Article in the INFO Neuland paper (in German)

Das INFO Blatt in Neuland hat einen Artikel über den Workshop gedruckt. Also, hier noch einmal eine Beschreibung der Woche auf Deutsch. Klicke auf das Bild um es zu vergrößern.

TV Neuland Interview (in German)

I'm truly impressed with and grateful to the cultural events committee of the Neuland colony. Not only did they do a radio interview about the workshop, but also a TV interview (in German) which you can see by clicking here (you will be re-directed to youtube). 

There will also be a two page article in the next INFO Neuland paper with colour images. 

Danke Osvaldo, Ari, Dyane und Heinz, für euer Interesse an meinem workshop und den Arbeiten der Künstler, für eure professionelle Media-Arbeit und dafür dass ihr uns das Kulturzentrum eine ganze Woche lang zur Verfügung gestellt habt!

Final Reflection

My thoughts are still revolving around everything that happened this past week, things that worked great and things I wish I had said or done differently. Overall the workshop surpassed my expectations, because I was so unsure if anyone would show up, if the artists would continue coming after the first day, if they would enjoy working with printmaking or if they'd find the technique too complicated. All my initial doubts were useless, since all artists showed up as much as they possibly could. I could tell that they really enjoyed it and Felipe told me repeatedly how good it is that I came to teach them because they love to learn new things. He's tried to get the 'leader' of the community to organize workshops for them to learn more things, but so far not much has happened.
I loved watching the artists work. The images I've seen in this workshop by some of the stronger artists are so uniquely their own, with a very personal style, so much rhythm and movement. The drawings are so spontaneous and not premeditated; they begin with the point of a pencil being put directly onto the woodplate. There is no erasing or re-considering the composition; the image simply flows and becomes alive.

Aside from being the teacher and facilitator, for me this was a very meaningful encounter with indigenous people. I've been so embarassed for so many years that I didn't know any of the indigenous people on a personal level growing up here. The Mennonites and indigenous people still live mostly side by side rather than with each other, with the Mennonites being more the wealthy employers and the indigenous people the peasants and labourers being treated generally as third class citizens by the whites. Most encounters I have had as a child were with peasants coming to our house to beg for food or day laborers doing some yard work. When I was in highschool I had tried to organize a social get together with the highschool students from Pesempo'ó, the indigenous settlement on the outskirts of my town, because I was curious to meet them, but there was no interest from my classmates. The same happened with the church youth and I never had the courage to undertake something by myself to meet 'the others'. I had been to some cultural events of theirs with my family, but always felt more like a foreign spectator. During this workshop I was able to meet this group of indigenous artists as a professional equal; we were all artists. I love and appreciate their work, I respect them for what they do and I got to know them somewhat on a personal level. They all come from rather humble, almost slum-like villages with simple one or two-room dwellings. They told me of their families, their children, their ailments and the difficulty of finding steady work. They all say that making art brings them so much joy and being able to sell it affirms interest in their culture and identity. It also seems that their drawings are a way for them to reflect about the changes of their culture and lifestyle, of how life used to be and how it is today. 

Staying with Verena who has so much knowledge from and about the indigenous people in the Chaco after working with them since about the 70s (?) made me realize how little I know about the people on whose land we really live. Verena fights for their plight of landrights and other social injustices. She told me stories from the past that belong in every school's history book. In one story for example, she told of a massacre of a group of Nivaclé peoples in the 1930s. The Bolivian military promised one community to come by some time and bring presents for all. A couragous woman (wife of an Argentinian rancher?)  warned the community that something terrible was going to happen. Some few believed her and fled into the bush, while the rest of the community (200 individuals) was lined up later and shot to death. Another story tells of how Paraguayan generals, who came to 'own' vast lands along the Pilcomayo River after the Chaco war suddenly began fencing in their territories; they told all Nivaclé people who had lived by the river and off the river for centuries to leave the fenced regions or be shot, which meant they were forcibly displaced from their home. (Verena has written the biography of the Nivaclé Marcos Nujach'e Moreno, who was seven at the time of the massacre, which will be published shortly and which contains these stories). Some years ago I audited a Canadian History course at the University of Manitoba taught by Gerald Friesen, in which his history textbook was written from the perspective of the Europeans (classic history), and also from the perspective of the indigenous people in Canada. Such a history book is so necessary here, because the perspective of the Mennonite colonization and the giant Paraguayan landowners is very one-sided and largely mission based. I never heard of such forcible displacements, but always that the indigenous people flocked towards to Mennonite settlements to get easy access to food and work. I've always been aware of different perspectives on all these issues, since my family is critical of the Mennonite perspectives of the indigenous people and my father has also been connected with/worked for an NGO (PCI) for 16 years that works with indigenous communities, but I realize again and again how little I really know and how little interest there is here in my community of learning more about our neighbours. Hopefully my first meaningful encounter with the local indigenous people is only the beginning. I'd like to get to know them better.

