Hello Alanna Green, (Is Principia the College in Missouri?) I tried to get admitted there eons ago. I didn't make the cut.
I appreciate everything your write and the efforts of Stand-United. I also painted for years, and plein-air and other techniques, and now I love making music. But never as my principle activity.
I have a German friend, Peter, who recounts his story of 25 years or more, of buying and commercializing beautiful and authentic craft work, (skills many 100's of years in development), from the indigenous people in Mexico and Central America. His house is still loaded with art, many decades after. It was really big-time, with a chain of trusted suppliers, and shipping 4 - 6 - 40 foot containers to Germany, where he had a whole network of customer craft stores buying whatever he could send. It is so amazing to hear his stories. Lots of ceramics, complex dolls and puppets. Everything imaginable.
But then he tells how it gradually all fell apart. Certain Mexican craft centers started supplying with knock-offs from China, cutting down the prices, until the real craftsmen were driven out of business. The quality was not comparable, but only the connoisseurs looked that closely.
At a certain point all of those skills of excellence were erased, since nobody took up apprenticeships to learn the methods. They didn't because they couldn't survive on it. It is gone now, - forever.
I want to know about indigenous culture, indigenous society and life-styles. How will they back up crafts, to ensure a positive growth in the coming future?
Hello! Thank you for your interest and insight. I actually spent 7 years in the greater St. Louis area between high school and my undergrad. Three years at the Principia Upper School as a boarding student and 4 years at Principia College just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis in Elsah, IL. I later went on to do my MA and PhD at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. I spent 8 years in total living in the UK and covid brought me back to my family home here in Bellevue, WA.
I really appreciate hearing that you have been enjoying my posts. I also used to paint and did plein-air painting and watercolor when I was working on my BA in Studio Art.
I appreciate hearing about your friend Peter and his experience in the art world. I had considered expanding into the UK further down the road (utilizing my years living there and contacts made) but your insight is valuable and appreciated.
I went on a cruise several years ago along the Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles. Each port we stopped at was full of imports from China. It really left me with the feeling that a cruise and port-to-port travel along the Mexican Riviera was never going to be a tangible way of experiencing authentic Mexico. Your comments also brought to mind when I traveled to Honduras the summer after I graduated from college. I was there as a ESL volunteer and traveled on my weekends to various parts of the country, including Copan. Copan was bustling with tourists and undoubtedly full of Chinese knock-offs as well.
As far as the authenticity of the art work that I am promoting, and the longevity of the craft with the Indigenous artists that I am meeting, that is backed up by their association with SWAIA. https://swaia.org/
The artwork that I find, buy and promote all come from relationships that I am building by attending art markets. The artists that I have met in the Southwest region of the US have been the most welcoming, inclusive, and genuinely warmhearted people. SWAIA Winter Indian Market was a start. In March I will be traveling to Phoenix, Arizona for the Indian Fair and Market at the Heard Museum https://heard.org/event/fair/ After that I will be attending Res in Las Vegas https://res.ncaied.org/ also in March.
I think what helps to ensure the longevity and authenticity of the Indigenous artists' careers comes from the communities that are built around the preservation of their art. For example, the Santa Fe Winter Indian Market has been happening for the past 101 years. I am making it a goal to return to Santa Fe annually to continue building and nurturing the relationships that I have started to develop there.
Thank you Alanna for subscribing to my site. I hope that you write good comment there, like you do here. We need your input. I will follow you here as well, because I want to know more about the first Americans. I have done a lot of study on the ancient history of Eurasia. But way less is written about the Americas.
Art and crafts are such a small segment of economic activity, and I think declining. Factories are dependent on millions with the same desire to purchase their products, and our societies seem to be getting more and more homogeneous. Of course that is the greater plan. I know of some artists that have really made a big impact (even in their lifetime, and still producing). Other famous artists (dead), are manipulated by the major galleries, and the billionaire market. That is all speculation from my view.
Why would a small painting be worth $150 MILLION????? And 500 million artists can't sell a painting for $ 100 bucks? It is a different skill to make art, and to sell art.
I painted for 5 years (sometimes 6 hours a day), because I was enjoying color, and how it mixes. I grew in technique, but I wasn't all that creative. And I didn't want to be commercial about it. I am not in that "salesmanship" life anymore.
So that is why I quit. I grew to have 200 paintings, many big ones too. I still do, and I have no place to put any more of them. About 40 hang in my house, and I have given a few away.
I often say, if you want to learn cooking, you have to have someone who will eat. Same with art.
I agree with many of your points here. Can't find anything I disagree with to be honest. I look forward to staying in touch with you. Thank you for subscribing to mine.
