Folk Art Chronicles

Archive for September, 2009

Thank you to the readers of J Weekly for voting the FolkArt Gallery the best place to buy gifts in the North Bay! We really appreciate it.

According to J Weekly, “If you are looking for an exotic gift from any corner of the planet, Folk Art Gallery in San Rafael is likely to have it. Owner Sharon Christovich hand picks traditional items from various cultures around the world. Unique pieces include Retablos, “picture boxes” from Peru, and beaded figures from Zulu women in South Africa. “My store is not a tourist or airport art store — these pieces are traditional to their culture, hand crafted by artists whose work I personally check for quality,” Christovich says.

If college textbooks had been published in magazine form, there is no doubt I would have been an A+ student.  I do love books of all kind but something about the sight of a magazine just makes my heart beat a little faster. What mysteries and new ideas are waiting inside these delicious little packages that entice me to explore further? Such time and effort are lavished on the magazine form; who made the rule that says scholarly topics must be treated in boring, drab, colorless style lacking in beauty and sense of design. After all, knowledge is beautiful; why put it in an unattractive package? Of course you shouldn’t need to be enticed to learn, but why not absorb beauty, intrigue and good design sense while you are already engaged?

So what wonderful treasures did I find irresistible on the news stand this month? I have barely begun to read them yet but some of the things that caught my eye:

American Style, which deals with art, craft, and design issues, has a terrific discussion about “Who are (art) Collectors?” and “What makes them tick?”  I love this magazine because it always shows the interesting ways that art collectors integrate their collections into their environments.

The front cover of Antiques shows a beautiful eclectic collection of folk art and the editor’s letter begins the issue by discussing the definition of folk art. And again, we see how collectors find innovative ways to live with their treasures.

Even the ads in these two publications are gorgeous!

I bought Time magazine for its tribute to Ted Kennedy, but tucked near the back is a thought provoking article about the cultural symbolism of Michelle Obama’s hairstyles to African American women.

Afar turns out to be the premier issue of a new magazine published in San Francisco and promises “Experimental travel connects you with the authentic essence of a place and its people, deepening your understanding of the world, its cultures, and yourself.” The article that caught my eye is “On the road in Morocco” focusing on the culture of the indigenous Berber people.

How could I not purchase Steppe focusing on Central Asia, an area that has captivated my interest since learning as a child about the Silk Road and Marco Polo. Silk ikats, yurts, Buddhism, Islam, Babur’s Gardens, the magic of towns like Bukhara, Samarkand:  ahhhh!