Download Sculpture Woman Sitting w/Upturned Face Sand Stone

Sculpture Woman Sitting w/Upturned
Face Sand Stone
The Product
Sandstone Sculpture: This graceful statue is created from sandstone, a
sedimentary rock composed of sand-sized minerals. Found in various places
around the world and in many colours – most commonly brown, red, yellow,
gray, and white – sandstone for this particular sculpture was quarried in the
mountainous province of Vinh Phuc, northern Vietnam where it is known as
"green stone." With the help of talented Vietnamese artisans who hand-carve
this piece and polish it smooth, the natural stone grain of the statue
complements its abstract form.
Sculpture Woman Sitting
w/Upturned Face Sand Stone
The Artisan Group: Craft Link
Travel the world with each visit
to Ten Thousand Villages.
Craft Link was founded in 1996 by a number of
international development agencies (including the
Mennonite Central Committee, Oxfam, and the Ford
Foundation) to help traditional handicraft groups find
markets within Vietnam's rapidly transforming
economy. The organization now represents 56 artisan
groups, involving 5,600 artisans in northern Vietnam –
85 percent of whom are women. Craft Link's goals
include cultural preservation, public education on
traditional handicrafts, and income generation for ethnic minorities, street
children, and artisans with disabilities.
Learn how Fair Trade really
makes a difference. Our goal is to
provide vital, fair income to
artisans by marketing their
handicrafts and telling their
stories in North America. Ten
Thousand Villages sells product
from more than 30 countries,
providing work for nearly 60,000
people around the world.
Craft Link works closely with the Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi
to preserve the traditional skills of ethnic minority craftspeople – 45 percent of
Craft Link's artisans are from ethnic minority groups living along the borders with Laos, Cambodia and China. Craft Link
helps these groups design new products and develop marketing opportunities. They often send a team of designers to live in a
village to work on new ideas, provide training in management, bookkeeping, costing, and pricing. Artisans also receive tools,
interest free loans, and literacy and training classes.
Craft Link’s programs are unique: The Kids and Stone project trains street youth in stone carving, Hold the Future works with
those affected by Agent Orange, disabled girls are learning to quilt, and physically disabled people living in Hue are learning
to become wood carvers.
Craft Link has three stores in Hanoi and plans to open another in Ho Chi Minh City; it also exports to many Fair Trade and
commercial organizations around the world. Craft Link is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).
The Country: Vietnam
Vietnam – the most populous country in mainland Southeast Asia – offers both sublime beauty and traditional charm.
Remarkable landscapes and a relaxed atmosphere indicate little of the country's long and troubled history of occupation and
war.
Over the past 30 years, Vietnam has faced the challenges of recovering from not only the lasting effects of conflict, but also
the rigidities of a centrally-planned economy. Since 1986, considerable progress has been made as the Communist Party of
Vietnam has begun introducing market elements as part of a broad economic reform package called doi moi (“renovation”).
These changes have dramatically transformed the country: over the last ten years, GDP has more than doubled and inflation
has come to low single-digit figures.
To keep up with the country’s rapid rate of population growth, Vietnam has also been working to promote job creation. Rural
unemployment, however, is estimated at 35% during non-harvest periods and urban unemployment has risen steadily as
people migrate to the cities in search of work. Alternative sources of income are critical in a society where roughly 65% of
the labour force works in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
Vietnam continues to experience positive dynamic change as it strives to become an industrialized nation by 2020. Despite its
poverty, it is a land of youthful hope and bustling enterprise. The economy is growing and trade is increasing. Rich in history,
culture and natural beauty, Vietnam is also becoming a major tourist destination.