Written by Keith Recker, volunteer guest designer for SERRV. Recker has worked with Granet and Associates and Aid to Artisans, and his designs will be included in our newly redesigned catalog and web site.
September 30
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| Ari and Wayan |
Some trips make the world seem small, and others immensely large. My 30 hour journey from Los Angeles to Bali is one of the latter! A typhoon blowing across the island of Taiwan on September 29 was responsible for 10 of the 30, but as I watched the rain and wind lash the windows of the airport, it seemed wiser to wait it out on the ground.
Agung, founder of Mitra Bali, and Indra, one of the many young people who work in the group, were waiting to pick me up at the airport – and thank heaven for that. Head and body were spinning more than a little as I exited customs. The ride from the Denpasar airport to Ubud is just under an hour, and the time passed quickly as we chatted about the US elections (interest in Obama is strong in Indonesia because of his childhood ties here), 60’s and 70’s music (Agung’s children are named Janis and Carlos, after Joplin and Santana), and lots of other things.
This morning I woke very early and walked up and down the main street of Ubud. I had last been here almost twenty years ago, when it was a fairly sleepy upland village known for its temples and for the wild monkeys populating the woods around town. Ubud is now deeply sleepy only in the wee hours, as tourists and locals alike make the streets lively for the rest of the day. At 5 AM, though, I had the town nearly to myself – except for a couple of monkeys climbing electric wires to go from building to building, and several drowsy dogs more or less guarding their owners’ shops. In front of many buildings were small square trays crafted of palm leaves and filled with flowers – frangipani, marigolds, and orchids, mostly. These beautiful little offerings are a daily thanksgiving for the dawn and the day to come.
Behind the shop windows I saw a familiar phenomenon: repetition. In most tourist destinations, shopowners copy each other. What one sells, the next quickly puts on the shelves, forming a kind of retail monoculture . I wondered how the shops and the artisans they purchase from could make much of a living when the similarity of merchandise pushes the competition so deeply into the realm of price. But this is the challenge of much of the retail activity that happens in the US, as well. Think of the ubiquity of The Gap and Old Navy and other chains – and of how similar their goods are, and how hard they work at establishing unique identities. The kind of input SERRV provides with product design helps remedy the situation for artisans by creating value-added product.
As I returned to the hotel, the sun had risen. Paths were being swept, and vibrant red hibiscus flowers were being tucked behind the ears of every statue in the narrow but lush gardens which follow the stairs down and away from the street. Bougainvillea petals were scattered on the steps to the main building. Strangely enough, none of this felt unusual – part, rather, of life on a tropical island whose people see and feel the beauty of their surroundings.
The workday began at Mitra Bali’s headquarters. They have constructed a pretty and well-organized center for their work, with communal meeting and lunch tables under a high-roofed open air structure, around which offices are clustered. The whole staff was on hand to greet me and say good morning, and it was really nice to see everyone. Afterwards, we toured the entire facility, tracing Mitra Bali’s business activity from product development and technical documentation, to sales and marketing, to quality control and shipping. The various departments all work from very detailed calendars, so that no order or initiative gets lost in the bustle. SERRV’s orders represented a nice slice of Mitra’s activity.
As we walked, we gathered samples which seemed interesting, and took them to the central meeting table. Adi, Ari, and Wayan work in the product development area. Together with Agung and his wife Hani (head of the administrative arm of Mitra Bali) we brainstormed at great length about what ceramic product we could try to put into development during this trip. As is sometimes the case when working with adventuresome groups like Mitra Bali, they had already tried several of what I thought were my best and most original ideas!! The internet brings such a diversity of information to enterprising people, and it sometimes feels as if we are all having the same ideas at the same time. Discussion of the internet led us to swap sites where we find ideas and information – such as style.com, where fashion coverage is very thorough and allows for tracking of color trend, or coolhunting.com, designpublic.com and designspongeonline.com, which talk about new ideas and trends in general.
