The Franz Mayer museum in Mexico City is offering a series of online anthropology conferences in English.

Only 100 tickets are available for each of the three dates to join renowned anthropologist Marta Turok, who is head of the Ruth D. Lechuga Center for Folk Art Studies housed in the museum.

The first of the Zoom conferences, on July 7, is titled Spectacular Natural Dyes of Mexico. It focuses on three important dyes, which are most associated with Oaxaca: cochineal, indigo and purpura, the last of which comes from a purple sea-snail.

The second event, Ceramic Trees of Life, examines pottery sculpture on July 8. Ritualistic candelabra from Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla, and surrealistic works from Acatlán, Puebla, and Metepec, state of México, will form the discussion.

The third and final conference on June 9 will look at Masks in Context and Art, analyzing collector Ruth D. Lechuga’s documentation of traditional masks, including writings, photographs and exemplars. The conference will study the traditional dances where the masks are typically worn.

The events will take place on July 7, 8 and 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A donation of 200 pesos (about US $10) is recommended per date.

Marta Turok is highly regarded bilingual Mexican anthropologist. She was educated at Tufts University, Massachusetts, and at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and has worked to promote artisans.

The Franz Mayer museum opened in 1986 to exhibit the private collection of businessman Franz Mayer Traumann. It houses one of the largest collections of decorative art in the country.

Registration information can be found on the museum website.

Mexico News Daily