Designer and Artisan Collaborations Have Strong Showing at Fall 2006 New York International Gift Fair

The Guatemala Trade Office and Bridging Cultures Through Design/Guatemala (a project done in collaboration with Rhode Island School of Design Industrial Design Department, and supported by Aid to Artisans, ATA, and Guatemala's trade association, AGEXPRONT) exhibited at the August 2006 New York International Gift Fair. This was the fourth showing for the Guatemala Trade office, and the first for the Bridging Cultures Through Design Project. Lori Grey, ATA's Western US Marketing Representative, also shared in the booth space with her own collection of newly re-designed cosmetic bags sourced in Guatemala, as did designer Patti Carpenter with her collection of pillows.

Drawing attention from buyers and press with their innovative takes on traditional Guatemalan techniques and designs, the collaborations between designer and artisan showed strong sales, attracting many new customers from retail shops to museum stores. Martha Stewart Living magazine also stopped by, drawn in by the striking artisan images and new product.

San Francisco-based designer Mimi Robinson, who is also the creator and director of Bridging Cultures Through Design, was on hand with Silvia Moreira of AGEXPRONT and some of the student designers from RISD including Chelsea Green. Said Moreira "we are excited about what we have been able to accomplish. It has been a growing up process and we feel better experienced now…designers are also becoming more enthusiastic and interested in working in Guatemala." (In the photo above, two student designers with Mimi on the left.)

Products in the booth ranged from traditionally woven handbags in trendy shapes and sizes, pillows covered in bright pompoms, and other fun fashion accessories including belts and lariats.

How can this experience be applied to other projects?

Activities like those of Bridging Cultures Through Design, collaborating with such institutions as RISD and the designers are great examples of how the impact of an Aid to Artisans project extends beyond traditional project activities and funding. So-called "graduates" of ATA, like the artisans featured in the Guatemala Trade Office booth, are all over the world, and links between artisans and importers can open up new worlds of handcraft. Learning from and replicating success is key; projects bringing student designers and artisans together are in the works for South Africa, Ethiopia, and the Kyrgyz Republic.