EarthFusion Tomorrow

Well, we finally were confirmed for the EarthFusion festival which is being held:

August 26 and 27, 2006
Saturday: 10am-10pm, Sunday: 10am-7pm
Roseville Central Park Amphitheater
2540 Lexington Ave North, Roseville, MN

EarthFusion empowers youth for social change by celebrating a peaceful, sustainable and just Earth through music and the arts. EarthFusion seeks to bring together an ethnically and economically diverse group of young people from the metropolitan area and across the United States in order to make connections with one another and bring about social justice and environmental sustainability. Tickets are $20 for a two-day pass or $15 per day.

I'm hoping it will be a good time and that young people will really show up. It's a great idea; I'm just nervous about the publicity and organization since it's the first year. We'll see. Rabi will be selling some new candleholders and his waterboy piggy banks. And we'll be selling our imports as well.

Waterboy Piggy Bank
$35

Mask Candleholders
Set of 2
$45

Dunn Brothers Display

If you're needing a cup of joe and wanna see some of Rabi's work, head to the North Loop in Minneapolis. We've had some items on display there for the last few weeks. The address is 228 Washington Ave N in Minneapolis. Or visit their website for details and directions.

We had a reception in late July, and got to see some good friends and meet new ones. Thanks Jenni for bringing all your colleagues! We also had African drummers, William and Matt, perform. That definitely added to the ambiance.

If you can't make it down, these are the items on display. We have these items in the back room on top of the bathroom:

Burkinabe Living Room
All items for sale. Custom orders available.

Entertainment Center
38x12x45
Pine & Metal
$300

Picasso Chair #2
28x30x46
Pine & Metal
$200

Baobab Lamp
22" high
Gourd & Metal
$100

Mudcloth
116x84
Cotton & Natural Dyes
$175

We have these items above the ordering counter when you first walk in:

Music Madness
All items for sale. Made in Burkina Faso.

Kora
Wood, Gourd & Leather
$200

Balafon
Wood & Gourd
$150

Lounga (Talking Drum)
Wood & Leather
$100

Dancer's Outfit
Cotton, Natural Dyes & Cowry
$100

Camel Family
Bronze
$200

What's in a Name?

Many people ask what's the story or meaning behind Yarbi in Yarbi Design. Well, Rabi is from the Mossi ethnic group. More specifically, he's from the Yarse tribe. The young people of the Yarse are called Yarbi, thus Yarbi Design. He'll always be a Yarbi to his elders, and one day, he'll be a Yarse to folks younger than him.

As far as the graphic, which we use in our marketing pieces and on our business card, it is the village of Rabi's dad Emile Sanfo. The village is named Nambugyan and it is nestled in the hills near Koungoussi. There are maybe 150 people that live there and it has stayed an authentic village. There is 1 water pump, which is in the lower right hand corner of the photo under the big tree. Most people are farmers and raise livestock like goats and cows. Rabi's family is only family in the village that is Catholic because Rabi's grandfather was in the first wave of men choosen by the missionaries to become a catechist. The rest of Rabi's extended family is Muslim; all of Rabi's aunts and uncles and their children were raised Catholic. Rabi and I visited his village in April 2004, and it was at this time that I took the photo.

Koungoussi, the largest town near Nambugyan, means "where you can't sleep." Rabi thinks it's because of the mosquitoes which are many since there is a large lake in this town; the lake is called Lac Baam. Because of the lake, the region is well known for its potatoes and green beans. There is fish and shrimp available year round.

We hope to one day settle in this area. Big plans!

SummerFest This Weekend

We have another art fair this weekend: the SummerFest 2006. I think it'll be a small one but hey, we need maximum exposure. The fair is Saturday, August 12th from 10am - 4pm at 4294 Hodgson Rd in Shoreview.



Please come if you get a chance!

Invitational Award

The Powderhorn Art Fair is now closed and I'd say it was pretty successful. We participated in the Community Showcase and won the Invitational Award. This art fair is a juried show (applicants submit photos of their work and an art jury choses those artisans that they want in the show) so winning the award means that next year, we automatically have a space for the Community Showcase and don't have to apply again. There were 24 other artisans in the Community Showcase this year.

Lots of people came by and we met some neat fellow artisans. The public bus offered free service between the 3 major art fairs happening in Minneapolis this weekend so I'm sure thousands of people showed up. And the weather was pretty decent too.

We finally sold the Face Chair. Loads of people liked it, but nobody ever bought it...until today.

And our inventory of candleholders is now depleted. Nice!

Powderhorn Art Fair

It's the Powderhorn Art Fair this weekend and we've been invited! We'll be in the Community Showcase area this year. It's from 10-6pm on Saturday and 10-5pm on Sunday at the Powderhorn Park.

Hopefully we can have a full spot next year; we were too late to apply this year. That's one thing about art fairs...you have to apply way in advance. Note to self.

Our friend Zabu passed on these 2 BBC articles re: Burkina. One is about motos and the other cotton.

Bienvenue! Welcome! Kend Kende!

Welcome to our new blog. We've been talking about needing a website recently and thought this was a good alternative for the time being. Hopefully, folks will learn a bit more about African art, fair trade and la vie in Burkina Faso in general. Bienvenue.

Rabi participated in the 6th Annual Art of Recycling Metal Sculpture Art Contest a few weeks back for the Aquatennial. He made the "Rain Mask." He won the Honorable Mention and the Scappy Award, which is the American Iron employee's choice award.

Saaga
43" x 36" x 87"
$750

Here's the poem to go with it:

“Saaga”
Rain Mask

When the soil dries
When the granaries are empty
When the air is hot
Under the rhythm of the drums
The masks dance and beseech nature
To sympathize with their pain
And to cry a tear

Quand le sol se dessèche
Quand les greniers se vident’
Quand l’air se chauffe
Sous le rythme des tam-tams
Les masques dansent et implorent la nature
De compatir à leur douleur
Et de verser une larme

We met fellow sculputor Jeff at that event. He's the one that suggested we try a blog. Check out his new blog as well. Thanks Jeff!

Hope you enjoy. Please give us constructive criticisms on any pieces posted.