Jun 20, 2011

Santa Fe International Folk Art Market Artists To Exhibit in Dallas

Dallas, TX – Dallas Market Center, the world’s most complete wholesale marketplace, recently announced that artists from the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market will show at the FINDS Dallas Temp Show being held June 23-26. The Collection will be located in the Trade Mart, 1st floor atrium, near Design FINDS.

“We are honored to have artists from the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market on campus during Market,” said Cindy Morris, COO, Dallas Market Center. “It’s a unique buying opportunity for our retailers and a chance for them to order cause-related products that make a difference in others’ lives.”

More than a dozen artists will travel to Dallas before heading to Santa Fe, New Mexico for the annual International Folk Art Market, the largest international folk art market in the world. The mission of the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market is to foster economic and cultural sustainability for folk artists and folk art worldwide and to create intercultural exchange opportunities that unite the peoples of the world. Each artist is making a difference for their families and communities through the sale of their one-of-a-kind handmade products.

One of the exhibiting artists that will show at Market is Janet Nkubana, from Rwanda. Janet learned to weave from her mother and is now co-founder of Gahaya Links. Her organization was founded after the Rwandan Genocide to help women cope with minimal support. Among the baskets that she will show are the elegantly-shaped, conical “peace” baskets that have earned international acclaim. In 2005, the baskets were featured in O Magazine. Today, the baskets can be found in the displays of Macy’s department stores throughout the United States.

Alba Sepúlveda, another artist, from Chile began hand weaving delicate miniature sculptures and designs out of horsehair at the age of seven, and has developed her craft for more than 50 years. She is today one of the foremost weavers in Chile, with a long list of awards and recognitions on an international scale. Alba recently developed a cooperative called Arte en Crin, made up of 14 artisans from her hometown of Rari. The cooperative was developed with the intention of creating a space for artisans to be able to support themselves through their traditional art, to engage youth in the centuries old tradition, and to preserve this very important cultural heritage.

Also showing during Market is Elhadji Koumama from Niger, who is the ninth child of the famous Nigerien Tuareg silversmith, Mohamed Koumama, and heads a cooperative that specializes in making exquisite fine silver jewelry. The Koumama family works in several small groups of two to 15 men with boys beginning their apprenticeship at age seven to learn the methods their forefathers used centuries ago. Elhadji works with family members and others in the Inadin (blacksmith) subgroup of Tuaregs. Niger is the poorest country on earth so few Tuaregs can afford their jewelry. Tourists who once bought jewelry from the Koumamas no longer come because of the Al Qaeda kidnappings. The Koumamas are now almost entirely dependent on sales of jewelry in the United States to support themselves and their communities.

Macedonio Palomino from Peru is a master weaver and teacher and will also show in the Collection. He founded the company Artesanías WARI-URPI in 2004. Together with his wife Luzmila Huarancca, a highly-talented embroiderer, he provides training and dignified jobs to more than 300 artisans in 12 native communities in rural Ayacuhco, a region in Peru’s central Andes. WARI-URPI is dedicated to preserving its native culture, which differs from that of other pre-Colombian cultures in Peru. Taking advantage of the remarkable skills of its artisans, WARI-URPI has developed a range of handmade products such as pillow covers, table runners, tapestries, handbags, belts, curtains, and other products.

To learn more about the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market Collection artists, visit www.dallasmarketcenter.com/markets/overview/santafe and for information on the upcoming Santa Fe International Folk Art Market visit www.folkartmarket.org.

Art & Design Affair, an all-market party, will be on Friday, June 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. in The Grand Pavilion at the Trade Mart (1st floor). During the event, market attendees will have the opportunity to view the Sante Fe International Folk Art Market Collection, artists’ demonstrations, and the new Design FINDS area while enjoying cocktails, passed hors d’oeuvres and listening to the sounds of Phonophreaks Collective.

To keep up-to-date on market information visit Dallas Market Center on Facebook and Twitter.

About Dallas Market Center
Founded in 1957, Dallas Market Center is the world’s most complete wholesale marketplace. Within its marketplace of nearly seven million square feet, retailers from around the globe source products ranging from home furnishings, gifts, decorative accessories and lighting to textiles, fashion accessories and men’s, western, women’s and children’s apparel. With more than 50 markets each year attended by more than 200,000 retail buyers from all 50 states and 78 countries, Dallas Market Center offers hundreds of events and seminars geared toward helping retailers expand business and increase profits. As a result, more than $8 billion in estimated wholesale transactions are conducted annually within the Dallas Market Center complex. The website is available at www.dallasmarketcenter.com.