Saludos! I’m Margee Rogers, chair of FOFA’s Board of Directors. It’s an honor and privilege to be serving in this role during a time of growth and productivity for our wonderful organization. During a recent visit to Oaxaca, I was deeply touched by how one young folk artist, Ulíses Hernández Martínez, described FOFA. He said, “you care for us, and make us feel respected and valued.”

For me, Ulíses’ words capture why FOFA has had such a beneficial impact on Oaxaca’s folk arts through the years. They also remind me of my first experience as a FOFA volunteer, when I was interviewing the winners of our 2013 competition for young artists. It was magical – being welcomed into their home workshops, meeting their multi-generational families, discussing how they felt about their art – and it formed the basis for friendships that continue to this day. All of us who volunteer regularly for FOFA have been touched similarly. It’s a gift to collaborate creatively with the artists, to be invited into their homes, and to call them friends, and I believe it’s these bonds of mutual respect and caring that inform FOFA’s core purpose.

If you have any questions or comments about FOFA’s work in Oaxaca, or if you’re planning a visit there, we’d love to hear from you. You can email us at info@fofa.us. If you’ve been a FOFA supporter, or are planning to be, our deepest thanks to you!

• We’ve just promoted Gina Barrionuevo, our longtime Oaxaca-based administrative assistant, to be the first-ever executive director of FOFA! Gina’s rapport with the artesanos and her passion for FOFA make her a wonderful asset to our team. 

• We’ve been enlisting local Oaxacan talent to assist with our bi-lingual communications campaigns, including a new Spanish-language edition of the FOFA website, and a new online directory of folk artists that will be updated regularly. 

• Working with Oaxacan subject experts, we’re continuing to develop and offer classes to young folk artists on topics they have requested – such as entrepreneurship, English, cultural history, and sustainable practices. 

• We’re expanding our fruitful collaborations with local cultural organizations, such as MEAPO (the Oaxacan State Museum of Popular Art).

• FOFA has organized six juried competitions (concursos) for young folk artists from Oaxaca’s Central Valleys and beyond, in 2008, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2022. Our next concurso will take place in 2024.