Artist Coordinator: Linda Hanna

by Marianne Carlson

Seventeen years ago when I started the Feria, I had no idea that it might become the premier folk art festival in Mexico. Much of the credit goes to the incredible volunteers attracted by the beauty of Mexican folk art and the opportunity to help preserve the ancient traditions and the artists who have devoted their lives and their artistry to those traditions.

The Feria has been blessed to have three state Artist Coordinators who find amazing artists and help them succeed at the Feria.  The three coordinators who have a wealth of knowledge about Mexican folk art and the artists in their states are: Linda Hanna (Oaxaca), Brigitte Ordoquy (Chiapas) and Terry Baumgart (Michoacán). 

I met Linda Hanna, who later became the artist coordinator for Oaxaca, umpteen years ago when I took a trip to Oaxaca and a mutual friend told me to look her up and to be sure to see her home, and her closet. Strange, I thought, but I did, and found a closet packed with amazing huipiles (traditional blouses or dresses). I knew instantly that we would become great friends. Every year since then she has found new and incredible artists to bring to the Feria.

Linda has been cultivating and nurturing connections to the folk art world of Oaxaca for over a decade. She lives and owns Casa Linda, a folk-art-filled Bed and Breakfast in the village of San Andres Huayapam adjacent to Oaxaca city. Many of the villages throughout Oaxaca specialize in a particular craft and Linda spends much of her time visiting with artisans in their studios. 

In December, she is mounting her own textile show titled “Roses and Revelations: the heritage of the Virgen of Guadalupe through Mexican textile artists.” 

For more about Linda, her show, her tours or her B&B, please click here.