Andean story gourds (calabacitas talladas) present us with unique forms of storytelling and introduce us to the alternative literacies and historiographies Andean art represents as text in its own right. This workshop explores nonlinear narratives that contrast with Western notions of sequential narrative, linear conceptions of time and logical sequence. Story gourds offer stories with no beginning, middle or end that can be read in any direction, depicting simultaneous activity that bridges multiple layers of time. Participants will be invited into a hands-on interactive exploration of various stories and especially a reflection on elements of both form and content as well as the different types of reading practices calabacitas talladas andother art forms offer with their tactile and sonorous dimensions that engage different senses. We will also ponder the phenomenon of miniaturization throughout the Andes and consider what relationships between the microcosm and the macrocosm storytelling gourds suggest. We will conclude with a discussion about and reflection on “threshold concepts.”
Shuttle service will be available to help individuals get to the Mitchell Athletic Center from the flagpole as needed, and from the Mitchell Athletic Center to Eisner Fine Arts, and finally from Eisner Fine Arts to Curtis Dining Hall.
