DESIGNER:
Taller Maya-Joel Escalona
PHOTO:
Ensable Artesano
YEAR:
2020
PRODUCTION:
Ensable Artesano
Mexico
LINKS:
Joel Escalona, @joelescalona, Taller Maya, @tallermaya, Ensable Artesano, @ensambleartesano, Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya
In the southeastern part of the country, in the Yucatan Peninsula, lies the cradle of the Mayan culture, a place that safeguards the priceless history of our country along with its invaluable knowledge. The Yucatan Peninsula represents the evolution and transformation of centuries-old knowledge, and the way it has embedded itself in contemporary life; it is precisely here where Taller Maya was born.
Taller Maya is a Mexican design collective brand comprised of a multidisciplinary creative team that collaborates with artisanal social businesses established in the Yucatan Peninsula and that work towards the promotion and development of the living Mayan culture. The Mexican brand acts as a platform for social and economic development, thereby cooperating with various artisan communities to strengthen formal value chains and produce sustainable sources of income for their development, all this through the creation and marketing of handicrafts with historical and cultural value.
In 2002, Taller Maya was born in response to the initiative of recovering traditional techniques of the Mayan culture, through a training program led by Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya, a non-profit organization that works with Mayan communities in the Peninsula of Yucatan. Such training work resulted in projects related to the community’s self-management and business administration, which launched the platform that today is known as Taller Maya.
Today, Joel Escalona serves as the brand’s creative director and part of the initial project involves working with Taller Maya’s creative team and with the artisan groups of the Yucatan Peninsula to strengthen current value chains and develop new sources of sustainable income for artisan communities in the area.
The first project that Joel is leading as creative director is the launching of products created by Taller Maya for Ensamble Artesano, an initiative that arises from Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya, Taller Maya, México Territorio Creativo, Design Week México and Caralarga to create a platform where various organizations and projects seek to safeguard the economic well-being of the country’s artisan communities through the design, manufacture and commercialization of handicrafts, guaranteeing fair and clear remuneration for the work of each community.
The Taller Maya collection for Ensamble Artesano is made up of various collectible objects that use techniques and materials that are typical of the Yucatan Peninsula to create crafts such as canvases and decorative panels, natural fiber totes, bags and other items that together show that the culture and craftsmanship hold relevance in the present day.
Taller Maya weaves paths of success towards new forms of partnership; roads towards innovative proposals in which wisdom, aesthetic sense of the Mayan culture and contemporary design connect and form unique concepts, towards an evolution of responsible consumption, and the appreciation of handmade pieces with great backstories.
Taller Maya is a Mexican design collective brand composed of a multidisciplinary creative team that collaborates with artisanal social businesses established in the Yucatan Peninsula, working towards the promotion and development of the living Mayan culture.
Taller Maya is a platform for social and economic development, therefore, it cooperates with artisanal social businesses to strengthen formal value chains and generate sources of sustainable income for rural Mayan communities in the Yucatan Peninsula This with the creation and commercialization of handicraft items that have historical and cultural value.
At Taller Maya, we work to achieve the integration and access of artisan social businesses into the global market under conditions of fair trade and strive for the recognition of the importance of the living Mayan culture.
Ensamble Artesano is a collaborative platform made up of 36 partner organizations and projects whose focal point is the design and creative production, in addition to local, fair and responsible trade. We have created a space to share and collaborate in order to face the economic uncertainty triggered by the effects of social distancing due to the pandemic. We directly support more than two hundred and twenty artisan groups that celebrate and preserve the cultural heritage of our country through craftsmanship techniques.
Text provided by Designer
