBS.