Ethnic Cooperatives

Artes Del Valle: This is a women’s craft cooperative which sells the women’s products in a Catholic church in San Luis Valley, Colorado. Artes sells a wide variety of items, especially those using traditional Spanish and Indian weaving and embroidery such as woven coasters, runners, embroidered tissue holders and skirts, as well as jewelry and note cards.

Contact Information

Rural Development Leadership Network
PO Box 98, Prince St. Station
New York, NY 10012
Telephone: (212) 777-9137; Fax (212) 477-0367
Email: HN1580@handsnet.org

Arthington Women’s Self-Help Quilting Group [ Liberia ]

Cooperative of Mola Producers: People Link is the non-profit organization designated to sell the work of this women’s cooperative in Panama. Pictures of some of the work that can be purchased are available. Their products have been designated as a Smithsonian Folklife Selection. The official website of La Cooperativa de Molas can be accessed with contact information. It has been in operation for 34 years as an official organization and for 10 additional years as a pre-cooperative.

Contact Information

Adriana Gonzales, President
Flordelina Dennis, Adminstrator
Rosa Martinez, Marketing Manager
Calle 18 de la Avenida Central;
Condominio Marde, S.A. #17, Segundo Piso
Apartado 830584; Zona 3
Ciudad de Panama, Panama
Phone: 011-507-224-8092
011-507-262-6827
Fax: 011-507-221-5402
E-mail: coopmola@sinfo.net

Crafts Village of Kenya: Mission of this cooperative in Kenya – “Job creation, poverty alleviation and cultural heritage promotion through handicrafts making as a source of income for Self-Help artisans; and Seeking marketing network locally and overseas is our priority task”. Many different crafts are produced, including Batiks, Batik Post Cards, Hand-woven cotton, Tie/Dyed materials, Silk Screen fabrics and “Swahili” Khanga/Lesos and screen printed T-shirts in African abstract designs.

Contact information

The Project Co-ordinator
Post Office Box 40952
L9 NCCK Light Industries
Rabai Road, Off Jogoo Road
Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: 254-2-784157, 781531
Fax: 254-2-784157, 330170
E-mail: craftsv@cisp.com

Cyberspace Quilts: This is part of the Earthwatch website which gives information about the Patchwork Project, a cooperative in Ecuador. A website for the project itself is under development.

Freedom Quilting Bee: This is the web site of the Freedom Quilting Bee, organized in the 1960′s when African-American farm workers lost their jobs after registering to vote. It is now the largest employer in Alberta, Alabama. A book was written about the cooperative in 1988 but is now out-of-print: The Freedom Quilting Bee by Nancy Callahan. ISBN # 0817303103

Contact Information

Rural Development Leadership Network
PO Box 98, Prince St. Station
New York, NY 10012
Telephone: (212) 777-9137; Fax (212) 477-0367
Email: HN1580@handsnet.org

Godavari Delta Women Lace Artisans Co-operative: Extensive historical and current information about this cooperative in India is available on this site.

Contact Information

Cottage Industrial Society Ltd., NARSAPUR
Rustumbada
NARSAPUR – 534 275
West Godavari Dist.
Andhara Pradesh – India
phone/fax: 91-8814-74754; fax: 91-8814-75173

Global Marketplace: This is a nonprofit, grassroots community development organization. Their mission is “…to use the World Wide Web to help poor artists and craftspeople, and in particular women, in these developing nations market their crafts here in North America. In this way we can help them help themselves raise their standard of living above the poverty line.” This site is a motherlode of information about all aspects of this process from a global perspective and includes information about retailers, wholesalers, trade shows and producers.

Mississippi Cultural Crossroads Quilters: This is a loosely organized group of primarily African-American women who display and sell their one-of-a-kind handmade quilts through Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, a non-profit community arts organization. Traveling exhibits and special programs, including workshops, demonstrations and talks can be arranged.

Contact Information

Mississippi Cultural Crossroads
507 Market Street
Port Gibson, MS 39150
(601) 437-8905
E-Mail: Patty Crosby ( dcrosby@lorman.alcorn.edu )

Mountcastle International Trading Co., Ltd. Support the Laosong villagers of Thailand whose women producers make layered patchwork and applique textile gift items, such as eyeglass cases, potholders, and oven mitts. No contact information

Mujeres Unidas: This cooperative is based in Mora, New Mexico, under the umbrella of Helping Hands. Items made by Mujeres women include pillows, quillows (pillows which turn into blankets), dolls, jelly. fragrant soap, woven rugs and many other items.

