What does it mean to create? Creation lives in the act of listening, of witnessing the land, each other, and ourselves. It moves through us like electricity, like water through roots, like light through leaves. Whether it becomes poetry, film, food, or simply awareness, we are always in the process of making. We are always weaving our stories, our histories, our identities, and our curiosities into something that can be seen, felt, and shared.
“Weaving the Patterns / Tejiendo la Tierra” is a collaborative three-part series presented by Unfolded: Poetry Project, ENTRE, and Trucha, in partnership with artist Diana Lizette Rodriguez of Calle Soledad Presa. This series invites the community into an immersive creative process that moves across disciplines, including poetry, bookmaking, experimental film, and performance. Rooted in themes of ancestry, material, and collective memory, each part builds on the next, creating a shared body of work shaped by all who participate.
This experience begins with a poetry and bookbinding workshop where participants are guided through writing exercises centered on ancestry and history, translating those reflections into a collaborative CODEX accordion book.
“Poetry is tangible across many art forms, helping define our voices and allowing us to feel more confident in our creative exploration and expression. Mixing words [and] placing them in different spaces adds texture and strength to our language and encourages our individual message to take shape. This tangible practice allows us to reach people in different ways while also inspiring ourselves in ways that can positively impact our daily wellness,” shared Diana Lizette Rodriguez.
The process continues with an experimental 16mm film workshop at ENTRE, where participants will engage with film as a physical material by painting, weaving, and constructing loops by hand.
“The tangibility of creating moving image patterns with 16mm film and layering them through projection offers an expanded cinematic experience,” ENTRE’s C. Diaz shared.
The series culminates in a final exhibition and expanded cinema performance at Trucha, where these collaborative works are not only displayed but brought to life through projection, movement, and shared presence.
Trucha’s Community Engagement Director, Ramiro Gonzalez, shared:
“To host this series at the Ponte Creative Gallery & Studio weaves its final stitch. As we bring everyone together to view the finalized pattern, with our words, eyes, and ears, we’ll recognize the inner weaves sections by those who participated and share the day of the exhibition. I welcome you to join, learn, and showcase your presence.”
At its core, this series is an invitation to step outside of familiarity and into exploration.
Collaborative experiences like this open us to new disciplines, new ways of seeing, and new ways of understanding our own creative capacity. They remind us that art is not only something we create individually, but something we build together through conversation, experimentation, and community. In supporting and participating in experiences like this, we sustain spaces where creativity remains accessible, evolving, and deeply connected to the people it serves.
We invite you to join us. To write, to experiment, to witness, and to be part of a collective act of creation.
Series Itinerary
Workshop 1: Poetry and Bookbinding
Tuesday, May 12 | 7:00 to 9:00 PM
McAllen Public Library
4001 N 23rd St, McAllen, TX
Free and open to the public!
Hybrid option available.
Workshop 2: 16mm Film Looping Workshop
Thursday, May 14 | 6:00 to 9:00 PM
ENTRE Film Center
415 W. Jackson Ave, Harlingen, TX
Register & Learn more:
Film loop workshop, free with RSVP.
Limited to 12 participants.
Exhibition and Performance: Expanded Cinema and Poetry Reading
Saturday, May 16 | 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Trucha at Ponte Creative Studio and Gallery
1305 N Main St, McAllen, TX
Free and open to the public!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email the series organizers:
C. Díaz, ENTRE Film Center – c@entrefilmcenter.org
Victoria Lopez, Unfolded: Poetry Project – victoria@unfoldedpoetryproject.com
Ramiro Gonzalez, Trucha – ramiro@truchargv.com
Diana Lizette Rodriguez, Calle Soledad Presa – callesoledadpresa@gmail.com
