Save Puerto Rico's Heritage and Art

ORIGINAL STORYLINE:
What if your survival depended on a #2 pencil? Rather dramatic, one might say; unless you happen to be an artist who begins most projects with a sketch pad. Now imagine you have hungry mouthes to feed and Hurricane Maria just ripped through your ground-floor studio; taking with it your stock of supplies, covering your equipment in mud, and drowning 90% of the finished art you’ve prepared for tourists who begin to arrive in November. Only they won’t be coming this year.

SAVE THE CULTURAL HERITAGE BY SAVING THE ARTESANS

Quality takes time. Much of an artist's work is in galleries and shops; therefore presumably lost as well. Once the pieces are picked up in Puerto Rico, artists will not simply drive back to work for a salary; they must completely replenish their stock, which took a dishearteningly amount of lost hours and they need to start all over.

ACT NOW to save Puerto Rico’s cultural identity. Even the smallest amount can make a difference. Do you know what can be purchased for under $10? A box of colored pencils; a bag of seeds; a new Exact-O knife; some mosaics; a single cotton canvas (you only need one to start selling prints). Under $50: a wooden silk screen; leathercrafting tools; a basic supply of oils, acrylics or watercolors; several yards of fabric. Under $100: a supply of quality brushes; a new set of carving tools; lots more canvases.

For $250: perhaps a ceramicist can pick up a used kiln; and I know of more than a few craftsmen who would have a grand old time in a tool department.

Not all Artesans are equal.  Anyone can sell art in Puerto Rico, but to be a Certified Artesan* by government agency FOMENTO is to assure the public the art they purchase is produced on the island by formally evaluated, quality artists. Our goal is to offer aid to those professional artesans who rely on sales of their art to survive; and not just the occasional candy seller or T-shirt vendor, nothing against their businesses.
Not only do Artesans sell their wares, they demonstrate time-honored traditions.

WHY SHOULD WE CARE?

Arts and Crafts unique to Puerto Rico are under threat of being lost forever. Art remains to tell our story after we’re gone. The island's economy needs artesans to help draw tourists, and they in turn need materials, be it beads, feathers, stainless steel or fragrant oils. It’s like an ecosystem.

Ordinarily, in November alone, there are 25 festivals scattered throughout the island. For tiny mountain towns this is a vital source of their community’s livelihood. 
Artesans are a big draw; so by aiding them you also help all those communities who will be missing their annual events.

Who will represent the island?
Each year, Puerto Rico’s artesans are invited to International Festivals, promoting Peace and Good Will through art. 

Like countless others, I am sick with worry over the fate of dozens upon dozens of Puerto Ricans with whom I lived and worked among for over a decade. Their lives are reduced to Lord only knows, since most still cannot be reached. 

ANY DOLLAR AMOUNT can be put to good use. Small amounts add up! And to help sweeten the pot we have several Donor Levels with special gifts.

OBJECTIVES
1. Provide individual grants of $250 in cash or in conjunction with materials donated by philanthropic organizations for up to 1000 of the island's certified Artesans. Qualifying is relative simple to ascertain, and we certainly hope to expand.

2.  Residual funding to be donated to non-governmental facilities supporting the arts, TBD.  This is an evolving program, but rest assured your donation, in any amount, will be used to assist the Artesans of the island.

3. Reassure Puerto Rico's artesans that their talents are VALUED and they are not forgotten. Many may decide not to bother trying to rebuild their lives without hope and just leave the island.

HOPE is what keeps people going despite the most dire and heart-wrenching circumstances, and the feeling that they have not been forgotten. Many couples work together in this labor-intensive career, so BOTH have lost their jobs.

 “HOW CAN THIS CAMPAIGN WORK?  EVERYTHING’S SUCH A MESS!” **

The first step is to mobilize organizers and their contacts from the art community:   Zulma, Suiko, Jamilette, Hector, Eda, Bettina. Together they are a commanding force who successfully work together for the good of the artesans, because in the artesan world of Puerto Rico, we’re all family.

Coordination: it isn’t in anyone’s best interest to clog limited lines when our fellow citizens can’t even tell their loved ones they are safe.

But I did not want to wait to get started; so that when the artists ARE ready to focus on their careers again the money will be available. (More specifics can be found at the bottom of the page**.)

"Sounds simple," I thought when this idea first popped into mind; and it should be, so long as greed stays out of it.  For my part I AM RECEIVING NOTHING except maybe some points useful at a future date with the Pearly Gates.

Like all government agencies FOMENTO will be stretched to the breaking point. In my experience, it took 2 years on a waiting list and 3 years following approval to finally receive a promised tool.

