culture cloth

The two women who started Cultural Cloth — Mary Anne Wise and Jody Slocum — are both local, successful textile artists with an amazing vision and mission. The net of the story they love to share when you visit their store is their desire to help indigenous women artists become self-sufficient and self-respecting. By helping women of impoverished communities be able to earn a living wage (fair trade) through their art and craft, the women invest in their families and communities with improved nutrition, education, and decent housing. It's a wonderful thing.What I learned: During a trip down to Guatemala, Mary Anne and Jody witnessed firsthand the mistreatment of, and abhorrent attitudes towards, indigenous women. Seeing the beautiful textile work these indigenous women were capable of, it eventually led Mary Anne and Jody to organize and teach a small group of women a new medium (rug hooking) on which to apply their textile traditions -- one that would give them a competitive edge in the marketplace. This effort produced amazing results — not only are the rugs these students create stunning and original — but now these women are teaching the skill to other women in their communities, and THOSE women are now creating original works. So beautiful and well-made are these rugs that they were accepted into the 2014 International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe last July.So, the idea of opening a fair trade store that would sell textile art made by the hands of indigenous women from around the world, in an effort to help them help themselves, was the founding mission of Cultural Cloth. The store is a treasure trove of beautiful hand-crafted items, bursting with color and hope — from rugs and other household textiles and items, to fashion accessories and the like. Definitely worth the visit. Prices are fair and affordable, and the owners are congenial, wonderful women. (Bonuses: it's a beautiful drive over to the store from anywhere within a couple of hours, and the bakery next door is equally fabulous!)