Palestinian Embroidered Pillow by Crossroads Trade
TAFA is having its first public event during the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah. We are excited to introduce TAFA to the public at large and are hoping to raise funds for our new website. We have a silent auction and raffle, both available to online participants and an exhibit and vendors. These are ways in which you can donate to support our efforts. This blog will feature the works and vendors in the next two weeks. You can see all of the TAFA Market posts in one place by clicking on this link.
Kate Harris is coming all the way from Massachusetts to be a vendor in our TAFA Market! Her car will be loaded down with gorgeous textiles and treasures from around the world: molas, African embroideries, Wounaan baskets, Palestinian pillows and much more! I have worked with ethnic textiles and crafts for over 20 years and Kate's selection and commitment to quality are among the best I have ever seen. Extra bonus: Crossroads Trade is committed to fair trade. These products represent traditions and people who have honed skills over the centuries, many whom now live in precarious and dangerous parts of the world. Embroidery, weaving and sewing allow communities to maintain the traditional structures of their communities without having to leave their homes for work in factories or meaningless labor.
Kuna Mola: Monkeys, Bananas and A Hammock from Crossroads Trade
I always find it interesting how simple and similar materials can generate such different results. For example, the first image in this post is of a Palestinian embroidered pillow. The following image is a South African embroidery, both using black cotton fabric as the background. But, look at the results! The Palestinians excel at cross stitch, boldly emphasizing negative and positive spaces. The South African embroidery uses running stitches, almost calling pointillism into mind.
South African Embroidery, "Cow", from Crossroads Trade
All of these cultural textiles are easily recognizable to those of us who are familiar with them. We can easily point out which countries or communities they represent. However, as with everything in life, styles also evolve. For example, certain mola makers become famous world-wide for their individual techniques and themes. And, contact with people like Kate has also inspired groups to adapt their traditional crafts to products which can be marketed worldwide. We then end up seeing two kinds of product: collectible pieces by artists within the communities and production pieces artisans who don't necessarily have the "muse". This means that there are huge variations of prices within similar kinds of pieces. One mola might be $35 while another might be $350. Kate will have that range with her, both low and high ticket items.
Arpillera from Lima, Peru, Crossroads Trade
Many quilters and sewers like to use unfinished textiles or vintage remnants to incorporate into their own pieces. A mola, for example, can be sewn into a quilt, a bag, a pillow, on to a jean jacket, or if you want to "go" Kuna, make a blouse for yourself, too! (The Kuna women wear them on the front and back of their floral, puffy-sleeved blouses.) Take a look at Crossroads Trade and if you see anything on the website that you would like Kate to bring, you can send her a message through her site or leave a comment here. Kate is bringing mostly textiles, but she also has gorgeous Wounaan and Emberá baskets from Panama.
Wounaan and Emberá baskets from Panama, Crossroads Trade
I don't know about you, but I do know that I will have a hard time looking at Kate's things and not getting them all slobbered up with drool. I'll have to wear a bib or something.... (Excuse the 4th grade humor.... just lost a bit of control!) And, I am super excited to meet Kate. We have talked once on the phone and I just know that the stories will be flying. It will be a great time at our TAFA Market and I do hope that you can join us!
If I were to go anywhere in the world as a pilgrimage, my choice would be the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. I can't think of another place that would be a Mecca of all my interests in culture, people and the wonderful things they make. Sure, there are many other folk art festivals that would be interesting, but this has to top them all! Every year I hope I can go and so far I haven't been able to afford the trip. You see, it's not only going there and experiencing the environment that would thrill me, but I also would want to buy, buy, buy!!!! Someday it will happen!
Meanwhile, you go. Go be my eyes and ears and report back about how much fun it was! Tell us all about the wonderful people you met and what treasures you bought. The Market will be loaded with all of the ingredients to make anyone clap with joy, dance with delight and participate to their heart's content. There will 140 artists present representing 41 countries! You can travel the world just by walking around! Workshops, ethnic foods, live music and cultural presentations combine to make this a world event in one of the most interesting cities of the world.
Here is a video from last year's market:
My biggest joy would be to interact with the artists and see them at work. The International Folk Art Market's website has a full listing of those who are scheduled to come with a bio of their work. I picked a sampling just to give you an idea of the wonderful diversity of both regions represented and the work they produce, although I have to admit that even though I love all craft forms, I do tend to gravitate towards the textiles. The photos and text belong to the Santa Fe International Folk Art's site and I am quoting a partial bio just to entice you over to their site. Click on the Artist's name to see their full page.
The Andean village of Chijnaya was born after a flood in 1963 devastated villages near Lake Titicaca. As part of the resettlement project, and through the influence of Peace Corps volunteers, the concept of having the children embroider scenes of daily life took hold. What emerged were “bordados” employing hand-dyed alpaca yarn embroideries soon captured world attention and on a ground of “bayeta” or hand-woven simple weave woolen cloth.
Sulafa Embroidery Shop/project of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
Embroidery
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency runs a self-supporting embroidery program which employs over 500 refugee women in the Gaza Strip to produce articles to sell at the Sulafa Embroidery Shop, helping preserve valuable traditions and increasing family incomes.
Moussa Albaka is from Niger, Africa, and as a metal-smith he designs gorgeous jewelry using sterling silver, Tuareg silver and semi-precious stones. His techniques include engraving intricate geometric designs, using decorative inlay, and a lost wax process.
Embroidered, Woven and Felted
Textiles and Objects
Nino Kipshidze, founder and president of The Georgian Textile Group (GTG), has been involved in crafts since her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts. GTG is an association of artists, designers, researchers, art historians, and ethnographers working to revive and improve the quality of Georgian folk textile art and craft and to support artisans works and by creating an international market for their work.
José Borges, one of Latin America’s most celebrated folk artists, wields his knife and piece of wood in his humble workshop, attracting collectors and curators from around the world. Considered an unlettered folk poet, Jose has more than 200 cordel, or chapbook, titles to his name and is still writing.
Minority People Textile Folk Artists Cooperative of Southwest China
Weaving, Embroidery and Batik
Yuzhen’s family continues to farm in Guizhou while she lives part time in Beijing working in an embroidery workshop and selling Miao textile items at an open air market.
*****
As you can see, each artist comes with a story, a life-line that connects them to their region. It will surely be fascinating for anyone who can make it to the festival. But, I also think this is such a profoundly valuable opportunity for all of the participating artists. I have worked in multi-cultural groups for many years and remember how disturbing it was to me that each group has its own set of biases, misconceptions and stereotypes that can lead to racism and narrow-mindedness. This is not only about white people learning about the world and "helping" through their dollars, but instead, contact and interaction opens all people to a larger world filled with new opportunities. We all have the need to both give and receive, to teach and to learn, to share and to grow and this makes the world a safer, healthier and more dynamic place to live.
If you make it to the Market, please report back here and tell us how it went! Or, if you like to write, I would love to have your experiences documented in a post. Take lots of photos and share them with us! Someday I will make my pilgrimage, but until then, enjoy yours!
