FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jess Cherofsky // 617.441.5400 x 15 // jess@cs.org
Cultural Survival Bazaar Welcomes Artists Working to Maintain Their Traditions
CAMBRIDGE, MA (November 2019) - This December, Cultural Survival will celebrate its 45th season of Indigenous arts festivals on December 6-8, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Boston, MA, and December 14-15, 2019, in Cambridge, MA. The Bazaars feature Indigenous artists from across the world, working in every medium imaginable. With the holiday season around the corner, this is an opportunity to purchase genuine handmade art for friends and family, as well as to learn about and connect with communities beyond Boston. Ranging from Malagasy plant-based textiles to ancient-paper paintings from Uzbekistan, there are crafts to suit all tastes. Items sold at the Bazaars directly support artists’ livelihoods and help maintain and revitalize Indigenous traditions, a guiding principle for Hutsul artist Ganna Nepyivoda of Ukraine, The Warriors Organization from Tanzania, and multicultural artist Rosanne Romiglio-Ashley from the land known as the United States.
Ukranian painted eggs, or pysanka, are not only beautifully intricate; they also hold cultural significance within the Carpathian region, where Ganna Nepyivoda was born. Each village had distinctive patterns and rituals for decorating eggs; however, with time and the surge of cheap mass production, these traditions have almost disappeared. Nepyivoda, an artist and professor at the M. Boichuk Institute of Decorative and Applied Arts in Kyiv, made it her mission to revive this craft, using traditional methods and materials to create astoundingly detailed pysanka. She also weaves carpets and embroiders, skills she inherited from her mother.
The Warriors Organization (TWO) is a Tanzania-based non-profit aiming to eradicate deeply entrenched gender inequality in Maasai communities by helping Maasai women start small businesses selling jewelry, which both keeps their traditional knowledge and traditions alive and creates safe job opportunities for them. Their beaded jewelry are not only beautiful, but also full of meaning: each bead’s color represents a feeling or organic material, such as water or earth. Their vibrant, hand-beaded necklaces bring a glimpse of Maasai design and tradition to Boston.
Rosanne Romiglio-Ashley’s Mi’Kmaq, Algonquin, Blackfoot, French-Canadian, and Italian heritage is reflected in her eclectic styles. Romiglio-Ashley designs clothing that draws inspiration from Indigenous patterns that aim to “reconnect the wearer to mother earth in a spirit of compassion, respect, balance, and healing.” Besides clothing, Romiglio-Ashley also creates jewelry, sculpture, paintings, and photography through her business, Four Winds One Breath. By taking inspiration from her ancestral heritage to create her designs, Romiglio-Ashley gives continuation to Indigenous arts and “brings to everyday life the graphic beauty of native symbols.”
Since 1975, Cultural Survival Bazaars has partnered with Indigenous artists to share their heritage and market their products in the New England region. Our family friendly Bazaars, featuring food and live music, are also opportunities for the community to engage with one another and learn about Indigenous arts at home and in the rest of the world. This winter, the Bazaar will convene artists from Guatemala, India, South Africa, Uganda, Laos, Nepal, China, Turkey, Peru, Ukraine, Palestine, and Tibet, amongst many others. Every year the Bazaars generate about half a million dollars for Indigenous artists, performers, and projects. Cultural Survival is also actively engaged with other projects that work in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to advance their rights, protect their cultures, and gain political leverage.
High-resolution photos are available upon request.
Cultural Survival Official Website
Cultural Survival Bazaars Facebook for news and updates on artists at the market!
Event Information:
December 6-8
Prudential Center
800 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02199
Enter at the corner of Huntington Ave. and Belvidere St. (Elevator and escalator access at this entrance)
Friday and Saturday 10am - 10pm
Sunday 10am - 8pm
Free admission
Live music TBA - follow us for updates!
We recommend public transit:
Green line "E" train - Prudential Station stop exits into the Prudential Center
Bus 39 stops right outside - "Huntington Ave @ Belvidere St." stop
0.4 mile walk from Back Bay Station (Orange Line, Commuter Rail)
For other options visit: http://www.prudentialcenter.com/visit_directions.html
Accessibility
Elevator and escalators from Huntington Ave and Belvidere St. entrance to event level.
For other accessibility questions, contact bazaars@cs.org
Contact jess@cs.org with questions.
December 14-15
Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
459 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02138
Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 6pm
Admission: $3; kids under 12 free
Live music + Food
Free parking
0.4 mile walk from Harvard Square Station
Bus stops 68, 83 (Broadway @ Felton St. stop), 69 (Cambridge St. @ Trowbridge St. stop) - right outside the venue
Wheelchair accessible - flat entrance from sidewalk and ramps inside.
All gender and family restrooms available
Photo courtesy of Rosanne Menard.
