FOFA’s activities in Oaxaca are varied and ever-developing as we identify new perspectives on the needs of artesanos with whom we collaborate.
We have sponsored two Young Artists’ Juried Competitions – one in 2008 and another in 2011 — for talented young artists in a variety of media: ceramics, woodcarving (typically carried out by men), decorative painting of woodcarving (typically carried out by women), textiles, and “varios” (other classes of folk art).
Winners are awarded scholarships to art school to enhance their technique. Along with those who earn honorable mention, winners are offered many other opportunities: instruction in English and marketing, portfolio development, and mentoring in use of the internet. Their work becomes better known in a subsequent exhibition at the Oaxaca State Museum of Popular Art (Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca, or MEAPO) and in an exhibition catalogue.
FOFA also helps individual artesanos network with collectors interested in their work, as well as introducing them to gallery owners in the United States who may wish to arrange exhibitions and demonstrations of their work.
