Since we are still in the season of giving and sharing, we are sharing this gift that we received in our inbox this holiday season:
“Congratulations! The International Folk Art Market invites you to participate in the 2013 International Folk Art Market – Santa Fe.”
Sandler Trade LLC is happy to announce our application to send Cipriana Amaral[1], a master weaver from Timor-Leste, to the 2013 Santa Fe International Folk Arts Market has been approved. Out of 380 applications representing varied traditional folk arts of over 75 countries, Ms. Amaral has been selected to display her work at this world-famous event being held in July 2013.
This application was done in collaboration with the INTI RAYMI FUND, the Embassy of Timor-Leste in Washington, DC, and the Alola Fundasaun in Dili, Timor-Leste. The screening process for the Santa Fe Folk Arts Market is rigorous, and our team was committed to collaborating with the interested parties in order to meet the high standards of the Santa Fe Screening Committee. For two months, we conducted extensive research and interviews in order to demonstrate the extremely high quality workmanship present among Timorese weavers.
Over the last few months, we have waited in anticipation, and now, the wait is over. We recently received an email from the Director of Artist Relations of the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, informing us that the application was successful. Below is an excerpt from the email:
The Artist Screening Committee only recommended applicants who, as you did, clearly demonstrated authentic connection to a folk art tradition within their communities and whose work exemplified excellence, high quality, and promising marketability.
Through the efforts of all the supporting parties, we were able to convince the Screening Committee that weavers like Ms. Amaral produce important, unique artisanal goods that are worthy of international recognition.
Promoting Timor-Leste’s artisans and those from other countries in the U.S. market has been one of the top priorities for Sandler Trade LLC. We greatly value the cultures of emerging markets, and are deeply committed to bringing the handcrafted arts from these markets to the global stage.
We are very excited about this accomplishment and would like to extend our thanks to the INTI RAYMI FUND, the Embassy of Timor-Leste in Washington, DC, and the Alola Fundasaun in Dili, Timor-Leste. It was a great experience working with these organizations and we look forward to future collaborations as we continue to make international trade happen.
[1] To read more on Cipriana Amaral please read the blog titled “Bringing a Timor-Leste weaver to the international stage”