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Gourd Carvers Artist Update
Visit to Peru January 2006
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Our product development trip to Peru this past December 2005 & January 2006 was intense, packed with visits to our artists throughout Peru, and at the same time quite inspiring! We enjoyed a few hectic days catching up with our artist partners and learning about recent events. Listening to their stories and challenges reinforced in us a sense of urgency for the work we do and strengthened our commitment. There is no doubt that our artists are eager to do their best and are always happy to hear that their work is appreciated by people in the US and other parts of the world. Acting as a link, it is our goal to share with you and your customers their stories, challenges, improvements, and their hopes.
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During our trip to the valley of the Mantaro river up in the Andes, we were thrilled to see that the work you helped us bring to our artist partners on 2005, did make a difference. Improvement in their living and working conditions were particularly noticeable for one of the 5 family workshops we now work with.
Pablo surprised us with an impeccable, freshly painted blue and white cement home, and an expansion of the working area and patio including a rain-proof workstation for the 15 carvers working in this family workshop. We noticed that working closely with wife Ana, has also had an positive impact in the success of the workshop as they have been able to successfully balance their family and community with their business.
Their oldest daughter just recently got married, and we are happy to report that we are now working with this enthusiastic and creative young couple. Our new “Blond Owl” is their first creation!
Another family proudly showed us a new computer and digital camera. Their school age children are learning to use it to help the family organize pictures of their carvings. They saved for years to buy the computer, and we’re thrilled that they are investing in both their children’s education and business. |
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By no means do we want to imply that life in the Andes is all perfect. Due to illness and other eventualities of life, not all of our workshops were able to display visible signs of improvement. In any case, the influence Lucuma Designs has had in this gourd carving community has been a positive one and has spread beyond the few family workshops we work with. We feel that the effort we’ve put into this little town for the past 6 years is paying off.
For sure, our artists are setting the example for other carvers in the area by showing that high quality work and reliability can truly bring benefits. As a result, competition is growing as other gourd carvers are keeping an eye on Lucuma Designs for new ideas. A surprising effect of this sudden boom is a new desire from our artist partners to coolaborate more between workshops and help each other grow. Cooperation is a concept that was non-existent just two years ago. |
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The importance of innovation has not been unnoticed. Our artists were not only waiting anxiously with new creations to show us, but they were the first to request help from us for new ideas and design support so they can keep improving their art.
One of the biggest challenges they face is the supply of raw gourds, which they do not control. All carvers depend on only a few gourd growers located on the coast so the supply and cost of gourds has fluctuated dramatically.
In order to plan ahead, continuity is a must. Constant work also helps them overcome the challenges they face. This is one more reason, why at Lucuma Designs, we try hard to keep bringing our artists a constant flow of work throughout the year, so that they can improve their capacity and quality without needing to scramble to find help during the rush time.
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Due to a unfortunate robbery, and with our artists’ safety in mind, we have spent months convincing our artist partners to open bank accounts and use ATM machines instead of carrying large amounts of cash with them. As simple as this may seem to us in the US, several months passed before they finally saw the benefits. It was a huge cultural shift for them, as Peruvian’s have valid historical reasons to mistrust banks. We also want to help them build a credit history so they can access business loans and be more self-sufficient.
So our resolve remains to help our gourd carvers while continuing to encourage our artists with sound business practices and reinvestment at the artisan level. And we’re happy to see more opportunity for everyone in the village, and as fair traders we are committed to improving the working conditions for all. |
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| Last year, one of our artist carvers was robbed and unfortunately badly injured. Fortunately he recovered and since then, we have been trying to convince all of them to open a savings bank account and use the ATM machines instead of carrying large amounts of cash with them. As simple as this may seem to us in the US, as of January 2006 we were still trying but hope that is taken care of now. It is a huge cultural shift for them, as Peruvian’s have valid historical reasons to mistrust banks. We also want to help them build a credit history to access business loans that will make them more self-sufficient and help them grow.
Yes, the need remains great to help many poor carvers in the area, but the future is bright and we trust fairly traded gourds will play an important part in that future. We hope you appreciate this update and the new pictures of the carvers. We’re looking forward to an exciting season of new gourds this year.
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Picture Gallery
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