Beginnings
I love handcrafted goods and antiques. Over the years, I have filled my living spaces with them whenever possible. Anyway, one day quite recently, I began to wonder why, as a general rule, black folks don’t seem to buy or use handcrafted goods or appreciate them quite as much as other groups. This led me to think about black handicraft traditions and how just about every Black American can count among close and/or distant ancestors a master crafts person. I reflected on recent travel to the Caribbean remembering that everything I wanted of high quality, I had to get directly from its maker, in my case that meant sandals, baskets, tote bags, and even some clothing. They were far better, far nicer than anything I’d seen in a market there and I got to compensate the crafts person directly which was an added bonus for them and for me.
So, as a companion to Roots Cuisine I decided to start the Black Artisans Project. I thought it would be great to create a directory of black folks who make goods for everyday use. Here I’ll focus much more on handicraft than fine or visual art. I hope to seek out potters, quilters, smiths (black-, blade-, silver-, etc.), woodworkers and joiners, coopers, weavers, textile artists, basket makers, leather workers, and so on. This is will be a global resource and a salute to these people upholding proud family traditions or starting their own, highlighting their amazing skill and beautiful products, and eventually a marketplace where you can buy it all. That last part is coming very soon.
From you the reader I hope that if you learn lots, as much as I have already, and seek out these people and goods for your own use. And please, contact me here if you feel that someone is missing and should be included.
I’m very excited.
Support Black Artisans!
