Contact:
Ashley Ellingson
1.888.243.4423 / 608.251.3766
ashleye@serrv.org
Design to Fight Poverty
Madison, Wis. – SERRV is excited to welcome 3 designers from fair trade partner organizations in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Nepal from August 20-28th.
SERRV, a nonprofit fair trade organization based in Madison, provides a market for handcrafts produced by 65 community groups in 33 countries. Designers will visit Madison and Chicago to explore design ideas, workshop with professional product designers about marketing trends, and visit U.S. retail stores.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is participating by providing free meeting space, and several of their design professors will offer product critiques, insights on the U.S. market and a tour of local retail stores to see current trends. Additional design professionals and industry experts have volunteered their time to support these designers who are working to reduce the impact of poverty.
“This is an innovative opportunity for our partners to glimpse the U.S. market,” said Serena Sato, director of marketing for SERRV. “Participants will learn about U.S. trends and share that knowledge with low-income artisans in their home countries. We already have long-term relationships with our partners, but through closer collaboration SERRV will increase sales of artisans’ products and continue to fulfill our mission of eradicating poverty wherever it resides.”
Designers will be available for interviews between 8/20-8/28.
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Partrice Charmaine Miranda Cruz (Chum), from SERRV partner CCAP in Philippines
Chum is a Product Design and Development Specialist who has worked with CCAP since 2008 creating original product collections, designing promotional materials and catalogs, and conducting trainings and workshops with artisans. She has a degree in Industrial Design from the University of Santo Tomas, and is working on her MBA.
Priyo Ananto, from SERRV partner Pekerti in Indonesia
Priyo has been a Product Designer with Pekerti since 2005 and has been a designer since 1999. He works with artisans on a wide variety of skills and materials—rattan and other natural fibers; textiles; jewelry; dot painting; and more. His hobbies include drawing, fishing, and reading.
Sumitra Baiju, from SERRV partner Mahaguthi in Nepal
Sumitra has been a Product Designer with Mahaguthi since 1995. She has attended product design training in the Netherlands and Japan, and has represented Mahaguthi at exhibitions in Europe and Thailand. Her work with artisans is in a broad variety of materials including textiles, ceramics, handmade paper, and more.
