CRAFTY CHAT: design aid & the q'enco project in peru

This topic is close to my heart as I travelled to this region about a year ago and met many weavers (some of you may recall my posts from the road)...

TEXTILE TALK: Richelle Sibolboro
Design Aid and the Q'Enco Project in Peru

Friday, Sept 28, 7 pm. PWYC ($5.00 suggested)
Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op
401 Richmond St. West, Studio 109
cts.member@gmail.com
cts.classes@gmail.com

Richelle will talk about Design Aid’s project working with traditional weavers in the mountains of Peru. She will bring examples of weaving and naturally dyed hand-spun yarns.

Q'Enco is a small village of 60 families, located 40 km north of Cusco, Peru.

Subsistence farming and the sale of hand-woven textiles largely drive the community's economy. Like many small, indigenous communities around the globe, it suffers from the effects of a global market that has not sufficiently solved the problems of economic isolation and cultural exploitation. Dependent upon a fickle tourist community, Q'Enco artisans are forced to compete in an overly saturated local market of machine-made textiles at the expense of their artistic traditions and cultural vitality.

In support of this remote Andean community's endeavors to develop a viable and culturally-sustaining economic strategy Design Aid (Richelle and Bao) has initiated a collaborative project with the Q'Enco Weavers' Association.

In October 2005, the two traveled to Q'Enco, Peru to meet with the Weavers' Association and to act as consultants. Together, they have implemented a series of design strategies and projects that foster confident artistic expression and technical expertise.

Their vision is simple: translate rich Peruvian textile history into viable, sustainable and beautiful contemporary designs that foster cultural vitality and economic sustainability.