Above: Carver Efrain Fuentes in his workshop, in Oaxaca, Mexico
Below: Newspaper article about artists' visit
THEY'RE COMING BACK THIS NOVEMBER!! The Fuentes will return in November, 2010, to demonstrate, sell, and teach their techniques for carving and painting folk art animals.
Visiting Mexican Artists to Demonstrate Craft in Sudbury
Visiting artists Efrain and Silvia Fuentes of Oaxaca, Mexico will demonstrate the creation of their intricate folk art animal sculptures at Mango Tree Artisans, 410 Boston Post Road, Sudbury on Wednesday, December 9 and Friday, December 11 from 4-8 pm.
“This program fascinates collectors, families and anyone who appreciates creative and imaginative art”, says host Devik Wyman.
The fanciful, vividly painted, carved wooden creatures are in the tradition of the Fuentes’ village of San Martin Tilcajete, where entire families work at creating the extraordinary sculptures called alebrijes (al ay BREE hays) or Oaxacan (wa HAH can) carvings. Efrain Fuentes explains how he “looks for the animal” in the log then demonstrates how he carves it using only a machete and a knife. Fuentes says he creates carvings “as small as an insect and as big as a person.”
His wife Silvia shares some techniques for painting the eye-catching details that may take her as long as a week for one piece. She employs patterns and symbols from her Zapotec heritage such as the thousand-year-old ruins at nearby Mitla, augmented by ideas from her own imagination.
The couple began carving as children and now teach their four children the art after school. The Fuentes family is featured in a documentary and a book about Oaxacan carving. An online source credits Efrain and Silvia with being "among the best of the best". This year marks their fourth trip to the US giving demonstrations and workshops.
Alebrijes, displayed in the Smithsonian and other museums around the world, have their roots in pre-Columbian Zapotec wood carvings of animals and masks for ceremonial uses. According to Wyman, who met the Fuentes family during her travels to search out Latin American folk art creators, “Since the 1950s, as the Oaxaca region has become more accessible to tourists and collectors, the carvings have become more elaborate and now provide income for the village. The Fuentes donate a portion of their income to the village health clinic.”
While Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico, it is one of the richest in indigenous craft traditions. Nearby villages create hand woven woolen rugs, unique ceramic pots, folk art figures, ornaments of painted tin, and other craft items, many of which are available at Mango Tree in Sudbury.
A variety of animal sculptures will be available to buy at the program, priced from $25 to $300. All of the proceeds from during sales of sculptures during their visit go directly to the Fuentes. The demonstration are sponsored by Mango Tree Artisans, which carries many fairly traded handcrafts from around the world. A participatory workshop will be offered at Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham on Sunday, December 13, from 2-4 pm. For more information, go to www.mangotreeartisans.com or phone 978-443-6122.
