Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

Folk/Art/Cinema Film Series

Works by world cinema’s unsung heroes - offering new perspectives into the arts and cultures of the global community. A collaborative project between the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market and CCA. Curated by Emmy-winning writer-producer Kirk Ellis and CCA Cinematheque Director and Sundance Fellow Jason Silverman, this series of five hosted films explores the enduring spirit and cultural tensions of traditional societies in a changing world. 

February 14 • A Separation

7:30pm. Introduced by Kirk Ellis with special Skype guest, yet to be confirmed

After his wife Simin leaves him, the middle-class Nader hires Razieh, a devout, impoverished woman, to look after his Alzheimer’s-stricken father. But an accident pulls two families into a spiraling, Kafkaesque labyrinth of Iran’s Islamic legal system. A Separation was this year’s winner of the Golden Globe Award and has been nominated for Best Foreign Film for the 2012 Academy Awards. Writer-director Asghar Farhadi’s masterpiece explores Iranian class conflict, gender inequalities and cultural tensions with subtlety and elegance. By film’s end, you can feel the tragic spiritual condition of an entire society in your bones. (Iran, 2011, 123m, 35mm, Sony Pictures Classics)

April 12 • The Music Room

7:30 pm. “Showed the world that Ray had great range and talent beyond the naturalism of his first films … his most accomplished film, and many critics still hold it as the director’s masterpiece.” –Turner Classic Movies

Satyajit Ray brilliantly evokes the crumbling opulence of the world of a fallen aristocrat desperately clinging to a fading way of life. His greatest joy—a chamber where he once hosted lavish concerts—has become a shadow of its former vivid self. Ray’s incandescent depiction of the clash between tradition and modernity—which showcases a generation of India’s most popular musicians and actors—is a defining work by the great Bengali filmmaker. (India, 1958, 99m, 35mm print courtesy of the Academy Archives)

May 10 • Maria Candelaria

7:30pm. Preceded by an introduction by Mexican film expert Michael Donnelly

The first Mexican film screened at Cannes, where it won the Grand Prize, Emilio Fernandez’s film tells the story of a painting of an indigenous woman (the magnificent Dolores Del Rio) who, we learn in flashback, led a tragic yet intensely romantic life with her lover and supporter (Pedro Armendariz). Richly nuanced, with brilliant camerawork by the legendary Gabriel Figueroa, the film is a rarely seen classic of world cinema. (Mexico, 1944, 90m, 35mm print courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art)

June 14 • Where the Stars Meet the Sea + The Little Girl Who Stole the Sun

7:30 pm. Preceded by a Skype introduction by African film scholar Samba Gadjigo

Left for dead after being born under the curse of an eclipse, a crippled orphan boy grows into a young man of strong will, with supernatural powers. Raymond Rajaonarivelo’s gorgeous African folktale mixes naturalistic settings and magic realism and puts Madagascar in gorgeous focus (Madagascar, 1996, 77m, digital video courtesy of California Newsreel). Preceded by THE LITTLE GIRL WHO SOLD THE SUN, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s tale of a young heroine who does her work as a newspaper salesgirl fearlessly and with great heart on Dakar’s sometimes mean streets. (Senegal, 1998, 45m, digital video)

July 7 • Genghis Blues

5:30 pm. Q&A with producer Adrian Belic by Skype!

“A good-hearted, wonderfully revealing record of an arduous but triumphant journey … melds American blues music and Asian chant into a rugged Asian-American fusion.” –New York Times. One night, Paul Pena—a down-on-his-luck blind bluesman who jammed with T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, and Bonnie Raitt—heard a strange sound on his radio. It was throatsinging, from the Republic of Tuva, in the wild country between Siberia and Mongolia. After teaching himself how to throatsing, Pena was invited to perform at Tuva’s annual national competition. This incredible story of his journey takes us across the globe, introducing us to a man whose insatiable curiosity and deep love of music connects him in the most unlikely places. Winner, Sundance, Florida, San Francisco film festivals. (U.S., 2000, 88m, digital video)

All films will be shown at the CCA Cinematheque, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe. 505.982.1338
Tickets are available for purchase at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. 
CCA will accept early ticket purchases by phone or in person. 
General admission: $9.50 Seniors/students: $8.50 CCA Members and SFIFAM volunteers: $8.00 CCA Senior and Student Members, Children: $7.00

 

Reflections on a Year of Success – A Letter from Executive Director Charlene Cerny

Dear Market Supporter,

As we begin 2012, I would like to take this time to reflect on our achievements and express my deepest appreciation for supporters like you who make our work at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market possible.

