GuateMaya Art and Culture Connection
Tribal affiliation: Maya Tz'utujil
How to purchase:
Website: www.guatemayaartandcultureconnection.com
*Cultural Survival customers will get a 10% discount during this winter season -Use code CS10. Also, we will donate ten percent of sales to Cultural Survival.
Email: ikepes@aol.com
Phone number: 413-687-8612
Facebook: GauteMaya Art and Culture Connection
Bio:
The GuateMaya Art and Culture Connection features original art and crafts from traditional Mayan villages around Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. The paintings depict scenes such as harvesting coffee, markets, food, ceremonies and nature that are an integral part of the life and culture. The artists are known for their distinctive style and their works have been exhibited in places such as the Smithsonian and galleries and shows internationally. The crafts include weaving and bead work for which the artisans are also famous and often incorporate designs and figures that are based on centuries old traditions. Both the art and the crafts are important ways the artists and artisans maintain and share their culture.
We are a social enterprise guided by the principles of fair trade and equal exchange and inspired by the words of the Australian aboriginal activist and artist, Lilla Watson: "if you have come to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." We have been working with over 30 Mayan artists and artisans for over seven years and have developed close relationships with them and their families.
Our mission is to support the artists/artisans, the local economy and grass roots initiatives in the communities we work with through the sale of their works. We also hope to increase awareness of the economic, political, environmental and social issues that impact these indigenous communities and to foster an appreciation of their rich art and culture
Our vision is to utilize these artistic and cultural expressions as a means of connecting people across borders and cultures and foster deeper understanding, mutual respect and cooperation to bring into being a more equitable and peaceful world.
We participate in the Cultural Survival Bazaars and sell at other venues such as coffee shops and markets. We have exhibited at the Grady Alexis Gallery in New York, the Augusta Savage Gallery at Umass, Amherst and Gallery in the Woods in Brattleboro Vermont. We have also collaborated with local organizations to put on events celebrating the richness that other cultures bring to our communities. We have presented to middle and high school students and have sponsored and hosted several artists and a Mayan Hip Hop performer to come to the United States to present their art and music.
Please visit our website www.guatemayaartandcultureconnection.com to view many more of these unique, colorful and inspiring art and crafts and to find out more about our project, the artists, the programs we support and upcoming events. We hope you will consider supporting the artists and programs by purchasing one of these beautifully crafted works to brighten your home, office, place of business or as a special gift. You may contact us directly at: ikepes@aol.com or phone: 413-687-8612. We love to answer any questions and share our experiences and look forward to hearing from you.
Yours in Peace and Gratitude, Imre and Lorna Kepes.
