Dear PFA+D members and friends:
PFA+D has an eleven-year history of connecting like-minded arts aficionados, collectors, educators, and artists, to explore together the rich visual offerings in South Florida. On our monthly bus treks, we explored studios, galleries, visited fabrication facilities, and other art-related venues and were able to experience and celebrate the vast resources in our own community.
In 2020 and 2021, the virtual world opened up to us and gave us amazing opportunities to trek virtually and meet, explore, learn from artists/designers/artisans from all over the world and many parts of the U.S. Artists welcomed us into their homes and studios and provided personalized tours of their current and in-process works. One of the fascinating and educational treks took us, virtually of course, to the mountains in Guatemala, to spend time with a community of weavers, exploring their backstrap weaving traditions and creations.
The future is bright. With the help of our dedicated and engaged board and committee volunteers, we will continue to look for the unusual, the unique, and the excellent – for our programming and our treks. We will maintain our zest to plan experiences locally and across the world.
PFA+D’s expansion includes the inauguration of the PFA+D Fellows, who will be artists and creatives nominated by their craft guilds for this award. They will have opportunities to enhance their practice and marketing skills through workshops, mentoring and an exhibition of their work.
Through membership, you can help PFA+D expand and continue its impact. Do join us and participate in our art-centered activities. I welcome back our current members and look forward to welcoming anyone interested in becoming a new member.
Together, let’s immerse ourselves in art, craft and design, celebrate our mutual passion for the arts, and work to sustain appreciation of all aspects of the visual arts in our community.
Warmly,
Abbey Chase
President, Partners for Art + Design
MISSION
To support art, craft and design by educating and enlightening interested persons about artists, artisans and creators processes, as well as developing further understanding and appreciation for traditional and contemporary craft and design in South Florida, the US and globally.
VISION
To build awareness of the richness and diversity of our creative community through enriching programming and activities and support the development of local artists through targeted funding.
Board of Directors
Abbey Chase
President
Mireille Chancy-Gonzalez
Treasurer
Pam Mayer
Secretary and Communications
Rossie Cortes
Director, Communications
Terry Kaplan
Director, Treks and Programs
Lilia Garcia
Director, Fellowship Program
Carol Damian
Director, Fellowship Program
Matthew Anderson
Director, Membership
Diane Deen
Director, Membership
Nancy Billings
Director, Creative Saturdays
BJ Lang
Director, Creative Saturdays
James Herring
Director, Special Projects
Deborah Hoffman
Founding and Immediate Past President
History
2008
Partners for Artisans (PFA) is formed by a group of women with diverse backgrounds and expertise. Their mission was to support arts and crafts from the Caribbean diaspora. PFA provided financial assistance to artisans to foster artistic traditions, enhance cultural vitality, and bring about community wellbeing. PFA offered treks with visits to private collections and unusual galleries.
2008-9
PFA partnered with the Aid to Artisans organization (ATA) to support artisans in the Caribbean diaspora. The collaboration involved underwriting the purchase of materials and supplies for production of beads by HIV/AIDS patients, which were used by artisan women in Cerca La Source, Haiti, who, after design workshops and training, created necklaces for sale.
2010-2017
PFA continued awarding grants to artisans, and assisted with funds for education and training. For example, support for rebuilding a leather factory‘s workshop (damaged by the earthquake) so that its shoemaking industry could continue and its products would be available to designers and retail shops.
2018-present
Evolution to PFA+D, which would encompass art and design beyond the Caribbean diaspora and continue a focus including traditional and contemporary crafts. PFA+D held bus treks until COVID created the need to have virtual treks. Zoom trek presentations enabled the locations to include venues beyond Florida, in the United States and as far away as South America. A Fellowship Program was established to be launched in 2021. The awards will help artists further develop their art and underwrite attendance at workshops on important skills, such as arts management. The local arts guilds will each select an artist for this inaugural Fellowship program.
PFA+D governing documents, conflict of interest policy, financial statements and form 990 are available for public inspection upon written request to Abbey Chase at achase@chasemiami.com.