Walking with her through high-end Berkeley and Sacramento galleries and shops, I watched my friend Elizabeth Galindo Roberts, PhD, size up designs, the cut of a fabric, color and details of exquisitely made clothing. Elizabeth, who I’ve known since childhood, creates couture. She has a right to world fame, so rare and extensive are her gifts. Even if she’s not internationally known yet, she is a highly respected artist and academic expert in her field. Sophia Loren has worn her designs. Elizabeth crafts an extraordinary line of textiles that are true products of the earth, her Botanical Peace Textiles. Constructed using flora colors, 100% natural fabrics, dyes and ingredients—such as indigenous berries and leaves—her Botanical Peace Textiles are extraordinary, romantic interpretations of nature.
A film costume researcher, Elizabeth’s credits include 2006’s “The Good Shepard,” 2007’s “There Will Be Blood,” with Daniel Day Lewis and 2006’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” starring Brad Pitt. Perhaps her proudest work, though, is her styling for her son’s music video—Gustavo Galindo was a 2011 Grammy nominee for Best Latin Pop, Rock, or Urban Album for his debut album “Entre La Ciudad Y El Mar.”
Elizabeth is as busy and focused as anyone I’ve known; somewhere between our childhood and our current lives she developed an intense creativity and discerning eye. Perhaps it was always there—she had a lot to say about Barbie’s wardrobe back in the day! Fashion is risk, and risks she took. Years living in Mexico informed her aesthetic, as did early years in Southern California. At the summer camp we attended together, Elizabeth received a coveted plaque: “Camper of the Week.” I didn’t. I came in third at the summer’s end “Activity Contest”; Elizabeth took second. She understands what it means to build a profile and get your work out into the world. Still, when I saw her creations “in the flesh” this summer, I was stunned by their exquisite beauty and passionate dedication evident in every piece.
Last year Elizabeth earned her Masters of Fine Arts and a PhD in Performance Studies with an emphasis in Film and Fashion at the University of California, Davis. She travels extensively to lecture, and she has “studied and earned several proficiency degrees in silk screening, hand blocking and embroidery work on fabrics at the Fuji Institute in Florence, Italy.” On top of it all, Elizabeth is an adjunct professor at two universities, conducting her courses on line.
Elizabeth has fun with fashion; she regularly posts her favorite trends and designs to social media, and her followers delight in her sense of style. Elizabeth’s ability to move back and forth between designing the finest quality, custom-fitted garments, marked by distinct detail—very time consuming to create—to melding rich, loose colors with natural elements is quite unusual and the sign of a high artist.
While visiting Elizabeth in California we spotted a sweater she advised me to buy. If I’m smart, I’ll take her advice. www.elizabethgalindo.com
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Let the Good Times Roll!
A wonderful opportunity to bridge the distance between Jackson’s art scene and the University of Wyoming’s and Wyoming Arts ever-evolving, visionary arts culture is to get yourself down to U.W.’s Art Museum’s fundraising black tie Gala “Laizzes les Bons Temps Rouler!” The event takes place Saturday, October 26th, 2013 in the Yellowstone Ballroom Wyoming Union, at U.W. The evening’s rollicking tone will be set by the hippest band in the state, “Jackson 6.”
All proceeds benefit the exhibition, education and collection programs at the U.W. Art Museum–a spectacular museum; its galleries remind me of San Francisco’s De Young. Sponsorship levels vary—individual tickets are $175, and there are multiple “table” opportunities.
“The Art Museum and its outreach programs not only impact the quality of life around Wyoming; the preschool through college education programs strengthen student problem-solving and critical thinking skills — a great benefit to our future workforce,” say this year’s gala chairs Chris and Kathryn Boswell.
The party starts at 6:00 pm! Fine hors d’oeuvres, an open bar and silent auction are all part of the fun…which promises to be memorable. I would love to be there! For information, phone 307.766.3477. Read a little bit more about the evening’s events here.
Tammy Christel 
