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by Marianne Carlson (Founder and Coordinator of Feria Maestros del Arte)

Continuing to entice you to visit Feria Maestros del Arte folk and indigenous art show coming up in Chapala on November 13-15, 2009, I am going to focus on a few of the very special aspects of our show this year.

Rebozo Feria

Marta Turok renowned expert on Mexican textiles and Stephanie Schneiderman of Tia Stephanie Tours have helped organize a Rebozo Feria within Feria Maestros del Arte. This will be an excellent opportunity to compare the most well known Mexican styles of rebozos (shawls) side-by-side.

One of the things that sets the Mexican rebozos apart from shawls found in other countries is the very fine work of the endings called flecos, puntas or rapacejos. The finished rebozo is removed from the loom with a few feet of threads hanging from each end. The threads, 1,800 to over 5,000, are imaginatively and intricately worked into knotted patterns according to ancient designs.

• Silk and artisela (rayon-silk) rebozos will be represented by Escuela de Rebocería of Santa María del Río, San Luis Potosí.
• Award-winning Purépecha black with light-blue stripes (and often feathers and/or beads in the fringe) rebozos will be shown by Cecelia Bautista of Ahuiran, Michoacán. Also from Ahuiran willl be Ernestina Tomas Silva and her award-winning rebozos.
• Adolfo (Fito) Garcí Días will be showing and selling his hand-woven cotton palmeado (palm-leaf) rebozos from Tenancingo, Mexico.
• Beautiful representations of ikat (tie-dye) rebozos woven on a backstrap loom by Don Isaac and Camelia Ramos from Malinalco, Mexico will take your breath away.
• Sociedad Cooperativa Textil Artesanal from La Piedad, Michoacán is a cooperative where each artisan prepares his/her own ikat or jaspe warp as well as the tying, dyeing and weaving using foot-looms introduced in the 20th Century. Fringes are knotted and/or plaited by women in the outlying communities.

“Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art”

Every year, the Feria hosts several of the master artisans featured in the folk art collector’s bible, “Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art.” The maestros attending this year are listed below. If you have a copy of the book, bring it along and have the maestro sign their page or purchase a copy of the book at the Feria.

Cecelia Bautista (see Rebozo Feria above) — Rebozos from Michoacán

José Bernabe — Petatillo (cross-hatch) ceramics from Jalisco

Alfonso Castillo Orto Family — Arboles de la Vida (Trees of Life) from Puebla

Elena Felipe Felix and Bernardina Rivera — Olla (ceramic jug) pottery towers from Michoacán

Guadalupe Hermisillo — The famous hand-forged iron house crosses of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas

Ofelia Madariaga and Gloria Leticia Villajuana — Hammocks from the Yucatan

Miguel Angel Molinero Huipe (grandson of the famous Emilio Molinero Hurtado) — Barro bruñido (burnished) pottery from Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán

José Ojeda — "World-famous" hand-crafted knives from Jalisco

Lydia Quezada representing her older brother, the renowned Juan Quezada, with the famous thin-walled pottery of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua

Sna Jolobil Cooperativa — Mayan textiles from the state of Chiapas

The Feria will also be welcoming its yearly busload of artists from Oaxaca. This year we have: barro negro (black) pottery and ceramics, hand-woven tapetes (carpets), the famous whimsical alebrijes (hand-carved wood creatures) of Oaxaca, paper maché and textiles.

Julio Laja Chichicaxtla and Leobardo Espiritu Rocha are travelling to Chapala from the mountains of northern Puebla to sell and demonstrate the art of making amate (handmade paper).

A contingency of artisans from the state of Chiapas will be making their way to Chapala to wow the crowds with textiles, hand-forged roof crosses (see Great Masters above) and handmade paper.

Feria Maestros del Arte is now both a Mexican and a US non-profit organization. Artists pay nothing to attend the Feria – no booth fee, no percentage of sales and they are hosted by Lakeside residents. We have applied for grant funding and, if approved, will be paying all transportation costs for the artists as well.

Many of the artists make the lion’s share of their yearly earnings at the Feria and because we absorb all their expenses, you are able to purchase incredible folk and indigenous art at wholesale prices. Each artist attending the Feria has their own webpage showing information on their techniques and photos of their work.

For information contact Marianne Carlson at (01152 from outside Mexico) 376 765-7485 or email mariannecarlson@gmail.com

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