Inai art gallery presents exhibit on cuadros, textile art from Peru

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·2 min read

ADRIAN — As the colder winter months set in, the Inai art gallery, adjacent to the Weber Retreat and Conference Center on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters motherhouse, will do its best to warm up patrons with an exhibit from Peru that is now open for the public to view.

The “Cuadros Exhibit” will remain on display through Feb. 27.

The Weber Center and the Adrian Dominican Sisters are at 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian. The eastern-most driveway of the complex will be where the public can enter to access the Weber Center and the Inai gallery. Inai (pronounced in-EYE) is a Japanese word meaning “within.”

The exhibit features textile wall hangings, which are called cuadros in Peru. The textiles have imagery on them that depicts the lives of people in barrios — or shantytowns — outside of Lima, Peru.

Sister Barbara Cervenka is co-director of Con/Vida — "With Life" — which is a nonprofit organization in Detroit. The nonprofit displays works of art from Latin America regions and financially supports struggling families in those regions.
Sister Barbara Cervenka is co-director of Con/Vida — "With Life" — which is a nonprofit organization in Detroit. The nonprofit displays works of art from Latin America regions and financially supports struggling families in those regions.

Women in the Pamplona Alta create the cuadros through embroidery and scraps of cotton or other materials, a news release from the Adrian Dominican Sisters said.

“The Cuadros are an art of survival, documenting the struggles of the women living in difficult situations marked by political instability, economic hardship and lack of steady work,” the release said. “They show hope and courage, presenting the women’s stories through bright colors, decorative patterns and lively details.”

Sister Barbara Cervenka first visited Pamplona Alta in 1989 at the invitation of Sister Pam Millenbach, who ministered in the region with the late Sister Mary K. Duwelius. Cervenka is an artist herself, and she prepared a small exhibit of the cuadros at the University of Michigan. Since then, Detroit nonprofit Con/Vida — “With Life” — has shown the cuadros exhibit at nearly 100 sites, earning thousands of dollars that have helped support the women of Pamplona Alta and their families.

“Peru was then in turmoil. Sendero Luminoso, a terrorist group, was bombing buildings in Lima and ravaging small towns in the countryside,” Cerevenka recalled in the news release about her time in Peru.

Cerevenka soon came to admire the artwork of the women so much that she brought back as many of the cuadros as she could to the United States. She and Mame Jackson are co-directors of Con/Vida.

Gallery hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily or by appointment. Face masks and other coverings are required, and guests will be screened at the Weber Center reception desk or gift shop for temperatures and signs of illness.

To schedule appointment times, call 517-266-4090 or 313-608-9181.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Textile art from Peru on display in Adrian at Inai gallery