What does Mexican Folk Art mean to you?

Black pottery mona by Magdalena Pedro

When Marianne Carlson, founder of the Feria Maestros del Arte, was asked that question about what Mexican folk art meant to her, she responded with … 

“We’ve frozen your bank account!”

What?! Apparently those were the first words she heard on the morning she sat trying to write her monthly column for the newsletter. As the day unfolded, it got worse and worse.

Marianne explains how that question took her to a different place. “As I continued to bemoan my financial state of affairs, I swiveled around in my computer chair looking at the walls and shelves in my house. Without even realizing it, my thoughts turned from “what am I going to do?” to the happy memory of when I purchased my barro negro mona  (black pottery doll) from Magdalena Pedro in Oaxaca.

“Not only had I fallen in love with this doll, it launched a magazine column and a cover on the Lake Chapala Review Magazine in 2008.

“On a day when I really needed something to be happy about, I was reminded with just a glance, that each object I have purchased over many years has a wonderful story behind it. I have been fortunate enough to meet and spend time with each artist whose hands have molded, woven or formed the beautiful artwork that now resides in my home."

Celebrating:

March 19th
is Artisan Day in Mexico 

(Día de Artesano)

Here's the idea ...

Artisans spend hours, weeks, often months creating their works of art. At Feria Maestros del Arte, you have the opportunity to meet the maestros in person, learn more about them, their work, and the pieces you’re buying from them.

Every day should be Artisan Day as their work constantly adds beauty and charm to our lives. However, those artisans never get to see what their work looks like in your home … or when you wear it . . . or even know how important it has become to you.

Since there’s only one official day … March 19th … The Feria wants to honor the maestros and the incredible work they do, and we’d like to invite you to join us in this celebration … so here’s the idea …

1. Take a picture of a piece of Mexican Folk Art that you treasure. Show or explain what it looks like in your home … or better yet, take a selfie with the piece of folk art you are honoring.
2. On March 19th, post your comments and photo/s to your Facebook page AND to the Feria Maestros del Arte Facebook page. If you know the artisan’s name, please include that in your thank you message.
3. Tell them, briefly, what the piece means to you.

 Please join in the fun and honor your favorite maestro, 

piece of art, or just a comment in general. 


Example:

"Nahuatl Bújo" by Zeny and Reyna Fuentes was my first piece of 

Mexican  folk art and I think it brings me wisdom every day ...

or tries.

-- Joyce Wycoff

Notes:

• If you don’t know the name of the artist and you bought the piece at the Feria, you can find it on the Feria website … just look under the category (i.e. baskets, alebrijes, ceramics, textiles, etc.)
• If all you have is a photo, that’s okay, too. Please post it.
• If all you want to do is thank a maestro, just post your thanks.
• You can post more than one picture and thank more than one artisan.
• If you’ve had your eye on a piece of work, but haven’t been able to buy it yet, post the picture, and tell the artisan what their work means to  you.
• What you post is entirely up to you, but we will try to make sure that if you note a particular artisan, they are aware of whatever you post. 


 Here are a few links that tell you more about Día de Artesano —

https://www.mexicoescultura.com/actividad/168037/en/day-of-the-artisan.html
https://planeta.com/artisan-day-oaxaca/  

Arvada Parrish just wants to make you smile

Arvada with some of her flowers

by Joyce Wycoff

 

The 2018 Feria bloomed with multitudes of colorful flowers and streamers … the work of Arvada Parrish and 34 volunteers. 240 flowers, 104 streamers, and a welcoming arch with 60 flowers.

Arvada, who made training videos for Intel when she lived in Portland, Oregon, has lived in Ajijic for two years, and says she just wants to create color and flowers that make people smile. 

Arvada started making flowers in Blue Birds when she was six and honed her craft when she was First Lady of the Portland Yacht Club. 

 

Welcome to the Feria arch

Now Arvada is helping four young girls make flowers, learn English, and explore local sights like the zoo. 

Arvada and friends

Of course, before they go to the zoo, they learn to make animals out of scraps of paper and toilet paper rolls. 

 

Ideas for next year’s Feria are already swirling around in Arvada's head ... we may have a migration of Monarchs coming our way. 

