June 02, 2011

Beaded Volkswagen shows Huichol art

Mexican Indian tribe covers VW bug with bead-art

By Adrienne Bard
A Volkswagen bug decorated with more than 2 million glass beads glued on by hand by Mexico's Huichol Indians is soon to embark on a world tour.

"The point is to raise awareness of the centuries old tradition and the native culture," said Cecilia de Moctezuma, president of the of the friends' association of Mexico City's Museum of Popular Art.

"We wanted to dignify them, because we love what they do," said de Moctezuma.

The beaded bug took native craftsmen and women, who live in the Western Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit, more than 8 months to complete and required 200 pounds of beads and a special polymer glue.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see Indians = Hippies.

Below:  "The full-sized version of the beaded bug will be auctioned after a world tour while mini beaded bugs like this one will also go on sale soon at the museum's store." (Adrienne Bard)

1 comment:

Rob said...

For more on the subject, see:

http://www.metroweekly.com/arts_entertainment/art.php?ak=7178

Bead-decked

American Indian museum's colorfully bedecked Volkswagen


Boyd, the museum's director of exhibitions, is referring to the 1990 Volkswagen Beetle now on display in the atrium at the National Museum of the American Indian. Eight artists representing the Huíchol Indians from western central Mexico bedecked the iconic car in 2 million colorful glass beads–not to mention 35 pounds of fabric and paint for its interior–to create this "beaded bug," or "Vochol," a derivation of the Huíchol slang term for the Beetle. The artists put in more than 9,000 hours on the installation, which originated with Mexico's Museum of Folk Art.