MIFA News:

Join the Museum of International Folk Art for a panel discussion presented in conjunction with the exhibition Appearances Deceive: Embroideries by Policarpio Valencia, 2-4 p.m., Sunday, April 26. The program brings together scholars and cultural practitioners to explore themes of belonging, identity, and the enduring traditions of heritage arts in northern New Mexico.

Levi Romero is a former New Mexico Poet Laureate and former professor in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at the University of New Mexico. Juanita Lavadie is a weaver, colchera, scholar, and native Taoseña. Dr. Michael Trujillo is Associate Professor in American Studies and Chicana and Chicano Studies at the University of New Mexico. 

Former New Mexico Poet Laureate Levi Romero will open the program with a poetry reading, setting the tone for a thoughtful conversation about culture, memory, and place. He will be joined by weaver and scholar Juanita Lavadie and Dr. Michael Trujillo, who will discuss the embroidery techniques used by Policarpio Valencia and examine how his work reflects life, identity, and community in northern New Mexico during the early 1900s.

Together, the panelists will consider how traditional arts such as colcha embroidery continue to carry stories of belonging across generations—bridging past and present through creative expression.

This exhibition is made possible through generous funding from the International Folk Art Foundation, Museum of New Mexico Foundation, Friends of Folk Art, Courtney and Scott Taylor, and the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Special thanks to our generous donors for supporting this exhibition and its related programming.