It is because of you that we can create a dynamic global community that crosses borders, changes lives and brings the world together.

LOOKING BACK AT 2011…

Expanded Opportunities for Artists

We helped 32 artists and their representatives gain access to new wholesale markets by partnering with the Dallas Market Center, one of the largest home and gift shows in the country. In addition, 76 artists, representing over 20,000 cooperative members, participated in Artist Training programs focusing on new global marketing opportunities.

Empowered Marginalized Artists

Women and other marginalized artists from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Niger—war torn and some of the poorest countries on earth—had the opportunity for economic gain and recognition within their communities. Artists report that girls’ earnings have allowed them to marry at an older age because they are bringing income to the family.

Educated Children

Over 60% of our artists have reported that they helped more children go to school, buy school uniforms, and pay for tuition and books as a result of their earnings at the Folk Art Market. That is remarkable achievement!

LOOKING AHEAD AT 2012…

Inviting New Artists

Four new countries were accepted into the 2012 Market, including Hungary, Uganda, Vanuatu and South Sudan—the world’s newest nation! A total of 181 artists were invited from 55 countries, including 38 cooperatives representing 15,542 members, reaching 155,542 family and community members.

Expanding Community Involvement

This coming year’s Artists’ Procession and free concert at the Santa Fe Railyard, will be part of International Folk Arts Week, a weeklong celebration of events around town leading up to the Folk Art Market weekend.

Preserving Endangered Traditions

We welcome another year of preserving endangered traditional arts of indigenous peoples at the brink of extinction. At our current rate of decline, indigenous cultures are rapidly disappearing at 30 per year and half of our living cultural heritage will disappear in a single generation.*

Thank you for helping bring the Market closer to its vision of a world that ensures a dignified, sustainable living for folk artists who are essential to preserving cultural diversity across the globe.

On behalf of the folk artists who have participated over the past eight years to the ones who will be coming to the Market for the first time, we simply could not do this important work without you! 

Warm regards,

Charlene Cerny
Executive Director
Santa Fe International Folk Art Market

*Paul Hawken, Blessed Unrest, 2007, p.94

 

Touareg silversmiths using traditional techniques to provide real help

Elhadji Koumama is a Tuareg silversmith from Niger, and he’s attended the Market since 2009.

Here we take a more detailed look at his work, and how he uses sales from the Market to help his community.

Elhadji learned his skills from his father, himself a renowned silversmith, and he continues the tradition of Tuareg jewelry making using the lost wax method.

Creating the pieces

First, he makes the form of the piece out of wax, and then covers it with clay.

When the clay is dry, Elhadji stokes a fire with bellows made of goat skin, and heats the clay so the wax melts out of it, leaving just the clay mould.

He melts the silver and pours it into the mould.

When the silver has cooled, Elhadji breaks the mould to reveal the piece, which is then filed, etched and polished using simple hand tools.

Tuareg jewelry uses geometric designs - in particular triangular and diamond patterns.

Different patterns and shapes have different significance, with crosses offering protection from evil, a circle representing the eye of a chameleon, a half circle the moon, and cross hatching representing crocodile teeth.

The Egourou, a diamond-shaped pendant, is given by a husband to his bride during a marriage ceremony.

In Tuareg culture, it’s the women who wear the jewelry - it’s considered unlucky for men to wear silver.

‘It helps keep our history alive

Elhadji, who is married with six children, says,"When my father died, his dream for me was to be successful, to be the best like he did.

“He wanted me to take care of the family and the business . . .  it is my dream to create jobs for all the artisans in the family and all the local artisans that make jewelry. What it means for me to be Tuareg is to have honor and to be honest.”

Recent politcal uphevals and food shortages in northern Niger, where most Nigerien Tuareg live, have brought hardship and hunger to many people.

Artisans working on this jewelry can support their families, and Elhadji has also used the earnings to buy food for hundreds of other people who would otherwise go hungry.

Elhadji continues, “I want to tell everybody how it helps if people buy the jewelry. All of the artisans can take care of their families, and this is a good thing.