Those artists who decide not to flee can’t wait that long, and they know precisely what they can live with and without. Yet it’s not just tools, but seeds, boxes, fittings; it SHOULD be up to the artists how their grants are spent.

Artesans can’t splurge for art supplies when their children have no school clothes.  They're scrambling for water, food, medicine, shelter and electricity; not to mention competing for what little business there might be. I recall struggling when things were at least operational on the island; I still struggle.  Yet mine, and I’m guessing yours, are nothing compared to theirs right now.

EVEN THE SMALLEST AMOUNT can make a difference in the life of an artist.
 
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN MANAGER
Hola! My name is Andrea Jansen and I am a Puerto Rico-certified Artesana de Higüeras, or Gourd Artist. How I arrived at the island via my Forest Gump-style trawler, Ruff Life, is a story*** for another time; but in 2002, with a stained-glass artist-friend holding my hand, we travelled from tiny la Parguera to San Juan to apply for certification. At the time I was one of relatively few Americano’s who were certified artesans, and possibly the first to work with higüeras.
 
I would have had an impossible time navigating the ‘scene’ on my own had it not been my fortune to stumble upon a wonderful artesan group operating once a month in Plaza de Armas, Old San Juan, and I was welcomed with open arms. They admired my work and moxie, and gave me crash language courses, since you cannot imagine how many different ways customers can ask, “Did you make these?”


Times were hard for everyone following 9/11.
In addition to offering translations and encouragement my fellow artesans often fed, housed and transported me, and even dragged me to church when all else failed. They slipped me cash by buying gourds they needed like a hole in the head. I literally could not have survived without their help.

In return I shared what resources and information I could, and, of course everyone was welcome to visit Ruff Life, my studio/home anchored in la Parguera.

THERE WAS NO BETTER SENSE OF CAMARADERIE.

If we can’t get the lucrative tourist business to them, then let’s bring their talent to us! In addition to the financial aid garnered through this campaign, I am building on an earlier website as a platform for those artesans who do not have their own to sell their work. Any Webmasters out there who would like to help, please write to me.

Your donation, large or small, will go towards the benefit of the artesans.  Progress will be reported in updates; and inquiries, suggestions and comments are always welcome.  As my Mom would say,

"For a web begun, God sends thread."

PLEASE SHARE THIS CAMPAIGN THROUGH FACEBOOK, TWITTER OR ANY OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA .


Consider me like your Grandmother: complete with a big heart, selfless idea yet CLUELESS when it comes to social media. A tech-savy friend is creating a FB page for our campaign to better share this story.
 
NOTHING WOULD PLEASE ME MORE than to have a nice, juicy number up and growing on the masthead when electricity does finally return and the Artesans know we value them and their work.
 
On behalf of ALL of Puerto Rico,
Muchas gracias!
 
* What is a Certified Artesan?

1.  The artist’s work must be produced in Puerto Rico.
2.   The artist is of PR decent or a bona fide resident of PR.
3.    The artist is encouraged to utilize local materials.
4.    The work must be produced by hand or with tools, equipment or instruments which supplement such labor.
5.    The work must be the original design of the artist.
6.    Molds or other methods of mass production must be of the artist’s designs only.
7.   The theme of the work should be inspired by the diverse aspects of the PR culture, such as its history, fauna, flora, symbols, traditions and cultures.
8.    Additional themes of universal appeal, such as love, fraternity, peace and other inspiration from the personal life of the artist.

** EXECUTION

“How does the money get to the artesans? Do they contact you?  How do they know that there is money available for them??”

“GoFundMe has rules and so does Uncle Sam, and I don’t intend starting trouble with either. As I stated in my story, it is difficult to coordinate things with the island at the moment because of poor communication.  It is not in their best interest to clog limited lines with information on setting up non-profit, banking, etc.

 “Nothing will be distributed until this is all legally set up. In order to keep me out of hot water I will transfer all donations directly to a (future) bank account for the artesans; through which individuals checks can be written. This will be done in Puerto Rico through the aforementioned contact group, again TBD. 

“All financial information will be happily disclosed.  I realize in this day and age it is normal to be suspicious of people’s motives, especially when money is involved. This is not necessary, but I’ll offer a few references more in the public arena than old friends and bosses:

Hon. Greg Walden, US Congress, 2nd District, Oregon
Hon. Bob Russell, Mayor, Eagle Point, Oregon
Hon. Marcos Irizarry, Mayor, Lajas, PR 2007

*** ABOUT ANDREA JANSEN: At the moment I live and volunteer in Community First, a ground-breaking nonprofit providing housing, support and a sense of community for the chronically homeless, in Austin, TX.


For more about becoming an Artesan, my time in Puerto Rico and how dramatically it affected my life (in a positive way), please visit my website:
www.andreajansendesigns.com/

Thank You!