We also talked a great deal about the competition facing artisans worldwide. It is difficult for artisans to compete on price, with China seemingly able to choose their most successful products and mass-produce them at a fraction of cost, undermining huge efforts to make a living. From a competitive strength point of view, it’s important for artisans to be the most creative, cultural, original, soulful makers of product, since it is unlikely that they will be the cheapest. A lot of the product ideas we talked about had to do with putting personality, texture, and soulfulness into the goods – and we all seemed satisfied with that philosophical approach. Of course we also need to make saleable goods…and that is the challenge!
Eventually we talked ourselves out and ate a delicious and spicy lunch, where conversation turned to the fair trade movement. I must admit that while I have been advocating for artisans for 20 years, and firmly believe in the creative and practical power of handmade commerce, I am sometimes skeptical about “fair trade.” I fear that at times the forgiving framework of the movement allows for success only among customers from within the movement, and that this limits the positive economic impact on producing members…whose numbers grow much faster than the audience for their product. But Agung has much more experience than I with IFAT and its members, and I was very interested to hear about his positive experiences. There are so many paths to investigate – and who among us knows exactly the right one??
After lunch, we drove to Pejaten to visit Mitra Bali’s ceramics partner. On the way, we passed through some of the intricately terraced rice fields for which Bali is so famous. I have been told that the system of rotating irrigation and water management used today comes from centuries-old habits and techniques, and I believe it. Bali’s climate allows for nearly year-round rice cultivation, and you can often see rice at vastly different stages of fruition in the same valley. Some fields are flooded and only sprinkled with tiny seedlings, while others are a bit drier and covered with the velvety bright green of rice leaves. Still others are nearly parched, dotted with the dry stubble left after harvest. Some of the paddies are just a couple of square meters in size, and in many places they step dizzyingly down precipitous hills towards quick-moving streams in deep beds. No place for the acrophobic!!
The ceramics workshop, led my Mura, is a busy place. There are about a dozen employees, each busy at some aspect of production, from kneading raw clay to throwing pots or molding plates, to decorating and glazing finished forms. I saw several SERRV products. Their technique for fashioning leaf designs is beautiful: a line of clay is laid onto the surface of a teapot or mug, and is smoothed and modeled into a contour that looks like a real leaf has been applied. It’s all very careful work which yields pretty results.
The first product we reviewed was a set of bowls which, when stacked, form a large egg shape. The relative precision required to get the bowls to fit together when stacked and yet look good when apart presented a challenge. The loose white clay used to cast the bowls shrinks and bends in the kiln, as does all clay to one degree or another. We spent a lot of time brainstorming together on how to fire the bowls to minimize warping, and in the end agreed to try to do the bisque firing with the bowls in their stacked position, and the glaze firing with them separated. Mura seemed a bit concerned about this product, as it is so completely new, but the Mitra team was excited about it in spite of the challenges, so we decided to press on! Agung was very helpful in keeping everyone optimistic.
We also worked with pottery tools to carve texture into the surfaces of some basic shapes – mugs, cereal bowls, and dessert plates. The whole design team entered into this challenge with great gusto. I carved away at a mug in vertical stripes. Ari (former tattoo artist) carved a simple dragon into another, and Wayan put a mug onto a potter’s wheel and scored a horizontal texture into still another. But the time we were done, we all laughingly admitted that we had all ruined a mug or two…but were satisfied that we had a good product. Murat liked it, too, and we saw the first smile of the day!
Next, we worked with a very traditional Balinese motif: the kris. The kris is a knife whose blade is shaped a bit like an old fashioned, curvy ray of sun – and it holds an important position in Balinese mythology. After talking about how to use the kris in a candle votive, Adi sketched a beautiful product. As we were all talking about it, we realized that Wayan had grabbed a half-dry mug and was cutting it into just the right kris-sunburst shape. Voila: a product…and another hit with Murat and his folks. Agung liked the shape so much that he has suggested we should keep thinking of additional products to try – and we will before the week is out.
