Peruvian Crossroads Exhibit Looks at Intersection of Tradition and Popular Arts and Crafts by Gary Tischler More than most exhibitions, ìTradition and Entrepreneurship: Popular Arts and Crafts From Peru,î the new display at the Cultural Center of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), is a reflection of the bankís various roles. Mounted in honor of Peru and its capital city of Lima, where the IDB is holding the 45th annual meeting of its board of governors, the exhibition represents a kind of crossroads effort, illustrating how art and commerceóas well as tradition and modernityómeet and interact out of necessity. In one sense, the exhibition is about the economics of art and how cultural traditions of a region or country are affected by the demands of economics, which in turn result in financial opportunities that affect and change popular artistic traditions and their motivations. In short, ìTradition and Entrepreneurshipî examines the nexus between traditional and popular arts and crafts. Lest this sound like a dry paper on the economics of sustainable art in Latin America or some similar subject, itís worth noting that first and foremost, this exhibition of folk objects and crafts sings with divers ity and beauty. There are dozens of examples of both individualized popular art and handicraft work of tremendous skill in the arenas of stone carvings, masks, gourds, imagery, ceramics, furniture, tinworks and textiles. ìThe exhibition speaks to the great diversity and multicultural nature of Peru,î said IDB Cultural Center General Coordinator and Curator FÈlix Angel. ìThe premise was to show how Peruvian popular art was an example of the need to show communal feelingóan expression of the originality and life of the various cultures that played key parts here. You can see how the different cultures affected each other if you look at a work like the ëNiÒo Alcaldeí for instance, which has religious elements but is very much an identifiable part of the region with its folk costumes.î The work is an example of ìwhat happens in communities when elements of popular and folk art become a part of crafts in the making of objects that can be sold, and become a part of the economy,î Angel explained. And whereas popular art is not usually made for commercial reasons, but rather is an expression of the individual artist or the community, crafts are typically an integral part of the economy. ìPopular art is the purest expression of a peopleís feelings, creative genius and depth of artistic tradition,î said Cecilia B·kula Budge, director of the Museum of the Central Bank of Peru. ìToday, popular art is one of the most authentic expressions of multiculturalism in Peru.î Angel added, ìOne of the more interesting things about this exhibition is that the viewer can try to figure out which object is an example of popular art and which is an example of handicrafts.î By definition, handicrafts are repeatable, while popular art is individualized to the point where it can influence other artists, but not be copied. In other words, popular art is driven by a certain vision and style. Gourds, of which there are a number in this exhibition, fall under both definitions, being both highly individualized and prized as an object for sale. Sixto Seguil, whose work is featured in the exhibition, is one of the outstanding gourd makers of Peru. Gourds, altars and other sculpture are examples of how contemporary artists follow traditions with modern variations. Both popular art and handicrafts seem to be a way to weave togetheróliterally in the case of textilesóthe past and the present, a concept that has been explored by artists from as far back as ancient Asian cultures to contemporary Peruvians. ìTradition and Entrepreneurshipî celebrates both the process and the meeting point of this artistic and economic phenomenon. ìTradition and Entrepreneurship: Popular Arts and Crafts From Peruî runs through April 30 at the Inter-American Development Bank, 1300 New York Ave., NW. For more information, please call (202) 623-3774 or visit www.iadb.org/cultural/. Gary Tischler is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.