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‘Hand Made’ Art Program Opens with Colombian Exhibit
Miami-Dade County, FL – On April 30, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department’s Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs Division will unveil a new program, Hand Made, expanding the range of rotating art exhibitions at Miami International Airport (MIA). Hand Made celebrates the handcrafts of countries from around the world while raising awareness to the socio-economic issues facing these cultures and it will also inaugurate the South Terminal Art Gallery.
The first exhibition of Hand Made is Siesta, a collection of hand-woven products featuring ceremonial hammocks and bags by the Wayuu people from the region of La Guajira in northern Colombia. The handcrafts are accompanied by more than 30 photographs documenting the Wayuu way of life.
MIA provides an ideal environment for this type of cross-cultural display as the world’s largest gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, served by more than 88 airlines to nearly 140 destinations around the globe. In addition, Miami-Dade County is one of the most diverse communities in the world, with approximately 60 percent of the population from a foreign country.
Hand Made is designed to provide passengers with a culturally enriching experience that also promotes social responsibility and the preservation of artisans’ local traditions,” said MDAD Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs Division Director Yolanda Sanchez, PhD. “Things made by hand generate a powerful energy that brings us all together as human beings. Our hope is that these exhibitions foster support for artisan empowerment, cultural integrity and self-sustainable options for communities throughout the world.”
Siesta, on display from April 30 to October 31, 2009 in the South Terminal Gallery on the fourth level mezzanine of Terminal J at MIA, is being sponsored in part by Chevron and SURrevolution.
Chevron, a leading global energy company, is known for its organizational culture of social responsibility. The company works closely with the communities where it operates and fosters their development and growth. In Colombia, Chevron has shared the beautiful desert of La Guajira with the Wayuus for the last 30 years. The turquoise shores of La Guajira are rich in natural gas, a vital component of the world's energy supply and one of the cleanest, safest and most useful of all energy sources. Chevron has developed health and water supply programs and is providing access to multi-ethnic education and weaving projects consistent with the vision and belief that development should be a natural outcome of the Wayuu's cultural values.
SURevolution is a luxury lifestyle brand with a revolutionary business model that brings together the luxury consumer and the world of artisanal traditions. SUR promotes conscious capitalism, the preservation of cultures and the environment in an atmosphere of socially responsible trade. SUR's entrepreneurial approach is innovative, integrated, social, cultural and economically profitable. SURevolution´s products are all handmade by indigenous, rural and urban artisans whose livelihood depends on the continuation of these crafts.
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