For Immediate Release
June 25, 2018 Cambridge, MA
Contact: Jess Cherofsky
Jess@cs.org
In July 2018, Cultural Survival, an Indigenous Peoples’ rights organization based in Cambridge, MA, will host its second Indigenous Artisan Institute. The Institute will bring together 15+ Indigenous artists from India, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Peru, Mexico, Burkina Faso, and Madagascar to showcase their skills and mastery, build relationships, and build and exchange skills. It will be held in collaboration with Mariposa Museum, a cultural museum, and Joseph’s Coat, a fair trade retail shop, both located in Peterborough, NH, and it will be held at the Mariposa Museum.
Event highlights:
Sat.-Sun., July 21-22: Cultural Survival Bazaar in Newburyport, MA, at Market Square + Inn St.
Mon., July 23: Preview party, 6-8pm, $10 cover, at Mariposa Museum.
Tues., July 24: Wholesale market 10am-12pm, at Mariposa Museum.
Tues., July 24: Pop-up market 2-6pm, at Mariposa Museum.
Wed., July 25: Pop-up market 10am-6pm, at Mariposa Museum.
Sat.-Sun., July 28-29: Cultural Survival Bazaar in Tiverton, RI, at the Four Corners Arts Center, 3852 Main Rd.
Conveniently held between two summer Cultural Survival Bazaars, the Institute aims to enrich artists’ time in the area during the Bazaars by providing professional development workshops and trainings to improve sales, marketing, and other skills related to building sustainable livelihoods through their crafts. It will also provide a space for them to build relationships with other local and international Indigenous artists and businesses, as well as with retail and wholesale buyers, while showcasing the participants’ unique artistic skills and offering a chance for extra sales during their time here. An invigorating atmosphere of artistic generosity and spirit promises to make the event a rewarding experience and a true celebration of Indigenous arts and artists.
Held for the first time in 2017 for five participants, the Institute builds upon the work of the Bazaars, which were first held in 1975 and have since served as an invaluable resource for Indigenous artists to build relationships and have a platform to sell directly to the New England public. Cultural Survival is proud to host 15+ artists at the Institute this year and over 40 during the Bazaar festivals in Newburyport, MA, on July 21-22 and Tiverton, RI, on July 28-29.
The Institute will take place largely at Mariposa Museum and will begin on Monday, July 23, with workshops and trainings on topics such as sales, market research, display techniques, pricing, and product development. In the evening, a preview party will invite the artists and community members to meet and socialize, with the opportunity for advance sales. Tuesday morning will feature a wholesale market and the afternoon a pop-up retail market. On Wednesday, the pop-up retail market will run all day. All events are free admission except the preview party, which has a $10 cover, and include free admission to the Mariposa Museum’s exhibits. The rest of the week will include different cultural exchange activities and social time among artists prior to the Bazaar in Tiverton.
The pop-up markets will feature natural fiber basketry, paintings, textiles, alpaca clothing, ceramics, masks, cashmere scarves, carved scenes called retablos, and more.
About the Cultural Survival Bazaars
The Cultural Survival Bazaars are a series of cultural festivals that provide Indigenous artists, cooperatives, and their representatives from around the world the chance to sell their work directly to the American public. The Cultural Survival Bazaars were the cherished brainchild of Pia Maybury-Lewis, Cultural Survival’s co-founder. The first was held in 1975 after Pia and Chris Walter, owner of Yayla Tribal Rugs, organized a small fair on the top floor of a house near the Harvard University campus. Over the years, the Bazaars grew and became more successful as the general public developed interest in Indigenous arts and more Indigenous artists looked for a marketplace in the Boston area to sell their work. In 2017, the Bazaar sales reached nearly $400,000, and the vendors present represented about 4,300 artists from 27 countries.
About Joseph’s Coat
Josephs’ Coat is a small business that “think[s] small and local in a global way - buying from individuals and small co-ops so the craftspeople directly benefit from the sale of their creations.” Visit them at jocoat.com and at 32 Grove St., Peterborough, NH.
About Mariposa Museum
Mariposa Museum, a cultural museum founded “as a companion organization to its older sister, Joseph’s Coat,” is a “‘hands-on’ museum...that celebrate[s] other cultures with regional exhibitions, performances and programs...Interactive exhibits, both rotating and permanent, showcase the creativity of people across cultures through folk arts, folk traditions, and storytelling.” Visit them at mariposamuseum.org and at 26 Main St., Peterborough, NH.
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Photo: 2017 Summer Artisan Institute Artist Ganna Nepyivoda, a Hotsul crafter from Ukraine, sells her pysankas, or intricately decorated eggs, as well as carved woodwork and embroidered shirts made by other artists.
