10/14/2026
Join us on Tuesday for a discussion/workshop with world-renowned Navajo weaver, Zefren-M. Free admission. Lunch will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.
When: Tuesday, October 20
Time: 12pm to 1pm
Where: Suns Room (across from Mary's Kitchen)
https://www.tricityrecordnm.com/articles/tri-cities/san-juan-college-hosts-navajo-weaving-apprenticeship/
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San Juan College hosts Navajo weaving apprenticeship
Free workshop with Zefren-M set for Oct. 20 in Suns Room
Debra Mayeux
Monday, Oct 12, 2026 11:41 AM MT
San Juan College recently was awarded a $40,000 grant, through Evergreen State College’s Supporting Indigenous Arts Mastery Foundation, to develop a nine-month Navajo rug weaving apprenticeship.
“Hózhó – Past Threads, Future Woven,” will bring together emerging Diné weavers, an established Navajo artist and weaver and members of the Four Corners community to preserve traditional weaving knowledge, according to a news release from the college.
The Hózhó project was developed collaboratively by college’s Native American Center and School of Arts & Humanities and will take place through May 31, 2027.
“This project is about honoring the knowledge that has been carried forward by generations of Diné weavers while creating opportunities for our emerging artists to shape what comes next,” said Brandon Ashley, director of the SJC Native American Center.
The first program made possible by the House of Welcome Cultural Arts Center grant is a Navajo Weaving Workshop from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 20 in the Suns Room at the college.
Zefren-M is the project’s primary artist in residence, who will provide individualized mentorship and group instruction “with four carefully selected apprenticeship weavers,” who have completed Navajo rug weaving classes on campus.
Throughout the nine-month residency Zefren-M will guide “the apprentices as they advance their skills and develop original works of their own,” the news release said.
“Weaving is connected to family, community, identity and cultural knowledge. Supporting these apprentices means supporting not only four individual artists, but the families and communities connected to them and the future of this tradition,” Ashley said.
SJC will provide dedicated studio space in its Black Box Theatre where the apprentices can work throughout the residency. The college’s Makerspace will provide an environment for the artists to construct their looms and tools, while the Connie Gotsch Theatre will host public panel discussions featuring artists and apprentices discussing Navajo weaving and its place in contemporary society.
“Community arts programming allows us to bring people together around stories, culture and creative expression,” said Margaret Clair, San Juan College director of public arts events. “This project allows the community to experience Navajo weaving not simply as an art form, but as a living tradition that continues to grow and evolve.”
The project will culminate in a public exhibition at the San Juan College Art Gallery in May 2027, where the four apprentice weavers will share the work they created during the residency.
Local Navajo musician Delbert Anderson will create an original musical composition inspired by weaving, while Indigenous artist Venaya Yazzie will create a painting representing Navajo weaving.
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