A pair of seashell dishes, one like a nautilus cut in half and the other an abstracted cowry shell, had been presenting some problems to Mitra and to Murat. They were boring in a solid color, but Murat is not ready yet to do multicolored glaze work as he dips everything in a single glaze right now. We talked about various ways to incorporate interest into the surfaces of the seashell shapes, including painting organic-feeling markings onto the surface of the cowry and carving gentle stripes into the surface of the nautilus.
We cast an eye on some other products I had sent earlier in the month, including an egg-shaped tray and serving bowl, egg-shaped canisters, and a smooth, simple tea set clustered on a tray. Murat has made progress in modeling these products, and we will see more later in the week.
We then talked about a set of two vases which would stack – sort of like a genie’s bottle in two parts. And also about a set of three stacking vases which would resemble an abstracted stalk of bamboo when assembled, and three beaker-shaped vases when apart.
Carving in stone and wood is a big part of Balinese visual culture, as a walk by or through any temple here will reveal. Motifs are layered and complex, resulting in a symphony of visual activity. We talked about using these motifs on simple ceramic shapes, and using their stories to enrich the product. A few plates had already been made with one pattern called “pig’s ear” (which sounds much more musical in Balinese), and picking two more patterns (cucumber seed and vine) was easy.
Finally, we designed together a set of four teacups. These will feature a Balinese blessing, Swasiastu (“God bless us, everyone!” is more or less the English translation) carved into the side of each cup. It was a nice thought to end with – particularly as the afternoon heat was pressing in on us all and it seemed time to go.
Agung ended the day beautifully, reviewing all the work that we had imagined that day, and discussing when there would be enough progress to come back and see. Adi, Ari, and Wayan all made very detailed notes and gave a copy to Murat. Murat asked us to come back in two days. And I am looking forward to it!
Can I admit that jetlag prevented me from savoring my first real evening in Ubud? I took advantage of the 24 hour convenience store near the hotel to buy water and crackers and was sound asleep before 9pm.
October 1, 2008
I woke up just as the sun rose, and watched the sky come alive with apricot and lavendar fire in the clouds – fluffy, slow-moving tropical clouds. My early morning walk today was more interesting as more stores were open this time, and I got a chance to see a few beautiful products – including some batik fabrics made in very traditional ways. Most of the merchandise is not terribly interesting unless you are in the market for $10 souvenirs, but there are still some hidden gems. A few shops sell goods from East Timur, and their tribal feeling I interesting.
The workday started again at Mitra Bali’s offices, with only a handful of people on duty as today is officially a major Muslim holiday. The trip to HQ was brighter and more festive for two reasons. First, people in their holiday best on motorbikes and on foot made things colorful and elegant. Most men were wearing a head covering of folded cloth – sometimes bright, but often boldly graphic in black, white and brown. Many women wore close fitting jackets of fluorescent colored muslin, embroidered and sequined at collars and cuffs, over flowered sarongs and short sleeved blouses. Second, Indra was playing his James Brown cd in the car. “I Feel Good” sounded, well, GOOD.
Our task today focused on jewelry. We did a quick survey of raw materials – beautifully irregular freshwater pearls, in natural and dyed colors, recycled glass beads in all sized, shapes and colors, seeds, all manner of shell-derived materials, silver, and even recycled tin cans. Once the ideas started to flow, we worked without stopping (except to laugh at an occasional outlandish suggestion on my part!) until lunch.
Working with Adi, Ari, Agung and Hani this morning was a real pleasure. Thinking outside the box and venturing into some new territory can be discomfiting – but not for Mitra Bali! They have fun pushing forward, and think quickly about refinements and their own original ideas. Adi and Ari are good sketchers and designers, which makes creativity and communcation fast and effective. What a good group this is, and feel lucky to be part of this team for the next week.
