The Native Seeds/SEARCH Retail Store is hosting a Seri Art Show featuring special guests Raquel Hoeffer and Martha Monroy. Both are talented artists known for their beautiful ironwood carvings and finely woven basketry. A selection of baskets, carvings and necklaces will be presented for sale to the public.

The Seri (Comcáac) villages of Punta Chueca and El Desemboque are located in Sonora, Mexico on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, with a population of approximately 1,100 residents.

Since the Seri are intimately connected to both the desert and the sea, this is creatively expressed in their carvings and basketry designs. Baskets are crafted with fibers from the torote plant (jatropha cuneata) and a reddish-brown dye is from the inner root of the white ratany. Vegetable dyes are made by soaking coiled plant material in boiling water until the desired color is achieved. Materials are gathered, then prepped by stripping the plants down to their pliable interiors prior to weaving. This dedication results in some of the finest and strongest basketry among native communities in the southwest.