On November 6, Kiawah Arts, etc. hosted a luncheon at the Sandcastle for over 50 members. A delicious and creative lunch was catered by “Tasty Designs by Tara” and “Love & Bunches.” Lunch was preceded by a business meeting, where members heard about upcoming events, including a talk by artist Mary Whyte in February and a performance by the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra in March. The Youth Orchestra has been invited to play at Carnegie Hall in February, and Arts, etc. is funding their trip there.
This fall, Arts, etc. sponsored programs at the Gaillard Center and a program by Chamber Music Charleston, combining storytelling with musical accompaniment. Arts etc. sponsors trips downtown to these programs. Arts Now encourages teacher development for arts integration in schools and chose Angel Oak Elementary School for the “Cool School of the Week” award.
Following lunch, there was a presentation by Lesley Sager, a professor of Interior Design at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the founder of Merry Go Strong in Kenya. Sager always wanted to create a study abroad program, and, in 2012, she traveled to Kenya and visited a missionary school. She learned of a woman named Aniceta Kiriga who dreamed of changing the lives of women and girls in her community. As the founder of the Tharaka Women’s Welfare Program in 1996, Kiriga had initiated the first Alternative Rite of Passage (ARP) to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She created a “rite of passage” instead for girls, and an offshoot of this program is a Women’s Adult Literacy program which is predicated on a commitment not to put their daughters through FGM. The dramatic cultural shift has drastically improved girls’ health and adult women’s literacy rates.
Merry Go Strong was founded by Sager in 2016 to support this vision. She observed the hardships of the women in rural Kenya: walking hours to find water, subsistence farming and often abuse in the home. Looking for a new design challenge to help these women, in 2012, Sager was told about the crocheted baskets made by the older generation who had no education. The making of the baskets was sponsored by the Adult Literary group. A study abroad program followed: Students brought yarn supplies, reading glasses, solar lamps and eventually grains during times of drought and water tanks to store water.
In 2019, photos of the women and their baskets were published by a magazine, and the enterprise grew. The women are empowered by the money they are making, and violence in the home has gone down. They were able to fix up their houses with roofs, toilets and more, and they opened shops and a grocery store in the little town.
By 2023, the close-knit group of women started wearing matching dresses and called themselves The Basket Ladies. The group has grown from 30 women to over 200. American students still go with Sager once or twice a year to provide and organize the yarn and crochet hooks and choose the colors. A building is underway to provide permanent workspace and storage areas. The women are paid directly at the time of purchase and receive commissions after the basket is sold – more if the basket is sold for a higher price than expected. After the program, many Arts, etc. members bought most of the baskets offered by Sager.
The next event for Arts, etc. members is a luncheon and holiday boutique on December 11 at the Kiawah Island Club River Clubhouse. For more information, go to info@kiawahartsetc.org.