Artist’s Statement
Jul 21st, 2008 by Marilyn Anderson
Hecho A Mano: Artists and Artisans of Guatemala
A Wood and Linocut Print Series by Marilyn Anderson
Through the thirty woodcuts in this exhibit, I want to honor the art, skills and traditions of those who make things by hand in Guatemala. My prints show artisans fashioning textiles and objects using clay, various fibers, leather, metal and other materials. As I use the medium of relief printing, which requires a combination of artistic and craft skills, I hope my work echoes the Guatemalan spirit of creativity and honest workmanship.
To do these prints, I draw upon what I’ve learned during many stays there since the mid-sixties. On my first sight of Maya women wearing their traditional dress, I fell in love with their weaving. My hands-on experience began when patient Maya weavers taught me to use a backstrap loom.
Gradually I became interested, as well, in the many other arts and crafts around me. I visited markets and museums. Eventually, I photographed and interviewed artists and artisans in their homes and workshops and met with scholars of indigenous arts. I used traditional crafts when I lived in Guatemala and still do here in Rochester. These activities inspire and inform my work.
I believe the that the artisanal traditions of Guatemala continue to have a vital and unique place in the lives of people there and they affect many others throughout the world as well. I also believe that hand made articles connect us to their makers in ways that promote understanding and empathy. And what a lesson they have for everyone – most arts and crafts are made from sustainable and ecological materials that when worn out do not become landfill garbage but return to the earth!
The actual production in the 21st century of certain arts and crafts still reflects the aftermath of the civil war violence in the eighties. In those years, many Maya women abandoned weaving and their traditional dress out of fear of army repression and not all have resumed those customs. Further, the effects of modernization, globalization and free trade have altered the economy of Guatemala and in turn affect the production and use of artisanal production. But fair trade markets ensure a better return to those selling their crafts, allowing them to continue their ancient traditions rather than having to flock to international factories where they become a piece of the globalization machine.
I remain heartened about the future of the arts and crafts of Guatemala because among Maya people, there is a will to maintain them as “living” arts and a heightened consciousness that these traditions constitute an irreplaceable heritage. Hopefully, even if some in Guatemala believe arts and crafts are “old fashioned” and devalue them – these life enhancing and life sustaining activities will not disappear.