Verena's Treasury

I stepped into Verena's treasury the other day (a small storage room in the back of her house that she runs a bit like a craft store for the work the indigenous artisans make, such as animals, bowls, salad spoons carved from Palosanto and hand-braided (not woven or knotted) bags from the Caraguatá fiber (a small bromeliad plant from which a fiber is obtained), the drawings and paintings some artists make and many other things).

The smell of the fragrant palosanto wood is overwhelming in here mixed with the grassy smell of the  'cactus fiber bags' as they are called here with their beautiful patterns and designs that emerge from the various dyed fibers. When I opened the door to this room, I  was transported years back to my childhood.

As a child, a trip to this room was always a highlight of a visit to Verena's place and I always had a terribly hard time choosing the most beautifully carved animals, digging through boxes and boxes of them. My little animal collection is still in my display case here at home.

This time I sat down on the brick floor to look through all the black and white drawings that are for sale. Some of the workshop participants "paid" with a drawing for the workshop which will be sent to some of the donors and supporters of the workshop, but I needed some extras and chose several for myself as well. Ideally we would have produced enough prints to send out as thank you presents, but alas the week was too short to produce enough and the goal of the workshop was to learn, not the produce.
Verena buys all the work from the artisans and artists and sells it at cost. She organizes exhibitions (several in Paraguay, but also in Berlin and Paris) and has published two catalogues about indigenous art here in the Chaco. Unfortunately the demand for the craft and artwork is rather small locally, and while the sales are a small occasional income for the artists, they can't make a living with it. I truly wish that there was more demand for artwork here locally. I noticed now in Neuland that the Mennonites are slowly becoming more interested in art. But wouldn't it be wonderful if offices and clinics would start putting up local art on the walls? What I would also like to see is a store or a gallery in the center of Neuhalbstadt where the work is on display, for sale and easily accessible for every passerby. As wonderful as Verena's treasury is, it is a bit hidden away and you need to know about it to get there (I do believe all the tourist guides in the area know it and take visitors there).

Updates

Today I added more images to Eurides', Osvaldo's, Joaquín's, and Mateo's profile.

Clean Up and Finale

Today was a very busy day. The artists were all printing a lot to get as much done as possible before we had to finish up. It was worth printing more since Osvaldo and Clemente both sold a few pieces basically wet off the walls, which was hugely encouraging to the artists and perhaps a bit disappointing to some of the others who wished they could sell work, too.

We had a bunch of people stop in today. Radio and TV showed up to do a small interview and report on our workshop. The highschool class also showed up and they were very curious about and interested in the process. We had a few other visitors and curious people stop by. The more interest there is in the work and the artists, the better.

My parents came to help with the clean up which was quite the undertaking. The space was about the size of a gym and with the muddy weather and all the carving we'd done, there was a lot of dirt, but it didn't take as long as I anticipated and everyone helped until all was done. They have a fun cleaning method here. Buckets of water are simply poured all over the floor, and with squeegees we pushed the water out the doors. 

All the inky brayers and tiles for rolling the ink onto, we cleaned simply with vegetable oil (this we did each evening before going home).The vegetable oil is great; it's easy to come by, and it's none-toxic unlike other solvent-based cleaning materials. 

In the meanwhile I prepared a bag for each artist to split up the tools and other supplies to take home. It worked out alright in the end I think. Five of the artists said they were interested in continuing with woodcuts, so I had just enough carving tools and brayers. Some of the ink they'll have to share for now, but I'm planning on purchasing more to make things easier. Now it is in their hands to see if they find it possible to continue making prints within their homes. 

Today

Today was a quieter day with three to five people throughout the day. Some had to work, Clemente had to drive Zunilda home because she ran out of meds for her epilepsie, but he wants to come back tomorrow morning. They all carry their burdens and wounds, but don't complain much and enjoy the art making. If only people in this country would buy more art! They all asked if we can start at 8am tomorrow instead of 9am, since they still want to get lots done. We're planning on working till noon, eat guiso, and then clean everything up. If only I lived closer I could do some follow up sessions to get together and print. (There is my eternal theme again of being torn between two worlds...but I start rambling. I better go sleep).

