You are invited to join us for a talk by Dr. Cynthia Weill entitled "Great Masters of Oaxacan Folk Art." This presentation, sponsored by Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art (FOFA), will take place at the elegant National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South. A reception will follow, as well as a viewing of excellent examples of popular art.

Mexico has one of the world's greatest folk art traditions.  Within this craft-rich nation, the state of Oaxaca (Wah-hah-kah) is unique in the range and level of accomplishment of its folk arts.  Dr. Weill, a board member of FOFA, who has spent over a decade working closely with Oaxacan artisanal families, will discuss the history and evolution of Mexican and Oaxacan art.  She will show images and outline the working process of two of Oaxaca's most recognized art forms: figurative woodcarving and ceramics.  We will see a few examples by Oaxaca's greatest living artisans. They have been designated "Grandes Maestros" by the Cultural Foundation of Banamex bank, an entity dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Mexico's folk arts.

Dr. Weill will also outline the role of the Mexican government in the 20th century to promote folk arts as an expression of national identity and its endeavors to preserve art forms and nurture production. She will touch on the efforts of a wide range of early supporters including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, U.S. Ambassador Dwight Morrow, Katherine Anne Porter and Nelson Rockefeller to introduce the Mexican and American public to Mexican arts. The role of current events and economic factors in endangering Oaxaca's fragile artistic legacy and impacting the next generation of Oaxacan artisans will be considered as well.