Lunch today was delicious rice noodles with spicy peanut sauce. The conversation was just as good. We talked about conservative tastes versus contemporary taste, about the evolution of product, about ghe relationship between customers, retailers, and producers…and eventually covered the big topics of education and spirituality.
We did succeed in settling back down to work to finish the sketching and detailing of product – and as we did so, more good raw materials surfaced from Hani’s office: coconut buttons of various sizes, braided natural fibers, a mesh of small beads on stretchy cords. As a result we had even more product ideas.
A list of product ideas:
Silver bangle with coral texture: starting with a mushroom texture Adi designed and adding some smooth circular areas.
Batik bangles: using the fabric and glue technique on wooden bangles
Mother of pearl circles: using existing rings of mother of pearl, we designed several new necklaces – often with a beautiful braided wax cotton string rather than silver chains.
Horn frames: new designs for simple geometric frames cut from black horn, we will experiment with various ways of stringing beads and pearls within the frames.
Silver frame: same idea, different shapes
Bone “coral”: we will carve a small branch of coral from bone, complete with an “eye of the needle” detail at the end for easy stringing. Should be beautiful!
Recycled bangles: a design for resin bangles with a channel ready for strips of recycled cans.
Recycled charms: pieces of soda cans shaped into iconic good luck charms, with resin backing, strung onto a charm bracelet. Everyone loved this idea…and we will also experiment with using the charms in a resin placemat.
Recycled metal mosaics: using aluminum cans, recreate Balinese shadow puppet motifs for wall art or placemats.
Various strings of recycled glass beads
Heavy grained wooden bead design
Beaded placemats, coconut button mats, braided fiber placemats
Bracelets for vases
Seed-bead spirals necklaces
After documenting the various ideas, we drove to one of Mitra’s silversmith partners. He and his family, and his brother’s family, live in an old compound that has been in their family for a long time. Adi told me that people who live in the country usually want a traditional Balinese dwelling like the silvermsith’s – and I can see why. The compound blends sacred and everyday function, with residences clustered near the street entrance to the walled enclosure, and altars to Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva aligned north to south nearer the back. A couple of the spots devoted to the gods had wooden bedsteads for napping set up on them – which is apparently acceptable as long as there is an area set aside exclusively for prayer nearby. Work, daily life, and prayer all mix here. Newly refurbished, careworn, and positively crumbly structures also mixed freely. Children and a dog very alarmed at the sight of us and adults, all family members, moved from space to space as we conducted our meeting. It’s hard to describe the allure of the place, but it was very attractive.
The silver techniques used here are all based on silver wire – thin or thick, flat or round, beaten or polished – and Adi and the design team have done a good job keeping resh design flowing. We shared four or five designs here, and proceeded to the next stop – the workshop of Siddartha - -located in another beautiful family compound, this one a bit more vertical and grand-feeling.
Siddharta is a talented silversmith in the Balinese tradition. The arts of reticulation and filigree (small silver balls called javan in Balinese and thin, thin wirework) are practiced here, and he is very good at them. He and his wife work side by side, along with one or two others. When big orders come from SERRV and others, a neighboring silversmith helps meet deadlines. We ordered some sample butterfly brooches and other pieces he had in work already, and added some of our own ideas, including a kris pendant based on the kris votive from yesterday. We also looked at a SERRV earring order which was in process, and the work looked lovely.
Siddharta was wearing an intricately worked silver elephant ring. When I asked about it, he brought other carved bone pieces for me to look at…and the talent there is also amazing. We may go to visit the bone carver this week.
It was another early-to-bed night for me!
October 2, 2008
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| Artisan creates texture in clay |
This morning started a little bit later than the others, which gave me more time to walk around town. I am told that most of the hotels in town are full because of the national holiday this week, Idul Fitre. Many tourists from Jakarta and Surabaya have come to Bali for a week of relaxation and beach-going and shopping.
