Master Weavers

Zenon Hipolito, Joseph Young & Jaime Hipolito

Zenon Hipolito, a Zapotec born in a small village of Teotitlan Del Valle in Oaxaca, Mexico. Zenon has been weaving for 45 years, following in his footsteps is his second son Jaime Hipolito born in Stockton, California, the eighth generation weaver and Joseph Young born on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, the third generation weaver. Weaving textiles is a Zapotec art form that has been passed down for many generations. Through their weavings they express thier artistic ideas, revive thier history and honor their ancestors. Joseph Young & Jaime Hipolito are creating thier own signature pieces by using hand spun, natural dyed yarns, combining contermporary and traditional motifs while creating new color combinations. They belive thier textiles are a link to the past to better understand the present.

They use two different methods to create thier art. The first method is creating geometric designs such as pyramids, diamonds, and grecas(steps of life). This method begins after the warp strings has been threaded onto the loom and tension properly adjusted. The warp strings are counted by odd and even numbers and marked. The second method, non geometric forms which include spirals figures, birds, flowers and circular designs. First they draw the design on a blank piece of paper, then place the drawing behind the warp and dot the design on the warp which allows them to create a perfect piece of art.