The Textile Treasures of Guatemala

January - March, 2025

What’s On 2025

Mariposa Museum has opened our winter exhibit, “Textile Treasures of Guatemala,” at 26 Main Street in Peterborough, NH.

​The exhibit draws principally from a collection of huipiles, the stunning embroidered blouses woven by Mayan women in the highlands of Guatemala.  A Peace Corps Volunteer collected these during her years in Guatemala and gave them to Mariposa when she moved west fifteen years ago.  The huipiles are woven in narrow strips on backstrap looms and then pieced together, with magnificent embroidery, a great variety of vegetal (and now synthetic) dyes, and occasional use of the ikat tie-dying technique.

We have drawn from Mariposa’s extensive collection of textiles from around the world to show other uses of ikat from countries in Southeast and Central Asia; floral embroidery traditions from Europe in contrast to those from Guatemala; and children’s clothing from the Hmong and India as well as from the Mayan peoples.  

Mariposa Program to Focus on AI and National Security

April 3rd, 7 PM

The emerging technology of artificial intelligence (AI)  and how it may affect national security will be the theme of the Great Decisions program at the Mariposa Museum on Thursday, April 3.  The program will begin at 7 p.m.

One of a series on world affairs organized by the non-partisan Foreign Policy Association, the session will include an informational video. The audience discussion will be moderated by RobertBeck, a retired foreign policy official, and Peter Henriques, a retired international business executive. Both Beck and Henriques are Peterborough residents.

“AI is the next technology battle for the USA, especially with China,” Henriques said.

The discussion will range from opportunities to risks of AI, which can be used, among other things, to manipulate photos, videos, and audio recordings or to enhance visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation.

A background paper by Dr. Julie George, an affiliate with the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, appears in the 2025 Great Decisions study guide. Copies are available at the Mariposa and the Peterborough Town Library. The guide can be ordered online from the Foreign Policy Association at fpa.org/great_decisions or by phone, at 800-477-5836.

All Great Decisions programs are free; donations are welcome.

Join us for the Women of the World meeting at the Mariposa! WOW is a place where women who live in the Monadnock region but hail from other countries can come together. WOW offers a vibrant and inclusive community where women from diverse cultural backgrounds meet to celebrate their unique heritage while forging lasting friendships and unforgettable memories, all while having fun!

Registration is free!

Sculptures By Kevin Blythe Sampson

The Work of Kevin Blythe Sampson. Thanks to the generous support of the Kohler Arts Center, nine sculptures by civil rights artist Kevin Blythe Sampson are now a permanent part of the Mariposa Museum & World Culture Center collection. Seven are on display in the third-floor gallery in Peterborough, NH. Two are in the Mariposa space in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.

Kevin retired early after the death of both his wife and infant son in separate illnesses. He and his two children then moved to the (ironbound section) of Newark, NJ, where he has lived for over nineteen years.

Kevin has extensive teaching experience at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art where he taught for over 16 years, has run workshops at Rutgers Paul Robeson Gallery, and was the head art teacher for the Ironbound Community Center in Newark. He is a mentor to many Newark youths and has assisted a whole crop of young artists in obtaining admission into various art schools in the metro area.

Kevin attended Lincoln University, PA, for two years; Parson School of Design for two years; and is a graduate of the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art. He has been represented by Cavin-Morris Gallery in New York City since 1992. His work is in numerous collections, including several museums. Sampson received the Maria Walsh Sharp Foundation’s residency and the Joan Mitchell artist grant, as well as awards from various art councils throughout the state.

Kevin has been an artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and the Joan Mitchell Center in NOLA. He is concurrently involved in a major public art project for the City of Newark, where he will construct a 14-foot permanent sculpture for an art wall.

Kevin is a sculptor, painter, muralist, and airbrush artist recognized for tackling difficult issues. He was born in Elizabeth, NJ, on November 28, 1954. He considers himself to be a “we shall overcome baby” because he was the product of a household committed to civil rights and community concerns, and this continues to be a recurring theme in his work. Kevin's father, Stephen Sampson (deceased), was a civil rights leader in both Elizabeth and other parts of the state; he is Kevin's most important role model.

Sampson became a police officer and composite sketch artist in the city of Scotch Plains, NJ, where he served for over nineteen years. He received numerous commendations for his work as both a police composite artist and detective, including the 200 Clubs Medal of Valor (for saving a life).