The Huichol are a uniquely creative native Mexican people for whom life, nature and spirituality are inextricably linked to art. They create vibrant and immensely intricate designs with colored yarn and beads, either embroidered, in jewelry or pressed into resin-coated surfaces. Their compositions are based on ancient symbols and designs, and their technique manipulates the effect of complementary or contrasting colors in  negative and positive space in order to create halation (halo-like effect around figures).

Most yarn-art workshops consist of minimum two  3-hour sessions.  The workshop starts with a PowerPoint presentation about Huichol culture, Nierika tablets and color theory, focusing on negative and positive space in order to create halation (a halo-like effect typical of Nierika art) by using complementary or contrasting colors. After the presentation, students create their designs, transfer them to their tablets and outline the design in black yarn. During the second session, once the outline is dry, they complete their yarn-painting with colored yarn.

The traditional Nierika workshop includes a conversation about symbolism and the spiritual significance of the Nierika yarn-paintings. 

Students are encouraged to reflect upon events, thoughts or beliefs of importance in their own lives and think of simple symbols or designs to communicate them through their yarn paintings. 

In the Abstract Yarn Painting Workshop, students express their creativity through geometric or abstract designs. 

The Mandala Yarn Painting Workshop incorporates the principle of rhythm and circular symmetry into the design and, while a bit more challenging, the results are stunning.

The Si’kuli or God's-eye Workshop is about "weaving" rather than "painting". It starts with a brief introduction to Huichol art and culture and the spiritual significance of the Si’kuli, after which I demonstrate the weaving process and guide the students in the creation of their own Si’kuli. The pace of work of each class may vary depending on individual dexterity and age. If participants finish their project before the end of the last session, they will be given instructions and ideas to create more elaborate pieces. 

All materials are provided. Workshops are available for all ages, skill levels and group sizes. Groups of more than 10 children or 15 adults require one assistant or more, depending on group size. In school-settings, the presence of the lead-teacher is required at all times.  

While most yarn-art workshops last two days, this week-long summer camp gave participants more time to plan their projects and the opportunity to use a more refined technique that closely resembles the method used by the Huichol: instead of adhering the yarn with white glue, it is pressed into a thin layer of wax, which allows for more precise work and corrections.