Free presentation:
World Goods Et Cetera—formerly Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit retail store in Bluffton—has been selling Fair Trade products for over fifty years. The phrase “Fair Trade” means that the artisans who make the products get paid a fair wage, even though they come from some of the poorest areas of the world. One source of Fair Trade goods is Nepal, where women make felted and knitted items that are sold at World Goods Et Cetera. Even though Bluffton customers know their purchases support a good cause, and they appreciate the products—it’s a challenge to learn details about another culture on a shopping trip. Therefore, World Goods has invited Carole Elchert—an artist who has traveled to Nepal for decades—to exhibit her photos in the store during the month of March. The public is also invited to meet Carole and discuss her travel experiences and photographic work on March 28 at 2 p.m. at the 115 South Main Street shop. There is no charge for this presentation.
Here is a sweet video about some of our artisans in Nepal:
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After graduating with a BS in Communication and Sociology from Bowling Green State University, Carole Elchert earned an MA in Interpersonal & Public Communication. In 1981, she traveled for the first time to Nepal and the Himalayas. Elchert returned to the Himalayan regions—including India, Nepal, Ladakh, Tibet—every year or two for ongoing study of these cultures. Since 1993, she has organized and led 17 Eco-cultural tours for adults as well as Cross-cultural Experiences for Bluffton University students. An outgrowth of her travels to Europe and Asia is her professional work as an editor, writer, speaker, lecturer, and photographer.
With artist Philip Sugden—writer-photographer Elchert co-organized the 1988 Cultural Arts Expedition to Tibet and the Himalaya--collaborating with artists from 3 countries. During the eight-month expedition to Tibetan communities in India, Nepal, Ladakh, and Tibet—she photographed and recorded content for White Lotus: An Introduction to Tibetan Culture, an ambience presentation for WBGU PBS TV that features the ancient culture of Tibet. Innovative in the use of still images and field recordings—White Lotus, was produced by Elchert and Sugden with grants from The National Endowment for the Humanities and The Ohio Arts and Humanities Councils. In 1991 with the University of Findlay, Elchert and Sugden hosted the 1989 Nobel laureate—the Dalai Lama of Tibet—for Leadership Day, one of the most attended, publicized events of his US tour. Fundraising with presentations over the years provided support for the Jinpa Tree Nursery Project and other environmental-educational-restoration work in Nepal.
RE Elchert’s photography: images from 17 trips to Tibet and Nepal have appeared in exhibits in New York, Los Angeles, London, Melbourne, as well as art galleries and universities throughout the Midwest. Some of the 26,000 Slide Catalog and digital images from trips were featured at the 1989 Kalachakra Ceremony conducted by the Dalai Lama and included in the permanent collection of Chicago's Field Museum. Co-sponsored by Tibet House and the NY Office of Tibet, her multimedia presentation—Landscapes & Innerscapes—was part of a 1991-92 International Year of Tibet touring program to museums, art centers, and universities throughout the US. Michigan's Global Awareness Consortium invited Elchert to regularly tour 8 community colleges with her Eco-cultural PP presentations, which emphasized the history, culture, and geography of places she traveled. For instance, Elchert’s travels amassed images and experiences to reveal Tibet: As a Cultural Habitat. In 2010 & 2012, she featured Nepal & Tourism: On the Potter's Wheel. In 2014, she presented The Contemporary Saga of Iceland: Its Global Lessons. Other PP presentations include: White Lotus: An Intro to Tibetan Culture; Buddhism & the Lotus Mind; Converging In-Sight (artistic visions from ancient and modern perspectives). Currently, as co-director with Philip Sugden of the documentary, Activismo: Art & Dissidence in Cuba—which received 15 national and international Film Festival recognition/awards—they devote time to the necessary pursuit of distribution as well as Elchert’s national touring program for the benefit of a wider public audience.
Carole Elchert’s lifelong commitment is the pursuit of excellence in her professional and personal life, while promoting the vital “world wise” knowledge of others with stories and photographs from her travels. Her work will be on exhibit at World Goods Et Cetera from February 23 to March 28.
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