PS: I will add some new images of artist's work in their individual profiles, so please scroll back some time to see them. I added images to Zunilda's, Joaquín's and Esteban's profiles tonight.

Acknowledgements

With all the positive experiences I've had here, I have to say I have to thank the people here in Neuland for their interest and support of this project. First for letting me rent the cultural center for this event, which is a perfect space in a convenient location. Thanks to Heinz Wiebe, who is in charge of the support of cultural events in the community. He and his wife Mirian have stopped by several times throughout the week out of curiosity to see what we're doing. He's also spread the word and mobilized Neuland's fantastic communications team. I didn't do anything about publicity for this project, but he managed to get the local radio and television to come tomorrow morning. The principal from the highschool, Ricky Unger, stopped by with a collegue and asked if they could bring a highschool class by tomorrow as well. We've had some other curious visitors and it's just wonderful to see the interest and support for the art and the artists as well. Dyane Regier from communications came by to take photos which she posted on the town's website. She shows a lot of the work the artists did. And of course thanks to Verena for hosting me all week and not only me, but three of the artists from further away. She's provided us all with breakfasts and suppers, rides through the mud, and of course pre-arranging everything here before I came. Without her this workshop wouldn't have happend. And thanks to my parents who helped me gather all the local supplies and their eternal support. Thank you all very much.

Eurides

Eurides comes from Cayin o Clim - the Nivaclé community here, but he moved to Paraiso about 70km from here two years ago. He stays with relatives now for the duration of the workshop. He is currently unemployed, but he draws a lot and I hope he'll be able to sell more soon, since he is one of the most creative minds here. His work has movement and variety. He draws hunting scenes, honey gathering scenes, traditional dances, children playing games, garden work, Nivaclé myth's and so much more. His work is usually very fine and detailed and while he is very interested in the printmaking process, I got the impression he struggles a bit with the boldness and perhaps coarseness of the woodcut. He is still getting used to thinking in the reverse, i.e. the line he cuts will be white in the image unlike a line drawn with a pen. Nonetheless, his work is beautiful.

He made great progress today with refining his printing, such as rolling on sufficient ink and rubbing with the spoon long enough for the ink to transfer properly. The ink coverage is getting more solid.

May 18th, update. Here is an image of Eurides earlier piece of a Nivaclé myth about the love story of a girl and a jaguar. As mentioned earlier, Eurides struggles with thinking in reverse, i.e. that the line he makes will be white and not black like his pen drawings, so things seem to look different than he envisions them.

Osvaldo

Osvaldo is one of the veteran artists. He's been drawing for more than 15 years and his work is stunning. He is a very calm and friendly man and a most dedicated plate carver. He's thorough and exact with everything he does. He is currently on leave from his work as maintenance worker at the hospital because of severe back pain. If I understood correctly, his insurance company doesn't have money right now to cover his treatment, so he's been in pain for six weeks and he is limping severly. It sounded like something might happen next week with a doctor's visit in Asunción.

Anyways, I want to write about his art. He is one of the few people who doesn't seem to struggle with the tools and his lines are confident. Both his small plate (birds and trees from earlier post) and his larger piece he did are both successful in the use of black and white space and line.

He has been working very focused on a third piece and stayed as the only one till 5:30pm today to pull a proof. He's understood the advantages of pulling testprints at various stages of the plate, although I fear he may have cut too much white at this point on the last plate so the image disappears a bit. We'll have to wait and see. More pictures to come.

May 18th, update. I was wrong once again fearing Osvaldo's last plate might not work so well. It was the crowning masterpiece of the workshop I'd say. Here are the different proofs of the plate that he pulled throughout the past two days and the final piece.

Right, proof 1; left, proof 2.

Mistra

Mistra hasn't been in the past day and a half because she had to go cleaning. As mentioned before, she and her husband (Joaquín...see below) have to work hard to get their children good education opportunities. She has five children and six grandchildren.

Mistra says she has never drawn before this workshop and her work looks a bit unexperienced, but over and over again I'm amazed at the persistence of these people. She seems to enjoy making prints and she's carved three plates already, trying different things. She hasn't been able to put a whole lot of time into the work since she cooked two days and did the dishes most days. I help as much as I can, but it's still a lot of work to cook for ten and to clean up after ten people. She said she'd come again tomorrow. I hope she will, since she still has a carved plate to print. She said smiling widely to me that she made an owl like the owl I showed in the presentation the other day (by the Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak- see slide of presentation from May 14th).

