“A leader is a person capable of always giving a little more in everything they do in helping and contributing to the well-being of the group and the community. A leader tries to be as humane as possible to resolve conflicts. A leader must be a responsible, honest and sincere person. A leader accepts constructive […]
07
Jun
Jun
This week’s blog comes straight from Guatemala! Madeline Kreider Carlson, Creative Director at Multicolores, sent us this beautiful dispatch about the newest creative work and education of the talented Maya rug-hooking artists of Multicolores. We continue to be amazed and inspired by their work and their lives. Thanks, Madeline. Many Colors, Many Stories In February […]
18
Jan
Jan
Teach me the language of color, and I will tell you my story. Together, we will tell the world. Rug Money author Mary Anne Wise has been traveling the textile byways in India the last couple of weeks. I’ve loved receiving the occasional missive from her where she reveals a funny moment or details an […]
31
Aug
Aug
How can an Aretha Franklin impersonator, a mudslide in Guatemala, rug hooking, and a new book about forming a cooperative with Maya women in Guatemala possibly be all tied together? Author Mary Anne Wise tells us how in this amazing back story to her book Rug Money: How a Group of Maya Women Changed Their […]
24
Aug
Aug
Story and Memory Our two new fall books–Spider Woman’s Children and Rug Money–are beginning to arrive in bookstores, libraries, and maybe even your own mailbox. We’re shouting from the rooftops about how beautiful they are, how useful and inspiring. Celebrating new books always reminds me of the stories behind the making of the book. Little […]
16
Jun
Jun
We at Thrums Books have admired the hooked rugs from Multicolores—the Cooperative of Maya Women Rug Hookers in Guatemala— from the beginning. We’ve been in awe, frankly, at the excellent work these Maya women have been producing. Simply, the rugs are gorgeous. Colorful, playful, exquisitely rendered. Look a bit closer and you’ll see color combinations that […]
22
Apr
Apr
Threads There are many threads to this story. First, there’s Mary Anne Wise, master hooked-rug artist, and her calling to do something to help a village in Guatemala that was covered by a mudslide during Hurricane Stan in 2006. There’s her friend and partner, Jody Slocum, who heads an NGO called Farmer to Farmer, fostering […]
18
Sep
Sep
Cultural Enterprise Back in 2012, when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, she helped launch an organization aimed at preserving and elevating traditional crafts. The Alliance for Artisan Enterprise (AAE) now has members operating in sixty-nine countries, creating jobs, increasing income, enhancing cultural heritage, and promoting development in ways that are respectful of the people and […]
