A feasibility study trip in collaboration with the Universidad Autónoma de Manizales (UAM) and the Centro de Desarrollo Artesanal de Caldas. During this ten-day project we were based in Manizales, and together with a class of design students from the UAM, visited three towns through Colombia’s coffee region to meet with artisan groups and practice Human-Centered Design.

Manizales

In the capital city of Caldas, an event with several speakers inaugurated the project. Here, we gave a presentation entitled “Design, Innovation, and Craft without Borders: the Case of DEED” which was very well received. We met five artisans – each from different towns within Caldas. The crafts they made included dried palm weaving, basket weaving, silver & gold jewelry, silk thread weaving, and sheep’s wool weaving.

Rio Sucio

In this indigenous reservation we met with CISLOA, a community of indigenous artisans who weave baskets and accessories using dried palm leaves. We focused on trying to understand their dreams, the objectives of their group, and in particular how they thought we might work together. This was the first time DEED worked with a group inside a native indigenous reservation.

Anserma

In the center of this bustling town we met the artesans of ASEDAN Punto y Seda – silk-spinners and hand loom weavers. While they create original designs and work with great skill they aren’t yet the full-time artisans they aspire to be, and all rely on other jobs to make a living. We met with just four of the ten women in the artisan association, but had two extremely productive sessions in which we were able to establish joint goals and objectives and map out our next steps.

Aguadas

In the sombrero capital of Colombia (and birthplace of the “Panama Hat”) we met with artisans who handweave traditional Colombian hats using iraca palm fiber. Through interactive design exercises we established a dialogue amongst the group. Through this the groups became aware of their core strengths and were enlightened to their underlying potential, and creativity. The majority of the group members were women artisans, who had never participated in, nor had access to, certain aspects of the hat making process and business. DEED encouraged exploration where many (if not most of the women) began to exude confidence and even engaged in parts of the process which they had never thought to participate.

Artisans / Global Designers / Cultural Designers

ASEDAN

CISLOA

Cooperativa Artesanal de Aguadas

Students

Alicia Brindisi, New School for Public Engagement, International Affairs

Dominque Howse, New School for Public Engagement, Urban Policy and Analysis

Lindsey Jochets, Parsons, History of Decorative Arts and Design

Daphna Lewinshtein, New School for Public Engagement, Nonprofit Management

Rashid Owoyele, Parsons, Transdisciplinary Design

Faculty

Cynthia Lawson, Associate Professor of Integrated Design, Parsons

Fabiola Berdiel, Director, International Field Program, The New School

Special Thanks / Partners

Artesanías de Caldas

Universidad Autónoma de Manizales

Funders

Crowdsourced by the Students via gofundme.com

Artesanías de Caldas

Universidad Autónoma de Manizales

Resources and Links

http://www.autonoma.edu.co/
http://artesaniasdecaldas.com/tienda/