Remember: Guatemalan Culture and Community with Magda Leon - New Bedford Whaling Museum
Handmade kites and prints hanging on a line with clothespins.

Remember: Guatemalan Culture and Community with Magda Leon

Remember: Guatemalan Culture and Community with Magda Leon

New Bedford Whaling Museum

Coming Fall 2027

Upcoming Workshops


July 26th | 2:00-6:00

El Patio de Comidas Festival | CEDC New Bedford

235 N. Front Street, New Bedford

August 9th | 2:00-6:00

El Patio de Comidas Festival | CEDC New Bedford

235 N. Front Street, New Bedford

Stay Tuned for more Workshops!

Giant Kite Making Community Workshops

Come participate in a hands-on giant kite-making workshop with multi-media artist Magda Leon and the Guatemalan Center of New England. These giant kites, called barriletes, are inspired by a Mayan tradition from southern Guatemala where giant kites are crafted by the community throughout the year and flown in November to honor loved ones that have passed away.

Let’s build, laugh, share stories and celebrate heritage with color and creativity.

All are welcome!

Many of the kites made in the workshops will be on view alongside other artworks, personal stories, and installations by multi-media artist Magda Leon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in the fall of 2027. The project celebrates the histories and experiences of the Guatemalan community in the greater New Bedford area and Southcoast---drawing connections between ancient communal practices and contemporary experiences of migration, exploring the universal pursuit for belonging and community.

This 2027 community-focused exhibition is part of a larger multi-year exploration of migration and community in New Bedford and the foundational labor and industrial histories of the region.

BIOS

Magda Leon, a Guatemalan-born multidisciplinary artist currently residing in Providence, RI, focuses in printmaking, installation, and social practice art. Leon’s work reflects her bicultural identity, which she cariñosamente (lovingly) refers to as “De aquí y de allá”.

https://www.magdaleonarte.com/

The Guatemalan Center of New England promotes and shares Guatemalan culture, establishes cultural connections between Guatemala and New England, and identifies and develops strategies to address the needs of Guatemalans in the region.

https://www.guatemalancenter.org/

Community Economic Development Center | New Bedford

Our CEDC seeks to create a more just local economy by building bridges to resources, networks, and cooperative action for new immigrants and working families to find their way to economic opportunity.

https://cedcnewbedford.org/

Photo Credit: Jenni Ugarte

Two people work together on a screen-printing project in a studio filled with participants.
A woman and child work together at a screen-printing table in an art studio.
People of different ages gathered at a long table working on colorful craft projects with paper and paint.
Colorful screen-printed portraits and scenes in red and blue ink hanging on display.
Colorful handmade kites and printed artworks hanging from strings on clothespins in an art workshop.
Hanging prints of black, blue, and red portraits on paper displayed from strings in an art workshop.
Group of people gathered around a table making colorful kites with tissue paper and sticks.
Handmade kites and colorful prints hanging on a line in a workshop space.
Person working on a handmade kite with wooden sticks, tissue paper, and paint on a table.
Child assembling a colorful paper kite at a workshop table.
Two people working on screen printing projects at a workshop table.
Participants drying textile prints with hair dryers during a workshop.
Colorful textile prints with geometric patterns and abstract designs.

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