A new marketing project offering exquisitely crafted rugs made from local Shetland wool by a master Bosnian weaver will debut at a folk artists' marketplace on Saturday, May 15 from 11 am to 3 pm in Hartford. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at The Institute for Community Research (ICR), 2 Hartford Square West, 146 Wyllys Street. Hmong embroiderers, Burmese Karen weavers, Assyrian and Bosnian crochet artists, a Somali basket weaver, and other talented artists representing immigrant and refugee groups living in Connecticut will also display and sell a variety of textiles. Traditional foods made by the artists will be available for a small fee.
Organized by ICR's CT Cultural Heritage Arts Program, the event celebrates a unique development in the Sewing Circle Project, an initiative to encourage production and sales of traditional crafts among the many immigrant communities in the Greater Hartford area and across the state. Local Bosnian weavers have begun to use fine wool from Shetland sheep raised at Clatter Ridge Farm in Avon to create traditional patterns for rugs called Çilim. Hartford's master Bosnian weavers belonged to Bosfam, a crafts cooperative in Bosnia that trained artisans in carpet production and sold their products worldwide.
"The quality of the first rug in our new venture with the beautiful natural-colored Shetland wool has exceeded our expectations, and we plan to produce more," says Lynne Williamson, director of the project. "The wool makes the rugs soft and silky, and the expert weave makes them sturdy."
All the artists participating in Saturday's marketplace have been successfully selling their work at area venues including the Billings Forge Farmers Market and the University of Connecticut, and several of the pieces have won first prizes at the Berlin Fair.
For more information about the marketplace or Sewing Circle Project, contact Lynne Williamson by phone at 860-278-2044, x251 or email.
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The Institute for Community Research is an independent research institute that conducts applied research and supports community enhancement programs on issues of health, education and cultural heritage. Its Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program encourages and promotes traditional artists and their communities through an active process of documentation, technical assistance, and public presentations to bring their work and the history of their communities to new audiences. Project supporters include the Aurora Foundation for Women and Girls, the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Hartford and the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.
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