Without action, the art of weaving will die in Turkey
The tradition of Turkish weaving is still on the brink of extinction.
For centuries, the tradition of hand weaving was passed down from mother to child, transmitting this beautiful and endlessly useful art-form from generation to generation.
This invaluable tradition was interrupted 40+ years ago when Industrial-made textiles started dominating the marketplace. Looms were no longer household items and the tradition of female weavers maintaining their teaching heritage began to die out.
Jennifer has made it her mission to breathe new life into this endangered art. She is committed to establishing an environment that will nurture and empower marginalized rural women to learn the skills of weaving, spinning and dying; while cultivating the next generation of teachers. The project will be open to everyone with an emphasis placed on saving these precious artisanal skills.
A Foundation application was submitted to the Turkish government March 2020. Due to Covid the approval of the Foundation has been delayed. We eagerly await approval so we can progress to accommodate donations from those inspired by Jennifer's vision - a vision which embodies the values of co-operation, trust, passion and innovation to support dying artisanal skills, the local community & refugees, the local economies, underserved women in a environmentally sustainable fashion.
The project will situated on approx. 250-500 acres of land in middle Anatolia, allowing space for wooded areas, ponds and farmland. The farmland will be used to sustain the project both through the cultivation of organic foods and the production of natural materials to be used in spinning, dying and weaving. Jennifer is committed to creating an environmentally sustainable corner of the world, using permaculture philosophies to enrich the land and the community.
Tourists will be welcomed to visit and participate in all aspects of artisan and farm life and be a momentous part in ensuring that the project becomes self-sustaining.
We look forward to sharing each milestone from inception to completion as this vision comes to life.
If you would like more information regarding this project, or how you might assist in seeing the dream come to fruition, please contact Jennifer directly at: jennifer@jennifershamam.com
