We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cynthia Gutierrez-Krapp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cynthia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I am a mixed media textile artist—I weave natural fibers as well as glass beads and clay beads that I make by hand; I also make custom hats from repurposed beaver and rabbit fur felts.
Making hats began as one of my many ‘projects’ but it turned into my primary work through my
business Aghaa’ Hat Co. In Diné/Navajo, aghaa refers to the hair/wool of animals. The name
speaks to the ways my family’s history has impacted my perspective and development as a
textile artist.

For the past ten years I have been consciously recuperating my Indigenous past—something that
had been buried for most of my life, yet never erased. My family is Diné/Navajo, Mescalero
Apache, and Yaqui. Generations of my maternal side, including my mother, grew up on
reservations/encampments in and around El Paso; my Great Grandmother was a Native language (Navajo)
speaker and did not speak English or Spanish. My grandmother spoke Navajo, English and Spanish. Yet I did not learn about any of this history until I was around forty years old. My mother has a very hard time talking with me about our past, her
trauma seems to silence her, even now. But learning about who we are has not silenced me,
rather it has become the motivating force behind my work and life.

I am especially proud of my bead weaving projects. I have planned an extensive bead weaving
project, called Deconstruct Reconstruct, that is about our ancestral history of migration. It
visually represents how our ancestors walked these ancient paths and crossed the river, coming
down from the North and/or coming up from the South to forage and trade food, dye, and
medicine. The project consists of three different maps which will be woven with glass beads as
well as handmade clay beads and will include a legend to explain the symbolism. This project
was inspired by my great grandmother. My mother remembers my great grandmother foraging
for food along the river and how she would harvest particular seeds from a tree to create black
dye to paint clay pots. This is the inspiration for me to make the clay beads project and paint
them with the black dye for this project.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Because my people are rooted in what we now call the Chihuahuan Desert, this place represents where I can find many of the answers I am seeking, as well as where I may be able to heal some
the wounds of my past. My family has been moving across this river valley, from Mexico to
northern New Mexico for centuries, migrating along the ancient foot trails that people have
always historically used. My great-grandmother Teodora, my grandmother Antonia, and my
mother Nellie all lived in a Native encampment along the river near Sunland Park, N.M. In order to
supplement the meager government rations, Teodora foraged food, medicine, and a specific seed
along the Rio Grande that she used to make a black dye with to paint pots. She also made
moccasins out of the flower-print sacks of flour, which my mother wore as a young child. These
stories drive much of my art and have become foundational to my work.

My journey of cultural recuperation is directly tied to healing and is reflected in my work as an
artist and maker. As an adult I was called to the work of learning about and working with natural
textiles in fashion school at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. And although
I loved the work, I didn’t feel entirely connected to it. It wasn’t until I learned about my Native
past, and began textile and bead weaving, that I felt like I was home again in my work. Since
moving back to the border in 2018, I have continued the work that roots me in my cultural past
through hat-making, weaving, and embroidery.
Community work is a fundamental part of my place of business, Aghaa´Hat Co, where I host a
storefront space exclusively for artists and makers from the U.S.-Mexico region. I also host
bimonthly community “Meet the Artist” events in order to highlight local artists and makers and
their work.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

We moved from NYC to EI Paso knowing that I wanted to start my own business. I first started Pins & Needles, a project that focused on embracing indigeneity through fiber arts. I was able to sell my hand embroidered and hand sewn huipiles(tops), hand embroidered patches and embroidery kits at the El Paso Museum of Art shop. I also taught children’s summer camp workshops. I was then asked to be part of a teaching artist group show at the Museum. That is when I started thinking of my textile work as fine art. I created my bed woven pieces and sold some works. I then applied to an Artist accelerator program through MCAD. I was accepted and received a small stipend. This fund got me to a point of applying and being accepted into a curated artist and crafts show, That’s where the hat making business started to take off. I was working in my studio at home but it got to overwhelming. People would just show up to my house unannounced. It was time to make the brick and mortar move. I had $2,000 to my name, I had to stretch that money to pay the rent, deposit, hook up the utilities, display fixtures, and shop supplies. I had to get it all done as fast as possible because I used all my funds within that month. I posted on social media, as I was setting up. I would see customers by appointment to keep the money coming. I have now been open for two and a half years. There have been highs and lows. To the point not knowing if I will make it another month. I stay focused on what else I can do to keep my dream going, I host events, artist talks and pop-ups. I also teach bead weaving, bead embroidery, embroidery, knitting, sewing and hat making workshops. I teach not just for income but because I truly love teaching. Where I am today took so many steps. Earning money and putting back into my work. It has taken me 5 years to get where I am today.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe it is the intention and care I put into my work. As a native person, I feel responsible to have good energy while I am working on a piece for a customer, because I believe the customer will carry that energy with them as they wear my work. When I am making a hat or beading for someone, it has to be made to the best of my abilities.. The quality of my work is what has built my reputation. I want my customer to be happy and comfortable with my work. I want what I have made to be part of that persons life.
I also work closely with the customer. We go over every detail that will go into the hat or beadwork that I create, I ask about their inspiration, what they love to do, or what is important to them in their life. For example, one custom beadwork shows the changes in the sky as the sun rises, passes into night and then rises again. It was made for a person in Forestry Management with a concentration in Tribal Forestry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aghaahatco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aghaahatco/ https://www.instagram.com/pinsandneedlesep/

Image Credits
Photo of myself was taken by Alejandra Saldaña