Courtesy of Patricia Stoddard
In summer 2010, Pakistan fell victim to a devastating series of floods, killing 1,200, impacting the lives of 20 million, and causing around $10 billion in damage. This past August, additional floods occurred in the Pakistani province of Sindh, affecting 100 villages and 200,000 people.
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In an effort to provide relief (especially to those most recently affected), an event called Shine on Pakistan has been selling artisanal Pakistani goods over Labor Day Weekend, with 100 percent of the sales going toward helping flood victims.
The four-day sale, which kicked off with a wine, cheese and buying reception on Friday, continues on Museum Hill from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday and Monday.
25 varieties of items will be up for purchase, including jewelry, beaded bags, textiles, ceramics andperhaps most importantlyRalli quilts. Creating Ralli quilts is part of an esteemed and long-standing Pakistani tradition (an example of said quilts is pictured above), and a substantial number of Ralli quilt-makers resides in Sindh.
Artisanal Pakistani goods haven't been strangers to Santa Fe lately. They were represented at the International Folk Art Market, and Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe is currently featuring some items as part of The Arts of Survival: Folk Expression in the Face of Natural Disaster, an exhibition that runs through May 2012.
The inventory for the Shine on Pakistan sale stems from a number of sources, including leftover materials from the Folk Art Market in July, donations of quilts from Ralli quilt advocate/expert Patricia Stoddard, and donations of Pakistani handicrafts from Tribal Arts, an Albuquerque shop specializing in international handmade goods.
JoAnn Lynn Balzer, who serves as co-chair of Shine on Pakistan alongside Sylvia Seret, emphasizes that this sale has the ability to make direct changes on the lives of the artisans making these goods. “The need is now and we want to help,” Balzer says.
Shine on Pakistan
