Students plan online shop for craftspeople in the Andes
HALIFAX - Design students in Nova Scotia are stitching together a relationship that will take them out of the classroom and to another continent.
Twenty design pupils at NSCAD University are working with developmental groups in Peru to start an online shop that will connect craftspeople from villages in the high Andes to a global marketplace.
Some of the students involved in the coursework, which they've dubbed Project Peru, got together recently at a studio in the Halifax school to talk about what they hope to accomplish.
Their goal is to help create a sustainable industry for weavers and their children, who "suffer the extreme hardships of living in one of the highest, most remote mountain villages in the country" and perhaps learn an important lesson about how interconnected the world can be.
"They lack nutritious food, clean water, sanitation facilities, medical care and educational opportunities," a handout prepared by the students continues. "However, they do possess the means to improve their lives: the traditional hand-woven crafts made by the villagers are rich in meaning and material."
Angie Hodder, 27, said Peruvian weavers, who are mostly women, often take three to four months to create colourful crafts and clothing. She said showcasing the workmanship that goes into those pieces, such as the intricate patterns and natural fibres and dyes, "really increases the value of it."
"Connecting them with the world market (means) they're able to sell it for a fair price, as opposed to in a market where it's flooded with cheaper alternatives," she said.
But before they can launch an effective website for the weavers, the students want to understand more about the people and products they will be dealing with. So about half the class is raising cash for a trip to the South American country, where they'll visit the communities of Cusco and Chaullacocha. There they will have the chance to meet talented weavers, feel their rich textiles and create a special connection that will span the globe.
"The travel is not a luxury; it's not a vacation," instructor Adam Collins said. "Being there, seeing it with your own eyes . . . and turning it into a story using your graphic design skills so that other people can understand what you've learned - that's (the) core to the whole thing."
Summer Meyer, 24, agreed visiting the weavers and seeing their work up close will ensure "a way of helping by not changing the community, but just enhancing what they already have there."
"By showing them value in continuing to make their weaving, they will be able to preserve that tradition," she said.
Spencer Creelman, 21, said he and his fellow design students certainly have the skills that are needed to help. "Design is dealing with people with a problem (and) finding a solution that suits all parties effectively," he said. "We looked all over the world and we found a problem that we thought we could handle."
Not only will the class project soon defy borders, but 28-year-old Vincent Perez pointed out it also "defies boundaries," as the students will continue their work through the summer and, with any luck, create a viable business that will take Peruvian weavers into the future.
"In the end, we'll have learned that design can . . . make moral change," he said. "We're obviously offering a lot, but we're going to get so much from this as well."
So far, the students have raised about $5,000 of the $35,000 needed for travel to Peru and to document the story of the traditional textiles carefully crafted by weavers who are trying to support their families.
They plan to hold an art auction this summer. For more information, check out www.projectperu.ca.
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