Tuesday, December 24, 2013

GlobeIn - December Box

It’s a living atlas of crafts. GlobeIn is an online marketplace and offline community of artisans, travelers, buyers, sellers, storytellers and explorers around the world.

I got the new GlobeIn Box for December. It contained:
Multi-Colored Fabric from Casa Otomi. Casa Otomi is the brainchild of Naif Artist Sandra Renteria and Coffee Farmer Abel Chavez. In Sandra's past life, she ran a nationally recognized and award winning fair trade "Indigena Gallery" in Denver, Colorado. She dedicated most of her adult life to humanitarian endeavors. Abel dedicated most of his life to helping his family run their organic coffee farms in Linda Vista, Oaxaca. After meeting in Denver, both moved to Oaxaca, Mexico to be closer to Abel's family and farm. Naturally, Sandra was eager to play in the folk art world, thus the birth of Casa Otomi. The close relationships that have been built with the artisans over the years has been instrumental in being able to create their contemporary designs.
A weaved basket from Profiria and Margarita. Profiria and Margarita are living national treasures. As the matriarchal members of Oaxaca's petate basket-weaving community, they grew-up in the days when basket-weaving was an essential skill for creating utilitarian housewares like bedrolls. In fact, petate, the intricate and ancient weaving pattern they practice is derived from the word "bedroll" in their native Nahuatl language. Margarita is the eldest master. And her eyesight is failing, but her imminent blindness has not slowed down her competent hands, which Margarita says, stoically, "know the way." Thousands of years of ancestral knowledge lie embedded in her gaunt fingers. Encroaching arthritis also threatens to put the final damper on her practice. But for now, Margarita's slender hands move swiftly. When she is no longer able to weave, Margarita prays Profiria and the younger members of Oaxaca's basket weaving community will be able to carry-on the tradition of petate weaving.
Earrings from Paulina Sanchez Hernandez. Paulina Sanchez Hernandez loves working with color. She has dedicated the past 10 years of her life to learning everything she can about glass art, and now specializes in making small, ornamental jewelry that is both fun and functional.
Candle from Marina del Carmen and Silvia Martinez Accuedo. Marina del Carmen and Silvia Martinez Accuedo create candles from dried fruit peels, which they collect near around their village near Mexico City. Fittingly, they call their two-person collective "Luz de Luna," or "light of the moon." For Maria, candle making and selling is her full time job, where Silvia supplements her income with house cleaning work. The pair exhibits their unique candle creations in various markets and artisan fairs around Mexico City.

Check it all out at GlobeIn on Facebook, as well as GlobeIn on Twitter.
 
 

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~Hayley