Santa Fe International Folkart Market starts today for many but it will be specially exciting for Rammu - a quilter from Hodka and Chaman a weaver from Bhujodi!
Ramu Devraj Harijan
India
Year(s) attended: 2010, 2011
Embroidery and Quilt Work Ramu is a Meghwal who was born in the Banni region of Kutch, where quilt making and embroidery are integral to the culture. Men source and sew the cloth while women are skilled in embroidery and mirrored work.
At 12, Ramu made his first quilt for his mother to embroider. Later traveling to government-sponsored craft fairs, Ramu joined a company in Bhuj where he learned new products and improved his skills.
Ramu has now trained two of his brothers and two nephews in the work.
Chamanlal Premji Siju
India
Year(s) attended: 2011
Handloom Weaving Chamanlal comes from the Vankar weaver community of Kutch, Gujarat. At 16 years old, he started working as a weaver to supplement his family’s income. Using natural dyes, his family is considered some of the best yarn dyers in the region. They use fine wool and silk threads in their weavings, and continue this tradition in the Handloom Design Center, the free residential school they founded to train and equip weavers for home production.
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World-Class Art That Changes Lives
Contact: Clare Hertel
505-670-3090
Clare@clarehertelcommunications.com
At the 2008 Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. © A Polished Eye, All Rights Reserved
When more than 150 of the world’s finest traditional artists travel from the farthest corners of the globe to participate in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market this July, some will arrive as widely celebrated cultural artists, while others will be leaving their villages and boarding planes for the very first time. Many will be coming from developing countries where the average income is less than $3 a day and where overwhelming political, social, and environmental challenges can make everyday life—not to mention the creation of art—a struggle. All artists will be taking part in an extraordinary event that not only showcases their work but helps change their lives and their communities.
The largest event of its kind in the world, the Market offers an unparalleled chance to collect treasures from around the globe and meet the artists who created them. Last year, more than 22,000 people attended, along with 132 artists from 50 countries. Mingling with the visitors and local market goers were dignitaries from Cuba, Oman and South Africa; representatives from Donna Karan, Martha Stewart, and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as representatives of the Clinton Foundation and UNESCO, both of which have partnered with the Market.
