Consuelo Jimenez Underwood
Weaver
Gualala, CA, USA
Recommended by American Craft Council
Threads of belonging
- Consuelo specialises in weaving and fibre art
- Her creations shed light on the effects of borderlands on humans
- She works with looms, sewing machines and hand tools
Born in California to a Chicana mother and a father of Huichol descent, Consuelo Jimenez Underwood's tri-culturality is deeply represented in her woven works. Crossing borders and negotiating between three perspectives have always been fundamental to her identity and the basis of her creative process. Consuelo creates pieces that range from delicate miniature tapestries to monumental fiber and mixed media installations that explore the beauty and ecological tensions of the USA-Mexico border. "My goal has always been to use threads to voice the quiet rage that permeated the Americas for over 500 years with threads," she says.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
As a child, I walked the USA-Mexico border crossing. I witnessed displaced Indigenous women with children begging on the Mexicali sidewalks. They wore ragged rebozos and had kind eyes filled with dignified rage. I have vowed to weave rebozos ever since then.
During the rainy season, when work was unavailable, my father and I would retreat to the storage area. There, he would construct a frame loom with nails and weave me dresses, telling me tales of wonder and enchantment. Today, a small frame loom is my favourite machine.
My work primarily involves three looms, for which I determine the scale, materials and accessibility on a project-by-project basis. I also work with sewing machines, hand needles and fundamental drawing and painting materials. I have simple tools, such as wire cutters, pliers, measuring tapes and threads.
As a child, I swore to proclaim to the world how damaging borders are to the human spirit, families and ecosystems. My mission is to produce works that shift the viewer’s perception of the borderlands.
