Oaxacan Folk Art: Response to Covid-19
This richly illustrated bilingual book comes from the Mexican Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate. It records how twenty-five folk artists from six villages surrounding the city of Oaxaca met the pandemic with creative work. When Covid-19 cut off the tourism their livelihoods depended on, a fundraising campaign and a competition gave these makers a reason to keep creating — and this volume collects what they produced.
Part One explores the heritage, culture, and ancestral villages of the indigenous Oaxacan people. Part Two showcases the competition entries together with interviews of the artists, revealing their imagination and the mix of sorrow and humor they brought to living through the coronavirus. The outcome is an inspiring record of experimental, inventive work made while the world looked for answers to today's challenges.
Book Specifications
- Publisher: The Mexican Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate
- Format: paperback
- English ISBN: 978-0-578-92598-8
- Spanish ISBN: 987-0-578-92984-2
- Size: 8" x 8"
- Page count: 96
- Illustrations: 62
- Languages: English and Spanish editions
- Publication date: October 1, 2025
- English edition price: $19.95 USD
- Spanish edition price: $15.95 USD
- U.S. shipping: $3.50 USD
- International shipping: $23.00 USD
In the Press
The New York Times covered this book in its October 31, 2025 special edition, in the Design section on page 2, as part of the Panorama feature "View from Mexico: Interpreting Malady."
Read the NY Times ArticleWhat People Are Saying
Meet the Contributors
Alan Goldberg
For close to sixty years, Alan Goldberg has driven potholed roads to far-flung, quiet Mexican villages in search of folk art. A vacation trip grew into a 1,000-piece collection of Mexican folk art, which he gave to the Mexican Museum in San Francisco. Through his architectural practice he encountered the work of Charles Eames and Alexander Girard, who wove folk art into their modern designs. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Goldberg now devotes himself to curating exhibitions and to editing and writing on architecture and Mexican folk art.
Judith Haden
Judith Haden has devoted years to traveling and photographing village life and cultural detail in developing countries, especially across Latin America. A former Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador, she has mounted numerous solo shows, and her photographs have been published in national magazines. In 1999 the president of Mexico presented her with the Lente de Plata award.
Marta Turok
Marta Turok ranks among Mexico's leading anthropologists. Through research, government service, education, and advocacy, she has sought to elevate the standing of Mexican handcrafts and folk art and to help artisans strengthen their economic position. Her efforts have won awards from a range of governmental and nongovernmental agencies. Turok is currently curator of the Ruth D. Lechuga Center for Folk Art Studies at the Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico City.
Gwen North Reiss
Gwen North Reiss — a poet, writer, and communications consultant — earned a degree in Literature from Yale University. She worked ten years in book publishing before turning to freelance writing. Alongside poetry published in literary journals, her articles on art and architecture have run in national outlets, among them the New York Times.
Keep in Touch
Follow along for news and updates on the book and the artists behind it.
Follow on InstagramWhether you are a collector, a student of Mexican craft traditions, or simply curious about Oaxaca's villages, this bilingual volume offers both context and firsthand voices. The English and Spanish editions make the artists' stories and the competition entries accessible to a wide audience.