Cooler Weather, Delicious Grapefruit, and more Beautiful Prints

May 16th (I wasn't able to upload this last entry last night because the internet cut out again...so here it is). Yesterday afternoon the wind turned South and it cooled off immediately. The good thing is it stopped raining and with the South wind the roads dry out quickly. It's unbelievable how cold 15 C can feel on this side of the world, considering 15 C are almost T-Shirt weather on the other side of the world.  
Another productive day has passed. I love watching all these artists work. They have such dedication, patience and endurance. They never even consider giving up when things don't work out the way they want; they simply start another plate with another image, learn from previous mistakes and make it better. The learning and improvement curve is amazing to watch. We had the full crew (except Mateo) all morning; four left throughout the afternoon for various reasons. Felipe's foot always starts hurting in the afternoon (with the wound from the palm three thorn he stepped on two weeks ago) and Mistra had to go to work to clean offices. 
A small anecdote from this morning that keeps me chuckling all day: Verena and I went grocery shopping again this morning for supplies for three more guisos. Among other things, I chose a thinner kind of noodle this time for one guiso (similar to spaghetti thickness) instead of the thicker fettucini kind. Verena saw them and told me, “I'm not sure if they'll like the thinner noodles. Someone said once, 'we don't like to eat those ostrich-worms'.” So, I bought the wider noodles instead. :) 
Our daily routines consist mostly of very concentrated work (see individual reports below) and of course the Tereré breaks with pomelo, which have been freshly harvested in town. It is said that the best grapefruit in the world grow in the Chaco, and I do believe it (Just look at that basket! Thanks Sina!).

(This picture was taken the day before yesterday before it turned cold)

Joaquín

 Joaquín has been very enthusiastic about this workshop and he is probably the most vocal participant. Yesterday he was sorry he wouldn't be able to make it, but he showed up today after all. Initially he'd said he'd have to work today, but somehow he managed to get another day off (I hope his boss doesn't read this). He drives a truck for a brick factory. Since he knows how to drive, he has better job options than many of the others. His wife Mistra also works so they can support their children's education. Their son works as a nurse and one daughter is a teacher. (They have five children)

 Joaquín's usual art is palosanto carvings and acrylic paintings with lots of colour. He isn't very used to the black and white, but after messing up one plate completely, his second one is very interesting with the grilling fish and the weaving woman. While his cuts are a little less refined than some of the others, his image is nonetheless very vivid and attractive, although he still needs to work on more thorough inking and rubbing. He started a new plate again and I can't wait to see it. 

May 18th, update.
Here is Joaquín's newest piece. It is much looser and less stylized than the piece above. I really enjoy Joaquín's images, but he doesn't quite seem to have found his style yet.

Esteban

I don't know much about Esteban. He is very very shy and quiet, but he sits or stands forever looking at and observing things very closely. He also doesn't seem to understand or speak much Spanish, but the wonderful thing in art is that you can show how things go. He was very timid with the tools yesterday, but gained more and more skill. (He has started only recently with black and white drawings, but his images are very interesting and unique. In one drawing, for example, he filled a whole page with giant dengue mosquitoes; another page is entirely filled with black vulture-like birds).

 Today he pulled a beautiful jaguar print.

May 17th update. Esteban's favourite subject matter is the mosquito. I've seen drawings of his where a whole page is filled with mosquitoes. He seems to enjoy unpleasant things it seems, because most of his drawings show vultures, skunks, spiders, and mosquitoes. He is still awfully shy, but he smiled today at supper and said he learned lots. "The other day it was hard to make a print, and today it was easy." Here are various stages of the mosquito print.Wouldn't want to get stung by that thing!

Felipe

As you can see it turned cooler today (approx. 15C), but we all dressed for the weather...some more some less. Felipe finished the portrait of the Cacique (chief) Tofaay today. I misunderstood the other day. Tofaay is not an ancestor or relative of Felipe's. Tofaay was a great Nivaclé warrior who fought against the invasion of the Bolivians and Argentinians in the Pilcomayo region in the 1920s which I know too little about. Felipe wants a portrait of Tofaay to put it up on the wall so his children and grandchildren will know him and remember him. A few days ago he brought an old black and white photograph showing Tofaay and his wife which he used as a reference image for his drawing.

Against my silent doubts that the faces may not turn out very well, the print turned out wonderfully. Felipe's first plate with some birds didn't turn out so well, but he took note of everything that went wrong and succeeded this time. Felipe is also one of the palosanto carvers and does not usually draw.