“They are very happy now, because they can feed their family now all of the time. It is a good feeling of security for the artisans and their families. The work also helps us to keep our Tuareg traditions. It helps keep our history and art alive.”

To help artists like Elhadji participate in the Folk Art Market and create change in his community, we invite you to give a gift in honor of a loved one with a donation to the Folk Art Market in their name. Simply make your gift today and we will send a beautiful personalized e-card to your loved one.

Photographer Christian Peacock has made a beautiful video with Elhadji explaining his work:

 

‘The Market has really changed her life’ - an update on Matron Mwembe

Zimbabwean basket artist Matron Mwembe from the Ntengwe for Community Development cooperative is one of our featured artists for our current appeal, and we wanted to check in with her progress since her attendance at the 2011 Market.

We asked Juliana Muskwe, Program Manager of Ntengwe for Community Development, for an update and the news is all good.

Matron Mwembe is now back in formal school, and still committed to her community service.  “She still organizes and attends meetings with her cooperative as well as conducts peer education at her school and in the community,” says Juliana.

Juliana goes on to outline the benefits Matron felt from attending the Market: “Besides gaining from the basket sales, Matron said that the Market has really changed her life and mindset.  She has gained from the exposure, she got very good ideas and advice from other artists. Her participation in the trainings has increased her knowledge and skills.”

The earnings from the sale of her gorgeous baskets has enabled Matron to pay for her schools fees and those of her siblings.

Juliana reports that Matron and other group members have also used it to buy food for their families.  “Children who had dropped out of school have now gone back to school and school enrollment has increased,” Juliana adds.

Juliana concludes, “Matron is aiming for success . . . Her wish is to finish school and become a community development worker.  She said even if she does not study social or development work, she still wants to continue supporting young girls and women in her community so that they can also be empowered.”

We’re delighted Matron’s doing well and that attending the Market has been such a positive experience for her.  Click here to see a video featuring Matron and the work of the Busungu Mbubupa basket weaving group.

To help artists like Matron participate in the Folk Art Market and create change in her community, we invite you to give a gift in honor of a loved one with a donation to the Folk Art Market in their name. Simply make your gift today and we will send a beautiful personalized e-card (featuring a great photo of Matron by Genevieve Russell) to your loved one.

 

Selecting the Artists for the 2012 Market

The artist selection process for the 2012 Market is taking place this weekend, and we thought we’d share a little more about how the artists are chosen.

The Artist Selection Committee is a team of six experts in their respective fields (Africa, Asia/Central Asia, SE Asia, Latin America/Caribbean, and Mexico) led by folklorist Dr. Suzanne Seriff from the University of Texas at Austin.

They gather at the Market’s office in Santa Fe to review close to 400 applications according to the following criteria:

• artistic quality
  
• marketability (the appeal of art form/art work to Folk Art Market visitors);
  
• traditionalism of the art form/art work as well as of the design and the production process
  
• acquisition of artistic knowledge (how the artist learned their skills)
  
• the role or use of the art form/art work in the artist’s community

To achieve the right balance and tone for the Market, the Committee also aims to meet as many of the following objectives as possible: 

• geographic diversity
  
• artistic diversity: a broad range of folk art forms/folk art works
  
• a good balance of returning participants and new participants

The process takes place over three full days, beginning this year on Friday December 2nd and running through Sunday, December 4th.

At the end of each of these days, the Committee reviews their decisions in preparation for their final review meeting on Monday morning, December 5th. Market staff are present at the selection, but do not vote.

The Market does not set any quotas regarding country, area or type of folk art, but the Committee is very aware that the Folk Art Market site is limited to around 137 artist booths, and it works hard to include a diverse set of artists to create a vibrant, dynamic and global Folk Art Market.

The Artist Selection Committee also considers the different types of effect an invitation to the Market can have on artists and their communities. One group might need the financial help attendance at the Market brings to help people in dire straits, while another invitation might help preserve a valuable artistic skill that’s in danger.

As Ernesto Torres, Director of Artist Relations for the Market points out, “Impact happens in many ways - sometimes qualitative, sometimes quantitative, sometimes both. The Artist Selection Committee and the Market are concerned about impacts, but realize that the impact of an independent artist or relatively small group of artists practicing a folk art tradition that is at risk and the impact a large cooperative that benefits members and their families, while very different, are each significant.”