Hello Alanna Green, (Is Principia the College in Missouri?) I tried to get admitted there eons ago. I didn't make the cut.
I appreciate everything your write and the efforts of Stand-United. I also painted for years, and plein-air and other techniques, and now I love making music. But never as my principle activity.
I have a German friend, Peter, who recounts his story of 25 years or more, of buying and commercializing beautiful and authentic craft work, (skills many 100's of years in development), from the indigenous people in Mexico and Central America. His house is still loaded with art, many decades after. It was really big-time, with a chain of trusted suppliers, and shipping 4 - 6 - 40 foot containers to Germany, where he had a whole network of customer craft stores buying whatever he could send. It is so amazing to hear his stories. Lots of ceramics, complex dolls and puppets. Everything imaginable.
But then he tells how it gradually all fell apart. Certain Mexican craft centers started supplying with knock-offs from China, cutting down the prices, until the real craftsmen were driven out of business. The quality was not comparable, but only the connoisseurs looked that closely.
At a certain point all of those skills of excellence were erased, since nobody took up apprenticeships to learn the methods. They didn't because they couldn't survive on it. It is gone now, - forever.
I want to know about indigenous culture, indigenous society and life-styles. How will they back up crafts, to ensure a positive growth in the coming future?
Thanks
.
Hello! Thank you for your interest and insight. I actually spent 7 years in the greater St. Louis area between high school and my undergrad. Three years at the Principia Upper School as a boarding student and 4 years at Principia College just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis in Elsah, IL. I later went on to do my MA and PhD at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. I spent 8 years in total living in the UK and covid brought me back to my family home here in Bellevue, WA.
I really appreciate hearing that you have been enjoying my posts. I also used to paint and did plein-air painting and watercolor when I was working on my BA in Studio Art.
I appreciate hearing about your friend Peter and his experience in the art world. I had considered expanding into the UK further down the road (utilizing my years living there and contacts made) but your insight is valuable and appreciated.
I went on a cruise several years ago along the Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles. Each port we stopped at was full of imports from China. It really left me with the feeling that a cruise and port-to-port travel along the Mexican Riviera was never going to be a tangible way of experiencing authentic Mexico. Your comments also brought to mind when I traveled to Honduras the summer after I graduated from college. I was there as a ESL volunteer and traveled on my weekends to various parts of the country, including Copan. Copan was bustling with tourists and undoubtedly full of Chinese knock-offs as well.
As far as the authenticity of the art work that I am promoting, and the longevity of the craft with the Indigenous artists that I am meeting, that is backed up by their association with SWAIA. https://swaia.org/
The artwork that I find, buy and promote all come from relationships that I am building by attending art markets. The artists that I have met in the Southwest region of the US have been the most welcoming, inclusive, and genuinely warmhearted people. SWAIA Winter Indian Market was a start. In March I will be traveling to Phoenix, Arizona for the Indian Fair and Market at the Heard Museum https://heard.org/event/fair/ After that I will be attending Res in Las Vegas https://res.ncaied.org/ also in March.
I think what helps to ensure the longevity and authenticity of the Indigenous artists' careers comes from the communities that are built around the preservation of their art. For example, the Santa Fe Winter Indian Market has been happening for the past 101 years. I am making it a goal to return to Santa Fe annually to continue building and nurturing the relationships that I have started to develop there.
With gratitude,
Alanna
Thank you Alanna for subscribing to my site. I hope that you write good comment there, like you do here. We need your input. I will follow you here as well, because I want to know more about the first Americans. I have done a lot of study on the ancient history of Eurasia. But way less is written about the Americas.
Art and crafts are such a small segment of economic activity, and I think declining. Factories are dependent on millions with the same desire to purchase their products, and our societies seem to be getting more and more homogeneous. Of course that is the greater plan. I know of some artists that have really made a big impact (even in their lifetime, and still producing). Other famous artists (dead), are manipulated by the major galleries, and the billionaire market. That is all speculation from my view.
Why would a small painting be worth $150 MILLION????? And 500 million artists can't sell a painting for $ 100 bucks? It is a different skill to make art, and to sell art.
I painted for 5 years (sometimes 6 hours a day), because I was enjoying color, and how it mixes. I grew in technique, but I wasn't all that creative. And I didn't want to be commercial about it. I am not in that "salesmanship" life anymore.
So that is why I quit. I grew to have 200 paintings, many big ones too. I still do, and I have no place to put any more of them. About 40 hang in my house, and I have given a few away.
I often say, if you want to learn cooking, you have to have someone who will eat. Same with art.
.
I agree with many of your points here. Can't find anything I disagree with to be honest. I look forward to staying in touch with you. Thank you for subscribing to mine.