Thinking of Moving or Visiting Oaxaca, then you will need Oaxaca Cultural Navigator

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By immersing yourself in another culture, you can explore, imagine, take a step out of your comfort zone, become inspired and stretch to create.        

Norma Hawthorne, Executive Director

At Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC we are committed to creating extraordinary learning adventures for inquisitive people who want to explore the environment and what they are personally capable of creating.  We develop programs that are stimulating, fun, educational, and leave a small footprint.

We believe by connecting you with Mexico through the arts, you will have a greater appreciation for her people and the culture.  Our goal is to give you a memorable, satisfying and authentic experience.

Downtown Exploration - Picture of Oaxaca Cultural Navigator, Oaxaca -  Tripadvisor

What we stand for:

  • Understanding and respecting indigenous culture + traditions
  • Supporting craftsmanship, folk and fine art
  • Nurturing local women and youth by awarding workshop scholarships
  • Creating cross-cultural understanding
  • Delivering responsible, culturally sensitive educational programs
  • Practicing socially committed and culturally competent tourism

What we offer:

  • Immersion experiences to connect with local individuals and families
  • Small groups of no more than 10 participants
  • Hands-on learning for creative development
  • Expert instructors with teaching and technical acumen
  • Strong infrastructure with on-site management
  • Detailed pre-workshop information
  • Attentive service to advise you on travel arrangements and answer your questions

For people who want to:

  • Experience another culture and broaden their horizons
  • Enjoy a rich, diverse travel adventure
  • Discover new approaches to creative expression
  • Learn new skills or build upon existing skills
  • Take a step off-the-beaten path
  • Meet local artists and artisans
  • Reinvigorate or jump-start the creative life
  • Imagine, stretch, explore, do
  • Travel with like-minded people

About Norma Hawthorne, Executive Director.   I am a writer, photographer and artist with a background in university administration.  I grew up in Los Angeles, lived in San Francisco, Indiana, and Virginia, and then migrated to Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  I have been invited by an indigenous family to live with them in Teotitlan del Valle, a Zapotec village in Oaxaca, Mexico.

I am committed to preserving the arts and cultural traditions of indigenous people who have lived in the Oaxaca Valley for over 8,000 years. My vision is to facilitate intercultural exchange programs with Oaxaca artists and artisans and to broaden opportunities for visitors to have authentic, personal learning experiences in Oaxaca.

point-and-shoot | Oaxaca Cultural Navigator : Norma Schafer

Norma was the lead development officer in the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she raised over $23 million for scholarships, professorships, and academic programs.  She retired at the end of 2011 after 10 years of service.  A complete resume is available on request.

Recently, she was

  • invited by Guanajuato, Mexico State Tourism Office to consult on sustainable economic development
  • asked by Penland School of Crafts to organize a textile workshop tour of Oaxaca, and
  • consulted on geriatric-psychiatric nursing sustainability project for the John A. Hartford Foundation.

In 2008-2009, she served as chair of the Nursing Advancement Professionals Network of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.  Before that, she served on of the board of directors of the international University Continuing Education Association.

She worked in universities — Indiana University, University of Virginia, George Washington University — for over 25 years, in academic marketing, communications, business development, continuing education, corporate and community relations, and public affairs.

A fiber and jewelry artist and published fiction writer and poet, Norma also has traveled off-the-beaten path in China, Thailand, Australia, Malaysia, Israel, Singapore, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico, in addition to “mainstream” travel in France and Italy.

For five years, she owned and operated a gourmet cookware shop, cooking school, cafe and catering business in South Bend, Indiana, where she produced and taught workshops, hosted a restaurant review show on the local PBS affiliate, and hired noted U.S. chefs to teach a range of cuisines.  She led a Great Chefs of France culinary tour to Paris and Lyon, meeting Paul Bocuse, Georges Blanc and Alain Chapel.

Norma holds the B.A. in history from California State University at Northridge and the M.S. from University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.  She also attended UCLA Anderson School of Management and San Francisco State University.

Norma’s interest in textiles stems from her heritage.  Her grandfather was a master tailor and furrier.  Her mother taught her how to replicate his fine stitches.  Her art  includes weaving, fiber sculpture and jewelry making, and she has been an artist on the juried Chatham (NC) Studio Tour.

Norma’s work is dedicated to creating bridges to a more accepting, diverse and multicultural society.

Tlacolula Market - Oaxaca | Oaxaca, Culture, Marketing

Source: oaxacaculture.com

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