By Jennica Peterson  November 16th, 2009 6:00 am  |  Comments (0)

Learn how locals make silk on the Meet the People Tour in northern Thailand.

In the Good Trips department of Afar’s December 2009/January 2010 issue, you’ll find seven trips that use arts and crafts to help you get inside cultures around the world. Here’s another:

Traidcraft “Meet the People” Tours, 44/(0) 191-265-1110

U.K.-based Traidcraft is a fair-trade organization dedicated to reducing poverty in developing countries. Its “Meet the People” tour to northern Thailand takes you into the homes of fair-trade craft producers in villages inhabited by the Thai Leu, Hmong, and Mien hill tribes.

What you’ll do: Spend time with silver jewelers, bamboo-basket makers, and silk weavers, who will show you how they make their crafts; meet with fair-trade craft companies to discuss business models; talk with farmers near the border of Laos about their way of life.

Highlights: Ride atop an elephant through the jungle. Snack on som tam (spicy papaya salad) at the night market in Surin. Take an early-morning stroll through a tea plantation.

Price: 13-day trip from $2,495, includes lodging and most meals.

Photo courtesy of Traidcraft.

By Jennica Peterson  September 22nd, 2009 11:33 am  |  Comments (4)

In West Africa, barbers attract customers with brightly painted pictures of hairstyles bearing catchy names such as “Superstars Cut,” “Playboy,” “Y2K,” or “Uhuru” (a Ghanaian dance band). Some styles resemble those of celebrities such as Mr. T, Laurence Fishburne, and rap-star Timbaland. Barbers who don’t own their own shop carry one of these painted signs, scissors, and a mirror; when they find a shady spot, they prop up their sign to advertise their services and then start snipping. “Superstars Cut” sign artist Martin Lissah sells his work from a kiosk at the Arts Centre in Accra, Ghana, or you can purchase multiple artists’ paintings from fair-trade vendor eShopAfrica. From $250.

“Superstars Cut” sign artist Martin Lissah.

Photo of painting by Maren Caruso; photo of Martin Lissah courtesy of eShopAfrica.com.

By Nicole Solis  August 6th, 2009 11:40 am  |  Comments (0)

One of a series of four Puti Tree prints by Nod Young. Courtesy of L'Affiche Moderne.

In Nod Young’s limited-edition Puti Tree series of prints, the Chinese graphic designer and devout Buddhist reinterprets a 1,500-year-old Zen text, the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, and explores what it says about modern creativity.

The poems used in the four prints encourage people to overcome the boundaries of existence to reach a state of Zen. “I believe that creativity generally follows the same path,” Young wrote. “It is difficult to achieve true creative freedom because we are overly concerned with aesthetics and meaning.”

In the captions to his Flickr photo set of the designs, Young goes into more detail about his interpretation of the text and his inspiration for the series.

All four prints are available from L’Affiche Moderne.

By Nicole Solis  August 4th, 2009 9:14 am  |  Comments (0)

An alebrije by David Linares. Courtesy of Zocalo Folk Art.

In the Finds department of Afar, we’re always looking for the story behind the souvenir. One story that absolutely captivated me was that of Mexico City’s famous Linares family and the alebrije papier-mache sculpture.

Suffering from a serious stomach illness, “Papa” Pedro Linares had a feverish nightmare. Clouds turned into frightening creatures: part insect, part dragon, part lizard, and part devil. When Linares recovered, he christened the creatures alebrijes and vowed to recreate them in his art, papier-mache cartoneria sculptures that were collected by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

The alebrije quickly caught on with galleries and museums, becoming a popular subject of Mexican folk art. (A Mexican wrestler even adopted the name El Alebrije.) Linares’ children and grandchildren–and some of their wives–have continued the family tradition, making alebrijes and the familiar calacas skeleton figures. Their work is sold in galleries and exhibited in museums including the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

To buy an authentic Linares family alebrije in Mexico, visit Zocalo Folk Art, which has locations in San Miguel de Allende and Patzcuaro. Owners Rick and Deb Hall have a great collection of Linares work by several members of the family, some of which is available for sale through their Web site.

In the United States, San Francisco’s Polanco Gallery carries many larger cartoneria Linares sculptures, from more traditional Tehuana designs to the very contemporary Punkero (complete with skateboard and mohawk). Polanco’s friendly and extremely knowledgeable owners Aldo and John have worked with the Linares family for more than 15 years, importing their artwork and commissioning special cartonerias from Leonardo Linares, such as a Frida Kahlo to commemorate a recent traveling exhibit of her work.

By Julia Cosgrove  July 16th, 2009 12:40 pm  |  Comments (2)

Last summer, I spent a few days in Copenhagen visiting friends and exploring the city on foot and on bike—the two main ways locals get around. Modern design is present at every turn, and the city’s meatpacking district in Vesterbro is no exception.

We had brunch at a very cool new restaurant called Karriere (Flæsketorvet 57 – 67), which also functions as a bar and gallery. The souped-up space is the main draw—the Danish artist Olafur Elliason (famous for the waterfall installations in New York’s harbor last summer) did the glittery lights, and a trip to that bathroom is a bit like entering a mirrored labyrinth. All playful, all fun. Today, Karriere hosts concerts, conversations with artists, performances, and film screenings. If you’re in the city, it’s worth a stop.

Photo courtesy of Karriere.