KELLER — Panel designs with layers of color and exquisite detail drape the walls of Keller Town Hall are at the Public Art Show, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through the end of the month at 1100 Bear Creek Pkwy.
The free exhibit showcases Lorena Iglesias Heydenburk’s collection of molas, which are the traditional costume, and the creations of the women of the Kuna tribe of Panama.Molas are composed of stitched panels which make up the front and back of a blouse or skirt. The art form is taught to girls ages 5 or 6.Heydenburk, a Keller resident, said her collection started in 1950 when her parents arrived in Panama as newlyweds. Margaret and Claudio Iglesias were were missionaries in Kuna Yala, off the northeast coast of Panama.Heydenburk’s family collection of molas grew from gifts given by Kuna friends, family and from purchases made by her family.The collection displays traditional patterns, beginning work molas, tourist trade molas and exquisite, tour de force molas crafted by true artists.Wearing a mola vest, Keller resident Penny Lotterhos was admiring the collection during the March 14 “Meet the Artist” reception. Her three granddaughters were carrying mola purses.Lotterhos was once a nurse in Panama. She said she brought her granddaughters to the exhibit to expose them to the culture.Lotterhos, who learned about the exhibit by passing through Town Hall recently, actually knew Heydenburk’s father while in Panama. As a missionary, he spent time at the hospital where she worked.“I saw that she was coming, I knew who she was,” Lotterhos said. “I couldn’t believe it.”Heydenburk was excited to see so many people at the reception with ties to Panama.She said the collection would have never been publicized if not for Brenda Wyatt, Keller Public Arts Board chairperson.“Thanks to Brenda, it’s out from underneath my bed,” Heydenburk said.Wyatt had worked with Heydenburk in the past and even traveled with her to Panama.Wyatt said she is always looking for art shows and knew Heydenburk had the collection.“I knew it needed to be shown, it’s such a fabulous collection ... The color, designs, the craftsmanship. It’s amazing,” Wyatt said. “I asked her, ‘Why don’t you pull it out from under your bed and have a show?’”Wyatt said the collection is so beautiful, it needs to be shown at other venues.Heydenburk said the collection is a part of her heritage and she has treasured many pieces since childhood.Heydenburk was born in Panama and moved to the U.S. when she was 11. She spent her high school years in Oklahoma and later graduated from Oklahoma State.She spent 22 years as a military spouse, with domestic and international assignments before earning a master’s degree in counseling at Texas Women’s University.Heydenburk spent 13 years counseling and publishing and now uses language, culture, travel and experience to guide surgical and dental patients through renewal experiences in Costa Rica. She is married and has three grown children with families of their own.For more information call 817-743-4000 or send an email to publicarts@cityofkeller.com.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
