i + D - November/December 2020 - 44

The Art & Craft of Surviving 2020 - By Jessica Goldbogen Harlan

A Mexican fiber artist works her
loom. With the help of Aid to
Artisans, she's empowered with
access to fair markets.
(Image: Lauren Barkume)

Sources of Support
Aid to Artisans' mission is to support artisans around the
world by helping them retain their traditional heritage and
cultural skills, increase their income, and improve their lives.
The organization was founded in 1976 and acquired in 2012
by Creative Learning, a non-profit that focuses on international
peace building and security. To this day, Aid to Artisans works
with materials-based artists on product development and
design, connecting artisans to their markets, and training them
to build their capacity and better run their businesses. The
organization has worked in 110 different countries throughout
Latin America, Africa, and Asia since its inception, and currently
has active efforts in the Yucatan in Mexico, as well as China
and Pakistan, among others.
When the pandemic shut down much of the world
in March 2020, the organization quickly pivoted its market
readiness program, typically held in conjunction with the
New York NOW show every August, to be a live digital training.
Instead of focusing on the trade show market, the revised
virtual program, called the eMarket Readiness Program and held
August 11‑14, 2020, shifted to highlight other ways artisans
can connect with buyers and where to seek out trends and
opportunities. More than 50 businesses were able to participate,
as opposed to the roughly 20 businesses that typically attend
the in-person program, and the organization held a second
training session in Spanish in November 2020.

" There has been a big scramble to get online this year, " explains Barkume, who says
many businesses have been affected by a lack of tourism, which is their main source
of revenue, or that their wholesale orders were down. Having an online presence and
exploring multiple distribution channels, including direct-to-consumer, has helped these
artists adapt to the changed world.
Few organizations are as intimately aware of how worldwide disasters can affect the
craft community as Craft Emergency Relief Fund, otherwise known as CERF+ The Artists
Safety Net. Formed as a grassroots effort around the craft show circuit in the 1980s, this
organization now funds U.S. artists facing hardship, from a studio fire to illness.
" We've never had a year like this one, " says Carey. In a typical year, the organization
usually grants around $200,000 in emergency grants. For the fiscal year ending in
September, CERF+ served 780 artists with $1.2 million in relief funding, which Carey
calls " record-breaking. "
" Climate change has really changed our work, as we're seeing more and more extreme
weather, " Carey says, referring to the many natural disasters that affected communities,
including earthquakes in Puerto Rico, flooding in the Midwest, hurricanes in the Southeast,
and wildfires in the West. " I realized this while traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, after
a tornado cut a mile-wide swath through an area heavily populated with artists. It's a
different world we're in now. "
For most disaster-related emergencies, CERF+ provides emergency financial grants and
brokers donations of equipment, materials, and supplies. But the agency also serves as
an advocate for the artists, telling the stories of what people are going through via articles
or social media posts. " As one artist said as we left New Orleans, 'Make sure you tell
them what happened here,' " recalls Carey.
But another important effort is pointing artists to resources and information that will help
them navigate the last step of the CERF+ post-disaster journey: After relief and recovery,
comes transformation. The organization is offering a series of emergency workshops and a
studio protection tool to help artists weather future setbacks. " We want artists to be able
to partake in the myriad professional development opportunities available, " Carey says,
especially when it comes to building an online presence. For instance, Carey saw potters
in the St. Croix Valley in Minnesota participate in a virtual open studio tour; but while many
clearly had an established and professional web presence, others didn't have a way for
people to purchase products.

This bowl was part of the 2018 New York
NOW collection from Tunisian artists
working with Aid to Artisans, curated
by Alex Bates of Flint & Kent. Aid to
Artisan's mission in Tunisia was to increase
export capacity of local handicrafts.
(Image: Lauren Barkume)

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