At the end of the deliberations the artists for the 2012 will have been chosen, but terms such as ‘committee’, ‘selection’ and ‘criteria’, don’t fully describe the warmth of the process.

“Artist Selection is filled with lively, generous and insightful discussion that ultimately creates the amazing gathering of folk artists and folk art lovers that is the Folk Art Market,” says Ernesto.

We look forward to finding out which artists will be part of the gathering in 2012.

 

‘Rebuilding our Homes and Hopes’ - an update on Lila Handicrafts and the Pakistan Floods

Artisans of Lila Handicrafts from Pakistan have been attending the Folk Art Market since 2004. At the 2011 Market, they also featured in the “The Arts of Survival: Folk Expression in the Face of Natural Disaster” exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art, which explored how folk artists have helped their communities recover from recent natural disasters.

The exhibition explored how artisans from Lila Handicrafts had dealt with the floods of 2010. However, on their return from Santa Fe, Naina Valasai and her husband Surendar from Lila Handicrafts faced another natural disaster.

We contacted Surendar and asked him to tell us their story.

He begins, “When we were attending “The Arts of Survival: Folk Expression in the Face of Natural Disaster,” in July, we had really no idea that things we are learning there would so soon be put into practice by the Mother Nature for us to experience.”

Throughout August and September, heavy monsoon rains pounded the province of Sindh. More than 1290mm (over four feet) of rain was recorded during the extended monsoon, four times higher than average.
Surendar continues, “Mud houses collapsed as half of the Sindh province was submerged and turned into a dotted ocean. Overall, 8.9 million people were affected, 1.52 million of them thrown totally homeless.”

Millions of acres of standing crops were damaged, in an area where the economy is based almost completely on agriculture, and people struggled to gather what belongings they could and move to safety.

Naina and Surendar moved their family to a rented house in the city of Hyderabad, leaving their home a few days before the roads submerged completely. Cellphone connections also failed, making it doubly hard to keep in touch.

Surendar’s brother Dev went to their village to gather information about the devastation to share with the Folk Art Market and Lila Handicraft’s longtime supporter Patricia Stoddard.

Within few days, a 3-day sale took place in Santa Fe for Pakistani artisans which raised $12,000 for the relief operation coordinated by SHINE Humanity. The sale was a collaborative effort between the Folk Art Market, the Museum of International Folk Art, Market Board members JoAnn Balzer and Sylvia Seret, along with numerous staff and volunteers from the Museum and the Museum of New Mexico Foundation Shops, in conjunction with Patricia Stoddard.

Surendar says that, ‘The relief operation, started with the Flood Relief Sale by the Folk Art Market, Museum of International Folk Art and their beautiful volunteers, was the most prompt and timely for folk art ralli quilt artisans in Kaloi, Khetlari, Lalo Wahandani and other villages.”

The proceeds of the sale went towards distributing relief items (including food and mosquito nets) to 255 artisans - providing enough food for 15 days for each artisan family. Lila Handicrafts helped the SHINE Humanity team’s initial response and many of the artisans went on to help the World Food Program as their efforts ramped up.

The World Food Program is now providing food rations to the affected people in Kaloi and surrounding villages.

Surendar continues, ‘Lila Handicrafts Artisans Welfare Association also arranged food ration relief for more than five hundred artisans and provided 120 tents to them with the cooperation of Government Departments.’

People have started repairing their homes and returning to their routine life. Only in the last few weeks have the roads reappeared after the water receded.

Lila Handicraft artisans have now started working on new Ralli Quilts products (including ralli quilted handbags), and are hoping that they will again be accepted for next year’s Market.

‘Our target is to sell enough for rebuilding our homes and hopes,’ says Surendar. ‘The Arts of Survival: Folk Expression in the Face of Natural Disaster inspired all of us to survive . . .  We have started making Ralli Quilts without receiving any orders. The Flood Relief Sale and its volunteers did a wonderful and lovely job by extending help to the Artisans in time and for this we owe our gratefulness to them.’

> Learn more about Naina, see examples of the work of Lila Handicrafts and how you can help their rebuilding efforts

 

Chantha’s Market Experience – ‘more like a family than a trade fair’

Chantha Nguon is the co-director of the Stung Treng Women’s Development Centre (SWDC) in Cambodia, which produces silk weavings in traditional Khmer style under the name Mekong Blue. She attended the Market for the first time this year, and she got in touch to explain the impact her visit has had on the co-operative and its artists.

