Where
Art & Wine Converge
Brander Museum of Folk Art is located in Santa Ynez, CA
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About Us
Folk art in its purest form is a fusion between the community and the individual artist. It is an art form that can be compared to the culture of winemaking, ranging from a generic and communal level of expression to an individual creation of an artisan. For example, Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) altars and offerings can be compared to Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, whereas the alebrijes (fantastical figurines) of Pedro Linares are more similar to first-growth Bordeaux and single vineyard Grand Cru Burgundy wines. Yet, the entire spectrum of both folk art and winemaking reject the industrial process to create “one of a kind” works of art that are products of their community and environment.
Learn about culture, learn about art.
Clay/Barro
Ceramics are created in Workshops/Talleres across Mexico. From Barro Negro, to intricately painted and polished ceramics, enormous Piñas and Trees of Life to butterfly covered skulls the imagination of Mexican artisans is boundless. From Mijolia and Talavera to the simple pots all of these ceramics are made with the clays found in the local mountains and pigments found in nature.
Wood/Madera
From rough carvings of a Guadalupe to the intricately carved and painted figures the colors and textures intrigue the discerning eye. Often, as in much of the folk art of Mexico, these pieces are decorated with designs found on the ruins of the temples of their ancestors that survived the destruction of the Spanish conquistadors.
Metal/Metal
Although Gold, Silver and Copper had been used in Mexico to produce objects since around 500AD, the Spanish brought the European metal working to the indigenous people of Mexico in the colonial period. The knowledge has been passed down for generations. In small Workshops/Talleres throughout Mexico tin, silver, gold, copper and iron are made into jewelry, pots, bowls and more, from metals mined in Mexico.
pieces in the collection
artists
countries represented
year Museum was founded
Our Oaxaca Exhibit
Collection
Address
Brander Vineyard,
2401 N Refugio Rd,
Santa Ynez, California 93460
United States