VirtuArte.com

Fall is here, and the cooler weather means it's time to bring our warmer clothing out of storage.  We've searched the world and picked out fabulous shawls, scarves and handbags and made them available at VirtuArte this season.

We've done the work of narrowing down our selection to the hottest items.  Now it's up to you to update your wardrobe accordingly.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival ended yesterday and if you live in Washington, DC I hope you had the opportunity to attend.  As stated in our previous Blog post the Festival is an international exposition of living cultural heritage that was started in 1967.  This year's Festival highlighted Colombia's bio-cultural diversity, the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corp and the powerful influence of rhythm and blues music in American popular culture.

Originally part of the Jordanian heritage, ceramic art was slowing dying out.  One of the reasons why this traditional craftsmanship was starting to be lost was the forcing of the roadside potters off the roads by the government because of the pollution created by the use of kilns.  Also contributing to this loss  was that children of the potters were not being encouraged to take up pottery.

Tomorrow is Earth Day!!  This year's theme is A Billion Acts of Green.  Have you made your Act of Green pledge yet?  To mark this day we decided to do two things:

• Feature artists whose Act of Green is to work with artisans in Brazil to create eco-friendly, fashion forward products; and
• Offer one winner the opportunity to select a gift from one of our three featured artists. (Read further to learn how to enter.)

The last artist to be featured this month is Patricia Amsellem.

In honor of Earth Day we are continuing to feature artists who are working with artisans to create eco-friendly, fashion forward products.  This post features Escama Studio, a collaborative design studio based in California and Brazil.

As stated in our previous blog post, during the month of April and in honor of Earth Day we will be featuring three artists who work with artisans to create eco-friendly products from recycled and/or natural materials.

As stated in our previous blog post today is International Women's Day, a day when women are recognized for their accomplishments.  Today we will be featuring Carol Cassiy, who works with artisans in Laos and Cambodia, and Ellen Dorsch, who works with artisans in Ethiopia, Swaziland, Afghanistan and Senegal.

Tomorrow, the 8th of March will be the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, a day when women are recognized for their achievements.  It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments and more importantly for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

As I have stated before one of my ongoing objectives is to have you get to know the artists and artisans whose products you see on our website. I have hosted a couple of "Meet the Artist" Events here in Washington, DC which a number of you have attended. For those of you who do not live in Washington area, I have been informed that a couple of our Artists will be participating in Trunk Shows in cities around the United States in March and April.

One of the reasons I started VirtuArte was to introduce unique, high quality arts and crafts not widely seen and/or available outside of the locations they are made in to an international clientele. As most of you know I love looking for such items to add to the VirtuArte collection. Over the past year jewelry made from tagua nuts has caught my eye.