Contact Information

Rural Development Leadership Network
PO Box 98, Prince St. Station
New York, NY 10012
Telephone: (212) 777-9137; Fax (212) 477-0367
Email: HN1580@handsnet.org

Native Women’s Cooperative: This cooperative works with Cherokee artisans in fourteen counties in Oklahoma. A variety of products are produced.

Contact Information

Rural Development Leadership Network
PO Box 98, Prince St. Station
New York, NY 10012
Telephone: (212) 777-9137; Fax (212) 477-0367
Email: HN1580@handsnet.org

Rural Development Leadership Network (RDLN): This is a national multicultural social change organization founded in 1983. It supports community-based development in poor rural areas through hands-on projects, education and skills building, leadership development and networking. It is currently working on a marketing strategy for rural women’s products, especially crafts and products made from locally grown food.

Contact Information

Starry Krueger, President
Rural Development Leadership Network
PO Box 98, Prince St. Station, New York, NY 10012
Telephone: (212) 777-9137; Fax (212) 477-0367
Email: HN1580@handsnet.org

Tharparkar Rural Development Project: Women in this cooperative are making a living by creating and selling traditional embroidered cloth. An article about this cooperative in Pakistan (initiated by the Save the Children Fund and supported by UNICEF) is featured on the UNICEF web site.

Tierra Wools [ Mexican-American ]: Tierra Wools is a spinning, hand dyeing, and hand weaving workshop and a retail store. They buy local wool, wash it, spin it, and weave the yarn into beautiful weavings that are sold from their workshop in Los Ojos, a small village in the Chama Valley of northern New Mexico. Los Ojos Handweavers, LLC, a limited liability company owned by the growers, washers, spinners and hand weavers that produce its goods, as well as supporting investors operate the enterprise.

Tierra Wools was started sixteen years ago as part of Ganados del Valle, a community-based nonprofit organization with the mission of empowering rural people to create sustainable economies by building on cultural and agricultural resources

Tutwiler Community Quilters: This African-American quilt cooperative in Tutwiler, Mississippi was formed by Catholic Charities for the purpose of helping the women of Tutwiler to become self-sufficient through the creation and sales of their handmade quilts. Their quilts are available for exhibit.

Contact Information

Sister Maureen Delaney
Tutwiler Community Quilters
P.O. Box 448
Tutwiler, MS 38963

Unidas Para Vivir Mejor (UPAVIM) United For A Better Life: This cooperative in Guatemala includes fabric covered headbands among the assortment of crafts they produce.

Contact Information

UPAVIM Crafts (United for a Better Life)
12604 W. Old Baltimore Road
Boyds, MD 20841
phone and fax: 301-515-5911
contact: Mary Joan Ferrara-Marsland
email: upavimc@clark.net

Uritaua Vainetini: Brief information is given about this NGO (Non-Government Organization) in the Cook Islands whose goals are to carry on traditional embroidery (Tivaevae) and to develop new designs for young women. Focus is on ensuring that this traditional art form does not die out. Funds are raised through sales of finished products. This cooperative does not appear to be functioning any longer. The website has been dismantled and no contact info can be located.

WEAVE: Women’s Education for Advancement and Empowerment. Produce weaving and embroidery in Thailand.

Contact Information

WEAVE
PO Box 58
Chiang Mai University
Chaiang Mai 50202, Thailand
Contact: Nicole Fisher
Phone: (66-53) 221-654; FAX: (66-53) 357-695
email: weave@cm.ksc.co.th

Zamani Soweto Sisters [ South Africa ] – A film about them, �Awake from Mourning�, is available at the following website: http://www.isop.ucla.edu/jscasc/resource/safilms.htm

It is described as follows:

Facing the double exploitation of racism and sexism, a group of black women from Soweto formed the Zamani Soweto Sisters, an organization whose goal is to instill a spirit of self-help

among South African women. Their strategy for change includes programs such as a job training center and student scholarships; their goal is to create a women’s resource center within the Soweto township. A powerful statement of the strength and unity developing among South African blacks. (Betty Wolpert)

Related posts:

1. African Beadwork
2. Kuna
3. Quilt Ethnic Mission Statement
4. Quilt Networking
5. Ethnic Fabrics

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