Carol Schrader, Jasmine Quinsier, Andrea Vargas, & Chris Abeyta
minaswirled.com
andreavargasfineart.com
chrisabeyta.com
CAROL SCHRADER
Carol Schrader believes in the transformative power of art on a personal and societal level. Her artistic practice includes painting, sculpture, and fiber arts, exploring connections between mythology and contemporary issues. She teaches art at El Camino Real middle school In Santa Fe and previously taught writing and ESL courses at Santa Fe Community College. She holds an AFA in Studio Arts and MA in Multicultural Education, UNM, and a BA in Government, Harvard. Arts education brings together her passion for creating community and social justice.
JASMINE QUINSIER
Jasmine Quinsier has been delving into many forms of sacred art since she can remember. She works with many forms of geometry, including Celtic Knotwork, Sacred Geometry and Islamic influenced shapes. Jasmine’s layered creations include collage, painting and illustration. Her evolution into Laser Cutting expanded her art into multi-dimensional constructions that explore the depth of
the inner soul through visual expression. “I am fascinated by the patterns around me, nature’s designs, the sacred path shining through in micro/macro magnificence. I was shown how to draw a simple Celtic knot at an early age, since then I have built a body of knot mandalas that shine light on my life’s path, past, present and future.”
ANDREA VARGAS
I was born and raised on the California coast. Urban environments rich with murals and diversity influenced my early palette and affection for community histories, and vibrant illustrations. After I received my BA from the University of California at Berkeley in the area of rhetoric and public discourse I began to travel between desert landscapes and coastal cities. Since, I continue to produce artwork and installations that focus on ecological relationships, light and aspects of transformation. Working on large-scale pieces has become one of my signature strengths, and the way I enjoy giving passion to the art.
CHRIS ABEYTA
Known as El Musicano, Chris Abeyta is an icon in music and education in New Mexico. Most recognized as the front man/founding member of Chicano rock band Lumbe del Sol, Chris is one of Santa Fe’s most popular Chicano artists and cultural advocates. In addition to his songwriting and performing, Chris is a poet, painter, radio personality, and educator. He has taught generations of Santa Fe youth from his positions at Santa Fe Community College to guitar classes at the Youth Correctional Facility, and his own children and grandchildren carry on his artistic traditions as well. For half a century, Chris has dedicated his life to empowering the community, young and old, through music, education, spirituality, and Hispanic culture.
Woven Together: Restoring Connection
Woven Together: Restoring Connection is a collaborative piece by four artists who thoughtfully assemble imagery from diverse cultures and artistic traditions to create a visual metaphor of the interconnectivity, empathy and care necessary for our collective wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The underlying canvas panel depicts a wreath of cottonwood leaves painted in acrylic by Andrea Vargas, representing abundance, wholeness and rootedness. A tattered American flag, found in the Santa Fe river shortly before the presidential election, is restored and extended by Carol Schrader with fragments of fabric from the other artists, friends and family. The flag, which is woven throughout the larger composition, references the quilters’ tradition of making something valuable and beautiful out of that which would otherwise be discarded, and offers a gesture of care for our shared political future. Jasmine Quinsier adds layers of laser-cut sacred geometry designs, framing and holding the composition. This non-verbal unfolding of the mysteries of who we are is balanced by Chris Abeyta’s lyric poetry that engages in English and Spanish, along with his own geometric representations of the soul of Santa Fe community. The entire composition is stitched together with colored yarn that weaves lifelines between the various layers and conveys softness, domestic safety, and connection.
Visitors are invited to interact with the piece by adding yarn and tying on leaves or other items that signify interconnectivity, empathy, and care.
This event is part of the Culture Connects Midtown Project. To learn more visit cultureconnects.site.
© Santa Fe Art Institute / Santa Fe, New Mexico / 