We visited Mura’s workshop to see the progress they had made on the products we agreed to put into works. He had a beautiful kris votive attempt, which Adi and Ari and Wayan refined with some additional curves. The nautilus bowl with sculptured ribs was fantastic! The texture really added a lot to the already graceful shape.
The textured mugs, bowls and plates also looked great. One set featured beautifully regular curving ribs – elegant and refined. It was a great adaptation of the more wabi-sabi texture I was looking for – and valuable as a product all on its own. Sometimes the best work is the work you don’t expect! Another set of prototypes featured a terrific wabi-sabi texture, like a bird’s nest, and was more what we had sketched the day before. So we ended up with two new collections. Very good!
Some additional work had been done on the tea set, and that was looking good, too.
Finally, we watched Mura and his wife throw the nesting vases set as we watched. They make a great team at the wheel, with his wife doing the majority of the shape-making, and Mura leaning over to add a finger or two to refine the proportions of neck or shoulder.
After the visit to Mura, we ate lunch at a roadside restaurant where we watched the fish for Adi’s, Ari’s, and Wayan’s lunch come out of the pond before frying. Then on to Kuta for a competitive shopping trip to see if we could find any suggestions on materials, finishes or shapes. We don’t want to copy anything, but rather to move our thinking forward a little bit. We found some really nice use of sea grass in resin composite, as well as some excellent wood with wire-brushed finishes, as well as some good combinations of silver and leather, and various bead finishes.
The last planned stop was at an immense mall with a view of the sea, where we would have a cold drink and watch the sunset. It took us over an hour to go a handful of kilometers due to all the tourist traffic. I felt as if I was back home in Manhattan during UN General Assembly days: inching forward little by little sometimes, and sometimes standing still for 10 minutes at a time. The brilliant orange and flamingo pink sunset made the wait well worth the while! And then we resumed our fight with the traffic and needed another hour to exit the town of Kuta and drive back to Ubud.
When we entered Ubud, a light rain began to fall, and the delicious tropical smell in the air made me feel sleepy and satisfied.
October 3, 2008
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| Artisan painting wooden elephants |
Today’s agenda focused less on product and more on the social programs supported by Mitra Bali, which are quit impressive. Agung and Hani pay a lot of attention to people around them who find themselves in need, and have organized several thorough and admirable community-oriented solutions.
Ari took me to a wood carving and painting workshop not far from the Mira Bali offices. We climbed down a steep, narrow stairway towards a small river. On a broad, shady bank sat a pavilion, open to the air, where 8 women and one young fellow sat painting Buddha faces the blue green color of oxidized copper, or working on some tiny wooden elephant ornaments. On a nearby porch, the leader of the workshop sat sanding additional Buddha faces before sending them across the walk for painting.
The leader of the workshop had a carving business of his own not long ago, but his business partner used their land as collateral for a personal loan which he did not repay, and the resulting foreclosure brought down the woodcarving business. Agung stepped in with a plan to acquire land and build a new workshop in order to continue a healthy livelihood for all who depended on this business. He added a training component, so that painters working with Mitra Bali can come and learn production standards and quality control here. It is a peaceful and productive place.
I loved seeing the flower offering in the kitchen. Kitchen offering are gifts to Brahma, the Creator – and kitchen god. It is believed that he burns away bad spirits with his creative fire. On the way back to the street we met the workshop leader’s mother, who was carrying a tray of flower offerings for the workshop.
