Paula Rodriguez has practiced this Spanish colonial art form (straw appliqué) since 1936, when she learned it from her husband, Eliseo J. Rodriguez, who revived it under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration, a federal arts project.
Mrs. Rodriguez has taught the straw appliqué art form to her children and grandchildren. Her golden crosses and panels reflect her strong devotion to God and family.
Both she and her husband’s work have been collected by the Smithsonian Institution, the Millicent Rogers Museum, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the Albuquerque Museum. Private collectors from the United States, Europe and Mexico have purchased their work at Santa Fe’s Spanish Market.
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