If you're interested in being part of this creative frenzy, Arvada invites you to email her at: arvadaparrish@gmail.com.

Is the Feria the Same Every Year?

Manuel Alberto de la Peña, cut-paper artist, new to Feria 2018

by Marianne Carlson, Founder, Feria Maestros del Arte

The short answer is — NO!

The Feria has never been the same two years in a row. Since we’ve heard this comment a few times, I would like to clarify our process.

At least half of the total artisans invited each year are BRAND NEW.  Mexico’s many artisans work in textiles, clay, metal, paper, natural fibers, stone/rock, wood, and many more art mediums. Our primary aim is to have the best artisans in each of these areas, however, it's important to understand that part of the Feria's mission is to help artisans create better lives for their families and villages.

The Feria plan is to invite each newly chosen artisan to show for two years. For some artists, this may be their first experience with a major exhibit of this type. It’s a learning experience for them: how much work to bring? What types of pieces will most appeal to customers? How to price their work? How to pack everything for safe transport? Returning a second year gives them a chance to be more prepared and more successful.

Part of our job is to help them learn how to go beyond the creation of the work and make it a business that supports their families. Sometimes, an artist is not invited to return for the second year, or can’t return because of life changes. And, sometimes, popular artists become so successful they no longer depend as much on the Feria and we make room for other artisans.

César Alfredo Lucano Siordia, new in 2018

The Feria has become a premier exhibition for both artisans and customers. Therefore, the number of applications we receive every year is growing. Our Artist Selection Committee wades through hundreds of new applications each year looking for exceptional work. Over the years we have featured most of the maestros recognized by museums and contests. We favor work that uses traditional methods and materials and has been passed down through generations of artisans. 

The committee members are always on “artist-hunting” trips throughout Mexico and look at approximately 250-300 artisans every year in order to put together a good mix of art forms which are popular and represent the rich tradition of folk art in Mexico. Some of our maestros might be well-known or even famous, but they live and work in remote villages where buyers and collectors seldom see their work. We also search for artists who have taken a particular art form to a new level with their inventive and creative talents. 

Antonia Peralta, palm baskets, new in 2018

Another part of the Feria mission is to help ensure survival of Mexican folk art. As cheap imports using mass production techniques as well as plastics and industrial materials begin to imitate the work of fine artisans, it becomes more difficult for families to support themselves with their fine craft work.

While assembly-line pottery can often look beautiful, it means that the true artisan potters will no longer be able to dig their own clay from the earth, pulverizing and processing it by hand before forming, painting, and firing it into the kitchen ware, pineapple pots, trees of life, jaguars, chickens and other art forms that so enchant us.

Felipe Benítez Miranda, painted wood, new in 2018

In traditional crafts, artisans may use brushes chewed from the midrib of a yucca leaf or from the hair of their children. On the coast of Oaxaca, a handful of men still catch and milk snails by hand to gather the ink that turns into an exquisite purple on huipils that are woven by hand on looms, also made by hands. Insects are gathered from yucca plants and turned into a brilliant indigo while other plants are gathered to create a rainbow of natural colors. These hand processes create works of art that cannot be duplicated.

When people buy paintings or crafts mass-produced in other countries, Mexican folk art and the artisan families who make it suffer.  Many of Mexico’s various forms of folk art, such as rebozos, are already in danger of extinction. Many of the world’s cultures have already lost most of their indigenous art due to the same hardships that face Mexican artists today. In Mexico, we already see more and more artists abandoning their work, their families, and their villages to take jobs in cities where they are assured of a guaranteed income.

This is where the Feria comes in. This is where YOU, the aficionadas and buyers, come in.

If the Feria didn’t offer you new artisans yearly, we know you might not return. If we didn’t put together a good mix of art forms, you might not return. So, we’ve always worked diligently every year to put together the best gathering of artisans we can.

Together, we can help Mexican folk art survive.

Florencia Hernández Rios, new in 2018

This sign found in a local restaurant tells the story 

in just a few words:

  When you buy something

made by hand

You are buying much more than an object.

You are buying hours of 

experiments and failures.

You are buying days, weeks, 

and months of work.

You are buying a piece of heart, a moment 

of the life of another person.