8/16/2023 0 Comments Artisan ny wool hat![]() ![]() I had contacted the current owner and arranged a time to visit on our way to see old friends in Rockport where we used to live. I must have been around thirteen years old that summer, but still have vivid dreams of the house and the moats and ocean surrounding the property. We also took a trip to Beverly Farms, where we spent a summer 50 years ago, at our mother's friend's mansion, while her friend was in Nevada arranging for a divorce. She showed me around her new home town where we went kayaking on a river, walked her dog Meeki through many parks and forests and found a local lakefront beach complete with a hotdog stand, where I plan to return for many more visits. In August I traveled to New England to visit my sister who had moved from Lockwood, California earlier this year to buy a house in western Massachusetts near friends, and found a cute renovated 1820's farmhouse in Belchertown. I am encouraging her to have a show and publish a book of her compelling work. Kristine lives in Washington DC and is a very talented photographer documenting the protests at our nation's capital almost on a daily basis, including January 6th. Kristine displayed a collection of felt wool products for Dancing Yak's booth, including a red tote bag with the word VOTE spelled out in bold black letters which also caught the buyer's attention. Their booth was included in a buyers tour of the pavilion which brought a welcome crowd by our booths. Guillermo and Sofia did a great job displaying their products handcrafted by women weavers in Chiapas, including traditional huipil dresses with contemporary patterns, and pillows, blankets, table linens and hammocks in soft colors. We were happy to have our wonderful booth neighbors, Guillermo Jester and Sofia Tania from ATA Mexico, and Kristine Jones working with Dancing Yak Handicrafts of Nepal. Payal has won numerous awards for her work in India over the past seventeen years and I hope to be able to visit her one day to continue our conversations. She and I talked about the challenges facing international artisans, particularly during the pandemic and how to compete for market share in a struggling US economy. I had the pleasure of working with Lauren, Rachel and Hannah from the Aid to Artisan team and meeting Payal Nath, the co-founder of Kadam Haat, working to create opportunities for artisan women in rural India. ![]() I love comparing the raw sketches to the photographs of the finished booths, makes it all look so easy! We were able to collaborate and problem-solve together, to create handsome displays showing the multiple artisan products at their best. We had our share of surprises with missing shipments of products found at the last minute, and sizes and quantities of items we didn't anticipate. The sketches were helpful in ordering the Ikea fixtures and props we would need ahead of time, when the Aid to Artisans team and I arrived to merchandise the booths. In an effort to pre-visualize the different booth displays before arriving in Las Vegas to help install, I made a series of pencil sketches with watercolors to get a sense of how everything might come together. I had fun previewing the photos of the beautiful finished products along with the artisans making them. And Bandipora weavers partnered with designer Stacy Spivak to produce wool scarves and shawls using kani, tweed, and hand-spun pashmina and merino wools, using cultural techniques that have been passed down for generations. ![]() Women artisans in Kashmir, craft a specific type of hand embroidery called crewel that uses a hook and hand dyed wool yarn to create intricate designs. NoorAari, supported by Rangsutra in India, partnered with Sudarshan Textile Arts, to produce and design embroidered scarves and pillows. Paper Mâché is a legacy craft that has been produced in Kashmir since the 14th century. Zadibal Crafts, supported by the Sasha Crafts exhibited a variety of paper mache vases and bowls, designed by Aviva Shulem. ![]() The Shaaksaz Producer Company, supported by Kadam Haat in India, featured willow garden and tabletop baskets, wattle fencing and light pendants designed by Howard Peller, founder of Living Willow Farm. This summer I was asked by Aid to Artisans to help with their Las Vegas Market booth display for their Art-X project showcasing the work of four different artisans groups in Kashmir. ![]()
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