After a communal lunch at Mitra Bali, a regular Friday ritual, Ari, Indra, Agung and I began the drive to Abuan. Mitra Bali has established an impressive community program there. First, a nicely sized plantation of fast-growing softwood trees (albecia?) has been created. Second, a small carving and painting workshop is in place to provide employment for local craftspeople. Third, Mitra makes annual presentations at the local grade school about recycling, environmental preservation, and other important issues. Fourth, they procured a half-acre or so of land to set aside as a playing field for local kids; the absence of any public space is a problem in many rural towns, as there is no place for kids or their parents to gather as a community. And lastly, there is a small shelter with notice boards where members of the community can post news about farming, sustainable practices, or any issue important to them. The community has been a bit slow to use the notice boards, and perhaps even a bit slow to use the playing field, but as time goes on, both are being integrated into daily life. It is truly an impressive and thoughtful community intervention.
We later visited a young painter, not long out of high school, named Gayam. His skills in traditional painting are sublime! He spends some of his earnings and time to organize promising high school students into afternoon painting classes – and a group of young men was there at his worktable trying their hands at some traditional paintings. Another nice effort.
To finish the day off, we drove up to Ulan Batur, the volcano north of Ubud, to enjoy the expansive views and cool air. We happened upon a Balinese Orange farmer and bought some delicious, sweet fruit for the drive back to Ubud. We know them as clementines, and they are just amazing when eaten so fresh!!
October 4, 2008
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| Cebuk Temple |
Today was a short work day. Ari and Indra and I went to the home of Windu, a bone carver Mitra frequently works with. Unfortunately, he was not at home, though we waited for almost 90 minutes. But his brother and nieces and nephews kept us company from time to time. A one-year-old boy giggled through his bath on the steps nearby while we looked at samples of the carving work left in the workshop.
The workshop itself is a pavilion open on two sides with a traditional clay tile roof. A raised wooden beadstead occupies the closed corner, and looks as if it serves many purposes: reading desk, napping station, drawing table, display shelf. The electric drilling and carving is done on the floor, with a small plastic stool for the carver to sit on. The simplicity of the workshop is a little deceiving: our friend is a self-taught sculptor of some talent! His brother, also a carver, says that all the imagery comes from looking around, and from pure imagination. The work itself is a strange combination of Chinese influence in the elaborate clouds and folding, ruffled draperies, Art Nouveau in the fluid outstretched limbs of the figures and the rose garlands floating away from shoulders and hair, and Balinese tradition in the faces and costumes. Limbs often trace the natural forms within the material: antlers branching out from the main stem. Very impressive. I am looking forward to meeting him next week.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Dewi Cafe, which overlooks one of the many steep, complex ravines which are so characteristic of the landscape. Like many of these ravines, the slopes down to the central stream are terraced for rice growing – in undulating, irregular, tiny curves. More like a work of art than an agricultural plan.
The farmers here, and in several valleys near Ubud, have become aware of the value of their art, and their position in the landscape. If you take a picture of a farmer here, you will be asked for compensation. In a nearby valley, farmers across from a new luxury hotel became angry after they felt promises to employ them had been broken – and they suspended flashing mirrors in their trees to bother guests in protest.
The tension between traditional life and tourism can certainly be felt here, and the debate includes the topics of land use, religion, congestion, resource management, cost of living, value of employment, the effect of international ownership of resorts and hotels. Maintaining the beauty of this place, and its unique culture, in the face of economic growth is as complex a problem as any I can think of.
Perhaps as a respite from these thoughts, Ari and Indra took me to the Cebuk Temple, a magical place nestled in the bottom of a green, green valley. All the surrounding springs and streams converge here, and cooling rush of water fills the air. The many clear pools contain colorful koi in all combinations of red, black and white, swimming slowly and calmly. You must wear a sarong in order to enter, out of respect for the holy nature of the place. At one pool, where an entire wall of waterspouts gushes, you may wash your hands and wet your head to get the blessing of the place. Even my fellow tourists were hushed by the beauty and the feeling of holiness.
In what is probably a very American combination, I followed the sacred visit to the temple with the profane activity of shopping. When Ari and Indra dropped me off, my weekend had begun, and I had not yet really explored the shops during opening hours. I found a cluster of superb shops not far from the old royal palace of Ubud, and bought a few Christmas gifts – scarves and some jewelry mostly. The rest of the day passed quickly just wandering around the town.
