"Webinar" with Zuni artist and jeweler Veronica Poblano, 14 March 2007

Audiences in British Columbia, Yukon Territory and Alberta glimpsed life in the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico via webinar March 14 with Zuni artist Veronica Poblano.

Ms. Poblano is known for her fluid jewelry design incorporating asymmetric gemstones and Zuni themes.

This webinar was sponsored by the Public Affairs section, U.S. Consulate General Vancouver. Using a toll-free number, the public could connect to a telephone audio center and dedicated Internet site, enabling them to hear and see Veronica’s illustrated talk and ask questions in real time.

We were happy to have the Society of Yukon Artists of Native Ancestry in Whitehorse and the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton joining in.

The departmental chair at Kootenay School of the Arts at Selkirk College, Nelson, B.C., commented that rural schools have more difficulty bringing in guest speakers compared to urban center schools. Selkirk art students found the webinar a convenient opportunity to learn about American Southwest native jewelry and to hear Ms. Poblano’s commentary on work in the Totems to Turquoise exhibit displayed at the Vancouver Museum. The exhibit (October 2006-March 2007) included 500 pieces by master jewelry artists from the Pacific Northwest and American Southwest.

Ms. Poblano took us for a tour to see the pueblo, Zuni basket-making classes, Zuni dances, and traditional corn fields. With a photo of herself showing the striking Zuni mesa in the background, Ms. Poblano described that as her backyard where the air was crisp, the sky blue and the birds singing. It was as if we were there with her.

Participants found Ms. Poblano so personable that many said they hoped some day to visit New Mexico and to meet her.

Schools and universities interested in programs about the United States can email us at pavancouver@state.gov describing topics of interest to them. If we are sponsoring a relevant program, we will contact you.