Welcome to the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise!
This March, the Alliance network gained 7 new members. Join us in welcoming Soko, Hello Crisp, Batik Boutique, Bellezza Global Consulting, Artisan & Fox, The Rich & Strange, and Batiqua to our community of artisan organizations working in more than 100 countries across the globe. Explore the contact and social media directories in the Alliance member portal to get connected!
Do you know any artisan businesses, social enterprises, or non-profits working in the artisan sector that should join our community? The Alliance is now accepting new member applications; learn more about member benefits and complete an application on our directly on our website!
Digital Learning Series: Brand Building & Storytelling with Robin Albin
On Thursday, April 20, join the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise and brand strategist Robin Albin for this month's Digital Learning Series! The one-hour session will cover the basics of building strong personal and business brands, alongside tips to effectively tell your story. Sign up today! The session will take place April 20, 2017 at 1:00pm ET, and will be recorded and saved in the Alliance member portal (password: alliance2012). Did you miss our previous Digital Learning Series sessions? Watch online today!
Next week: Skoll World Forum
Alliance for Artisan Enterprise director Peggy Clark will be attending next week's Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England, which seeks to accelerate entrepreneurial approaches and solutions to the world’s most pressing problems by uniting social entrepreneurs with essential partners in a collaborative pursuit of learning, leverage, and large-scale social change.
Are you attending this year's forum? Contact Gina Rogari to find a time to connect with the Alliance team, members, or partners that will be in Oxford next week!
Member updates:
- TINKUY, a gathering of weavers hosted by the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco and Andean Textile Arts, will take place November 8-11, 2017 in Cusco, Peru. Join Alliance members Kandahar Treasure, Ock Pop Tok, and the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco at this extraordinary event! Contact Gina Rogari for more information.
- The annual Peru Gift Show takes place April 5-7 in Lima, Peru! Are you planning to attend? Get in touch with AOW Handmade to connect or seek out other local artisan groups unable to attend the show.
- Heshima Kenya's 2017 Fashion Challenge will occur April 27 at the Chicago Cultural Center - buy tickets today to attend!
- Find handwoven baskets and accessories from Indego Africa featured on "Conscious Consumption" from Garance Dore!
- Purple Impression empowers women artisans throughout Pakistan. Learn more about the brand's mission and work from Rohan Potdar
- Artisna explores the transition of scarves from history to fashion in a new blog post
- Esther and Marta Asensio founded Mimeyco to preserve ancient Spanish weaving traditions; read more about the sisters on Españolita
- Mercado Global provides threads of hope to women entrepreneurs in Guatemala; read more about the organization in the Huffington Post
Did we miss something? Email gina.rogari@aspeninst.org with updates from your organization to be featured in next month's letter.
Newsworthy!
- Who made your clothes? Read an interview with Fashion Revolution founder and director Orsola de Castro on Ekathimmerini
- Can craft and design coexist in Southeast Asia? asks Garland Magazine
- The New York Times declares textiles the "of the moment" artisanal trend in the United States
- Take a tour of the ongoing Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan exhibit at the Smithsonian's Freer/Sackler Galleries and online!
Get connected!
Are you interested in expanding your network of trade shows, markets, and other events this year? Explore upcoming events for artisan businesses around the world in the Alliance Member Portal (password: alliance2012). Find relevant contact information, application details, and 2017 deadlines here!
Then, explore the full list of current Alliance for Artisan Enterprise member organizations, and get in touch today!