"Threading Livelihood: Supporting Indian Craftswomen through Fair Trade"
- April 10th - 18th
- The Kresge Foundation Common Room (039)
- The James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence
- Graham Memorial
Threading Livelihood: Supporting Indian Craftswomen through Fair Trade" Supporting Indian Craftswomen through Fair Trade" will explore the lives of craftswomen living in the remote villages in Kutch, Gujarat, and how fair trade organizations have helped connect them to the global market. The exhibition will illustrate the region's vivid visual culture through hand embroidered textiles, photos and profiles of outstanding artisans. It will also highlight how two fair trade groups use innovative techniques to empower the craftswomen, such as hosting workshops that teach them how to market their products effectively.
The exhibition will serve as a visual extension of an article for the upcoming social entrepreneurship issue of Patchwork magazine, UNC's international social justice publication that Marissa founded in 2004.
About Marissa Heyl and the project:
Marissa had the opportunity last semester to conduct an independent research project in India, in which she assessed how fair trade empowers Indian craftswomen. She received the University's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Sangam's Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship, and the Journalism School's Curtis Grant.
She is also the 2007 recipient of the "Ernest H. Abernethy Prize In Student Publication Work" Chancellor Award. A plaque and monetary award are presented annually to the undergraduate judged by a special committee to have done the most distinctive work during the current year in the field of student publications.
About Women in Kutch:
Two of the fair trade organizations I worked with in the desert region of Kutch employ craftswomen in the hundreds of villages there. Each village is composed of a 'tribal group' that comprises its own unique culture. While there is no written language in Kutch, embroidery is used to record experience and serves as a form of language. It provides a historical record and an identity marker for those who wear the embroidered pieces. The artisans, in effect, become the historians of their community.
The vivid colors, iconography, and type of stitch used in traditional embroidery indicate the community and tribe from which it came. The signature embroidery of a group also defines key differences amongst communities and signify relationships between them. Changes in embroidery over time reflect changes in the community, such as contact with outside communities and cultures.
A complete listing of all events at the Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence is available at our Event Calendar.
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