December 07, 2022
I took a “Wisdom” course a few years ago, in which we explored, among other things, how art and music provide an access to the “eternal.” For me, that “eternal” includes the invisible connections that exist between all of us. One of the things that I’ve always loved about art and music is . . .
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December 01, 2022
I’m usually not a huge archeology buff, and I tend to agree with my archeology friend’s assessment that archeologists spend too much time “guessing” what dead people were thinking. But my recent archeology adventures in Tajikistan did give me a new appreciation for the melding of history and culture in archeology. I also freely admit that the enthusiasm of the two archeologists in our 3 ‘Stans Tour group was contagious.
Our first archeological site in Tajikistan was . . .
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November 24, 2022
Since this is Thanksgiving week in the US, I've been taking stock of the many things for which I'm grateful. (I keep a daily gratitude journal where I record five things I'm thankful for, which must be different from the five things noted the day before. This practice, recommended by my fantastic business coach Tania Vasallo, has helped me get through the craziness of the last few years.) My trip to the 'Stans in September and October ranks very high on the top 25 list of gratitude-inducing e...
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November 17, 2022
I love food, but I’m not a true “foodie.” I rarely take photos of food for social media (though my daughter and I do exchange text photos of extra-indulgent desserts). I don’t collect recipes because I rarely cook these days. But food is such an integral part of any travel experience that I thought you would enjoy this “food tour” of Central Asia—incomplete as it may be.
The photos included in this blog are . . .
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November 10, 2022
Hello from Seattle! I’m here for the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association. This is our fourth appearance at the AAA meeting as an exhibitor. All I we can say is “We love anthropologists, and they love HoonArts!” One of my favorite things about anthropologists–they already know where the ‘Stans are!
But I didn’t forget about you! I made you a promise last week and I always try to . . .
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November 02, 2022
I promised you last week that I’d share another piece of our extraordinary adventures in Kyrgyzstan during our recent 3 Stans Tour. Here it is: Part 2 of “Felting Fun Across Kyrgyzstan”. In “Felting, Felting, Felting Everywhere,” you’ll get to experience another whirlwind video tour through the country, this time through the lens of some of the traditional felting techniques and related wool arts that we saw as we traveled through the mountainous areas of Kyrgyzstan.
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October 27, 2022
This morning, as I was driving back from my weekly strength training session, I stopped to take a couple of photos as I passed through Sandia Pueblo on the northern border of Albuquerque. Not only because I love those mountains and the New Mexico sky, but also because they were so perfect for this article.
Why, you may ask, would I want to show you the New Mexico mountains, when I promised I would tell you more about my journey to the ‘Stans? Hold that thought, and it will become clear.
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October 20, 2022
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I’m back from our whirlwind three week "Three ‘Stans Tour" to Central Asia, though still recovering from jet lag (12 time zones is a LOT!) and the cold that got passed around our tour group. The tour was everything I hoped for and more.
I have hundreds of photos and videos, some amazing pieces of art that I brought home or will be shipped to me soon, new relationships, deeper understanding, and a trunkful of . . .
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October 13, 2022
By the time this reaches you, I’ll either be on my flight home from Bishkek or already on the ground in Los Angeles. But I haven’t yet introduced you to all the HoonArts artists that we connected with on our 3 ‘Stans Tour. This week, it’s Usto (respectful “Master” in the Tajiki language) Sodiq Zaripov, who lives in the ancient Silk Road city of Istaravshan, located on the way between Panjakent and Khujand.
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October 06, 2022
This week, we’re visiting the Central Asian silk ikat weaving center in Margilan, Uzbekistan. Unless he is away tending to one of his myriad projects around the country, we’ll be visiting the ikat weaving studios of Aziz Murtazaev, founder of the Crafts Studio IkatUz cooperative. Like Munira Akilova of Tajikistan, Aziz is a modern renaissance man and wears many hats in the craft world of Uzbekistan and beyond.
“Ikat” is an Indonesian word meaning “bind.” Modern textile experts around the wor...
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September 29, 2022
Yes, I’m finally back here in Central Asia! I’m not absolutely positive, but I’m pretty sure that I started talking about the idea of leading a tour way back in 2018.I know that I was displaying a Tour flyer at an event in the fall of 2019. But the pandemic intervened, so it feels like a miracle that we’re finally here on the ground in the heart of the ancient Silk Road.
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September 22, 2022
Since 2017, HoonArts has been a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation. After we were officially accepted as members of the FTF following a year-long application and verification process, we changed our legal business name is “HoonArts Fair Trade, LLC” to emphasize our official fair trade status. But what is "fair trade" and why does it matter?
The Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is a community of verified North American businesses that are dedicated to the principles of fair
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