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"Making Homelands: Tufting San Lazaro Lifeways," an immersive exhibition at the Boulder Public Library, runs through Oct. 29 at the Arapahoe Ramp.Ìý

The work is by artist and ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow Sophie Weston Chien in collaboration with seven San Lazaro families; the Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR) at ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø; and EcoArts Connections.

The bilingual exhibit explores themes of community power, immigration, environmental justice and textile design through a series of tufted textiles that map the stories of families in San Lazaro Mobile Home Park in northeast Boulder.Ìý

Each piece serves as a visual interview, weaving together ecological data, oral histories and cultural memory to illustrate how people create home across time and space.

Visitors are invited to engage with the work visually and through touch—seeing and touching the journeys of San Lazaro families. The exhibition includes:

• Textiles illustrating San Lazaro, mapping microclimates and imagining neighborly paths, showing temperature differences from asphalt heat to tree canopy coolness.
• Eight family rugs, each depicting intergenerational stories, flora and fauna and climate projections for the next 60 years. These designs combine mythology and history with ecological data, highlighting key species from each family's homeland.

According to projections from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Boulder will experience 9% more summer precipitation and 15% more winter precipitation over the next six decades—changes reflected in the evolving forms within the textiles.

The project began two years ago and evolved alongside shifting immigration landscapes. At its heart is preserving family histories—ensuring immigrant parents, grandparents and first-generation children share stories of origin and belonging.Ìý

"As a child of an immigrant myself, it was an honor to hold space for these narratives and translate stories of many homes," said Weston Chien.

The exhibition is free and open to the public during Boulder Public Library business hours.Ìý.Ìý