Dive into the traditional Mexican craft of hojalata in this hands-on metal embossing workshop! Participants will explore the centuries-old technique of working with lightweight aluminum to create dimensional folk art, learning how to cut, shape, emboss, and decorate metal with precision and creativity.

Attendees will design their own embossed Heart Milagro—a classic Mexican motif—using hand tools to add texture and raised patterns. The final touch includes vibrant paints, bringing each piece to life in the colorful and expressive style of hojalata.

Perfect for all skill levels, this workshop offers a fun and educational introduction to a treasured Mexican artisan tradition.

Veronica Olivares-Weber, originally from Mexico, is a teaching artist and community organizer whose work spans more than two decades at the intersection of art, education, and social justice. She studied art history and ceramics classes at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she developed a strong foundation in both theory and practice. Deeply connected to her heritage, her practice is rooted in preserving Latin American art traditions, storytelling, and community empowerment through the arts.

Since 2010, Olivares-Weber has been a faculty member at the Arts Council of Princeton, where she teaches visual arts and leads creative programming for the Princeton Young Achievers after-school initiative, serving students from historically underserved neighborhoods. Her teaching emphasizes traditional and contemporary techniques across a wide range of media, including ceramics, sculpture, papier-mâché, mixed media, and painting. Through culturally immersive classes like Spanish Through Art and The Movement of the Muralist, she fosters creative expression while preserving and celebrating Mexican folk art traditions.

Made possible with funds from the Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.