One of the joys of travel is visiting local museums, and, for an American, especially in the US where we may meet newly found artists in other venues not to mention being able to read the labels. Santa Fe is unusually rich in museums for a town of its size (of course, it is also the sate capital). It also has a number of distinguished art galleries for those who like to wander, but that is another story.
The Museum of International Folk Art is always worth a visit, and a very interesting show at the moment is The Arts of Survival which features the response of folk artists to four very recent natural disasters--Hurricane Katrina, USA, in 2005, and three from 2010--the eruption of Mt. Merapi Volcano in Indonesia, the Pakistan flood and the earthquake in Haiti. Thus we have four events, four elements (earth, air, fire and water) and four nations but essentially one time period. All of the artists are of necessity contemporary; the responses are in traditional forms--masks, scroll paintings, puppets and so on. We see "folk art" not as a fossilized artifact of dead times, but as a living tradition responding daily to the life we live. Particularly interesting are the quilt tops of Pakistan. Unusable clothes donated by relief organizations were transformed into works of art to be sold in nearby stores and markets. It is a rich, fascinating show and also powerful in a way that more traditional art forms often are not.
A number of relief organizations are mentioned in the handouts with the show. Most are famous and easy to find. One I though sounded particularly interesting was Aid to Artisans which "gives practial assistance to artisan groups worldwide."
The show will be on until May of 2012.
The Museum of International Folk Art is always worth a visit, and a very interesting show at the moment is The Arts of Survival which features the response of folk artists to four very recent natural disasters--Hurricane Katrina, USA, in 2005, and three from 2010--the eruption of Mt. Merapi Volcano in Indonesia, the Pakistan flood and the earthquake in Haiti. Thus we have four events, four elements (earth, air, fire and water) and four nations but essentially one time period. All of the artists are of necessity contemporary; the responses are in traditional forms--masks, scroll paintings, puppets and so on. We see "folk art" not as a fossilized artifact of dead times, but as a living tradition responding daily to the life we live. Particularly interesting are the quilt tops of Pakistan. Unusable clothes donated by relief organizations were transformed into works of art to be sold in nearby stores and markets. It is a rich, fascinating show and also powerful in a way that more traditional art forms often are not.
A number of relief organizations are mentioned in the handouts with the show. Most are famous and easy to find. One I though sounded particularly interesting was Aid to Artisans which "gives practial assistance to artisan groups worldwide."
The show will be on until May of 2012.
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