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Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art (FOFA) seeks to preserve and promote the rich folk art traditions of Oaxaca, Mexico, which have been passed on from generation to generation over hundreds of years. FOFA collaborates with the local folk art community to create and implement a range of programs that support this mission.

 
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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!

 
 

Margee and Ulíses Hernández Martínez, master bone and wood carver, 3rd prize winner, 2018 Concurso, and Honoree in  2022.

Margee and her husband Rick Samuel, with textile artists Rubí Martínez Sosa (1st place for textiles in the 2016 Concurso and a 2018 Honoree) and Josefina Lazo Gutiérrez (Honoree for textiles in 2018), and their daughters, in Teotitlán del Valle. Margee tutored Josefina in English for 3 years (one of FOFA’s ongoing educational programs).


Collaboration and Integration:
Two central themes of FOFA’s current activities

Gina Barrionuevo, FOFA’s Oaxaca-based executive director

  • 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.

 
 

FOFA’s Cultural History course graduation ceremony at MEAPO.  Students flank maestro Carlomagno Pedro Martinez (director of MEAPO) and Gina Barrionuevo.

 

How can you help?

If you’d like to help keep Oaxaca’s rich cultural heritage alive, please consider supporting FOFA’s ongoing programs. Mil gracias!

Have a question?

Contact us to find out about our ongoing programs, how to reach a particular artesano, or plan a trip to Oaxaca.

Keep up to date with FOFA News

Read our most recent e-newsletter about FOFA'S ongoing programs and the artesanos we support.