October 5, 2008
Today is Sunday, and a day of nothing was been planned. I can’t think of a greater luxury, particularly as it is so rare. I took two very long walks, swam in the pool, read, organized my photos, sat and listened to a gamelan orchestra playing on the grounds of Ubud’s old royal palace.
October 6, 2008
Today we began at the Mitra Bali office with a long discussion about the things that make Bali unique. Water and the irrigation system, temples and rituals, ocean/coastal environment, tropical flowers, the volcano, all were part of the discussion. We all brainstormed for a while about product that can express one or more of these virtues, and we came up with a short list. After so much product brainstcebukorming last week, we were perhaps a bit dry on ideas!
We discussed a nativity set with Balinese batik details, as well as toys, ceramic items in the shapes of the morning offerings, etc.
After lunch, we drove again to Pejaten to look at progress on the ceramic items. Mura and his crew did a great job taking the next steps. A look around Mura’ workshop showed a community in transition. Pejaten’s economy was based in large part on sun-dried terra cotta roof tiles. As more technological materials become cheaper or longer lasting – or simply more popular – demand for these tiles shrinks. Mura’s workshop represents a way for people to use the ceramic-based heritage of the community to continue to earn a good living. Very essential to continue to work with them and grow their business.
October 7, 2008
In the early, early hours today, the rainy season truly began with a rocking, heavy thunderstorm. The teeming rain turned the paths of the guest house into little streams. The swimming pool overflowed to add to the downhill flow of the water. Occasional lighting showed silvery sheets of rain falling from the eaves of my little bungalow. Wow: really tropical.
Driving to the office was a new experience. BANJIR means flood in Indonesian, and I learned that word quickly. Getting to the office, just a handful kilometers away from the center of Ubud, became complicated, with intersections or sometimes whole stretches of town road completely submerged. The rain continued on an off throughout the day, with an especially heavy downburst just as we were finishing the day.
We visited Windu, who made a coral pendant as we waited. It was a nice chance to take some pictures of his work, and to see his skill unfold in front of us. Later we visited the home of Ali and his wife, who make a good bit of the shell components used in Mitra’s jewelry. We looked at much of his basic materials, searching for textures and natural variations and interesting flavor to incorporate into new or refreshed styles. After about 2 hours, we had a nice list of things to put into works, and were able to leave during a break in the rain.
October 8, 2008
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| Keith and Mitra Bali |
Well, I am waiting at the Denpasar airport to begin my Bali-Taipei-Los Angeles-New York journey home. Hard to believe the trip is over.
This is one of the most memorable artisan trips I have ever had, and that’s saying something – as it competes for “disc space” in my brain with so many other trips. Why? Many places I have visited have impressed with their landscape or their artisan skills, but working with Mitra Bali has gone beyond those and any other category I can think of.
Agung and Hani and their team work hard to conduct their business in a business-like way, but they also hold themselves to very high standards of social responsibility. It seems that they are always looking for some new good facet to include in their community outreach. And the goodness shows through in the trust they have with their artisans and often with the communities around artisan businesses. It also shows through very clearly in the interested, motivated spirit of every member of their team. And in he humor that always seems ready to jump in to roll through a challenge or just to make the moment more enjoyable.
The effects of their work on artisans is also memorable. Caught in a terrible economic situation, one of their artisans had gotten caught in a cycle of domestic violence which stopped only Mitra Bali was able to step in and stabilize his business. Think of the effect on this man’s family! Indeed, think beyond this one story and broaden the scope to community health and well-being in general. Every sale of craft in some way enhances the economic stability and dignity that are so essential to healthy communities.
SERRV’s work to promote the sale and marketing of craft plays a huge role in creating healthy communities and I am honored to have been able to help.
OK: on to the plane and homeward. Until the next time.