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Villanueva Tapestry, from the collections of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, photograph by Barb Odell
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AN EXCITING NEW PROJECT!
“Stitches in Time”
Join Cornerstones in the preservation of the Villanueva Tapestry
Cornerstones invites friends and members of the public to learn about and support the preservation of this unique New Mexico treasure. On January 29 at 5 pm, Cornerstones will present a 30-minute virtual event to tell the story of the Tapestry and to raise funds for its preservation.
The Villanueva Tapestry was created by 36 women stitchers to celebrate the Bicentennial of the United States in 1976. It depicts the Spanish-American contribution to the founding of our country. The 265-foot panorama of stitchery extends around the interior walls of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Villanueva, New Mexico. The Tapestry’s 41 panels depict the history of the Villanueva Valley from a time before human habitation up to 1976. The panels are framed by cactus rib. It is folk art at its most significant and has been compared to the legendary Bayeux Tapestry in France.
Despite its age and that it is in remarkably good condition, this work of art has never been professionally cleaned. Cornerstones, in collaboration with nationally known Conservator, Jeanne Brako, will ensure that it survives far into the future. Two local interns will assist Ms. Brako to learn the preservation process and to honor their heritage for future generations.
Cornerstones is accepting donations now by going to our website or by sending a check to Cornerstones Community Partnerships, PO Box 2341, Santa Fe, NM 87504. Please indicate that your gift is for Villanueva Tapestry.
Please register below if you want to come to the virtual event on January 29th at 5pm and we'll be sure to send you a reminder closer to the date.
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Villanueva Tapestry, from the collections of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, photograph by Barb Odell
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Happy New Year!
I am thrilled to join the Cornerstones team as Executive Director. For those of you who are Jake Barrow fans (and I’m one of them too!) he is staying with us. Jake will now be able to devote his time to two things that are central to our mission and that are his true passion – working with communities to preserve their heritage, particularly adobe, and mentoring.
As the newest member of the team, I will be studying up on the important work that Cornerstones has done since its founding. I invite you to join me on this learning journey or for some of you who have been involved with Cornerstones for many years, a walk down memory lane. Each month I will highlight one of our previous projects. If you follow us on social media, I welcome your responses there. Many of you have traveled to these sites or were volunteers on the projects. We would love to hear your memories and see your pictures if you have them.
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I’m launching this series with San Rafael Church, La Cueva, New Mexico. You can read all about it in a blog post on our website from 2017.
The blog post mentions that San Rafael was again in need of maintenance. As a result of the assessment then, we launched a campaign to re-plaster the exterior and to repair windows and doors. This work was completed in 2019. This is a great example that Cornerstones projects have a continuing life. In the early years the church was saved and restored. More recently, as with all historic buildings preservation, maintenance is required. Don Sena, representing the Diocese, will be inspecting the Mora churches soon to determine needs for the 2021 season. Rebecca Montoya continues to be our Mora community liaison for all work there.
It is an honor to join with members of New Mexico’s communities to work on these important historic structures.
Thank you for joining with us!
Tracey Enright
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