Sales at the Market contributed 15% of the group’s total income for the year, providing 37 weavers 3 months’ work at wages of between US$100 - $200 per month. (Chantha points out that an elementary school teachers salary in Cambodia is $50/month, while a medical doctor earns $150/month.)

SWDC also used some of their Market income to continue supporting 100 schoolchildren who are relatives of the Mekong Blue weavers. Each child receives a school uniform, stationery, book bag, shoes and a small budget for other school expenses.

Telling the Story Behind the Products

One valuable lesson Chantha learned in Santa Fe is that visitors are not only looking for unique products, they are also committed to helping the artists improve their lives.
“The story behind the products seems equally important as the quality of the products,” she says. “I have learned from [Market] volunteers how to tell the story in the most appealing way to make customers understand the value of the products they bought, [and that] their support is not giving to individuals but helps to improve other people’s lives from poor countries.”

Chantha was also moved by the atmosphere at the Market: “I can see so much love and support is given toward others, it’s not just to make money but as someone told me when I first arrived at the Market, this is more like a family than trade fair, and it was very true. I was so glad and honored to be part of the Market.”

She adds that normally she is pleased to be heading home after a trip abroad, but this time “ I felt sad when I left Santa Fe to come back home.”

Thanks to those who sponsored Chantha to attend the Market, to all those who bought Mekong Blue work, and to the volunteers who helped make her feel so welcome. Your efforts are having a real effect in improving the lives of artists and their families in Cambodia.

SWDC at Work

For more information on the work of the Stung Treng Women’s Development Centre visit: http://www.mekongblue.com/

 

Bridging the Gap from a Madagascan Village to the Rest of the World

Association Sahalandy is a group of seven weaving cooperatives representing 80 weavers in the area of Sandrandahy in the central highlands of Madagascar.

They attended the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market for the first time this summer, and they’ve sent us this feedback via Natalie Mundy, a Peace Corps volunteer from Roanoke, Virgina who’s been working with the Association:

‘Sahalandy’s participation in the Folk Art Market has been the answer to an age old question: How would they bridge the gap between their small village in Madagascar and the rest of the world? The Santa Fe International Folk Art Market was exactly that.’

The cooperative made over $30,000 selling their work at the Market, and Natalie takes up the story of what they’re going to do with their earnings:

‘We had a minor issue with receiving checks (from earnings at the Folk Art Market) from our local bank to properly disperse our money, and we just got it all sorted last week. However, we have had 2 months of meetings to figure out our plan of attack once it arrived.

‘We are planning to use our funds from Santa Fe to build 4 bungalows and a showroom for the tourists that pass through on a regular circuit.

‘Now [visitors] will have a closer water source, shower, bathroom, and a beautiful bungalow.

‘The other part of the project is a showroom in order to show the time consuming and extensive process of silk weaving - from farming silk cocoons, dyeing, washing, weaving, and finishing.

‘It’s also a chance for our weavers to work together. Up until now, they have been scattered for miles around, rarely seeing each other except for meetings.

‘Now they will be able to manage orders and come together as a team. Sahalandy is very excited! A plan of this nature has been talked about for the past 7 years.’

This plan is now becoming real thanks to their earnings from the Folk Art Market.

They also report that the biggest lesson they learned while in Santa Fe has been better costing and pricing. Until now, the weavers have never properly incorporated their own salary into the cost of a scarf.

Natalie reports Sahalandy was impressed with the organization of the Market and with the dedication of the employees and volunteers: ‘It definitely was not possible without them. Thank you!’

 

Sidreh at the Folk Art Market

This year was the first time at the Market for the Bedouin women of the Sidreh co-operative from Israel.

One of their supporters, the US-based forPEACE non-profit, has a great account of the women’s experience here in Santa Fe.

Speaking in the article, Hala Abu-Shareb, Director of Marketing for Sidreh reflects on meeting fellow artists from around the world:

“We are very different but so similar at the same time. We are all doing something from our culture and are dedicated to it because we believe in it.”

The group enjoyed good sales at their booth, and are planning to apply to return next year.

Abu-Shareb concludes: “It was empowering for the women (in our delegation) to be there — to learn from others and show the world that we exist and are proud of who we are.”

> You can read the full article here.