A Letter from the Director:

Dear Educator,

    The word, Kantara, meaning bridge in Arabic is an appropriate designation for this Project, which seeks to connect diverse global audiences of students through time and space. Supported by a rich curriculum, the Kantara Project is a multidisciplinary education program that encourages American elementary, middle, and high school students to cultivate their own global identity through their understanding of Moroccan culture, North African history, and World arts traditions. Ultimately, the Kantara Project allows students to relate their newfound understanding of the world back to their own communities.

    The Kantara Project is the logical evolution of my work as an educator and fair trade activist. In 2008 I began a fair trade business that specialized in importing carpets directly from women’s weaving cooperatives in rural Morocco. I was initially drawn to the art of the carpets and the legacy of the craft, and my interest was further sustained by the artisans I met and the culture I discovered. My goal in starting my business, Kantara Crafts was twofold: on the one hand I aimed to sell carpets in order to encourage the path of artistic development among Moroccan artisans and on the other hand, I dedicated myself to spreading educational awareness within the United States about Morocco’s Amazigh carpets.

    The education aspect took off and before I knew it, I was doing presentations in front of weaving groups, women’s groups, and school groups of all ages. I traveled to senior centers to speak about Moroccan rugs and spoke to library groups and museums. Soon, I began a mixed media art exhibit called Untangling Threads: Women Artisans in Morocco’s Rug Weaving Industry, which celebrates the life and culture of women weavers in Morocco. While Untangling Threads began as a gallery exhibit, the idea was always for it to become a dynamic educational tool that interfaced with school curriculums, thereby getting students out of the classrooms, and into the galleries and then bringing the art from the galleries back into their classrooms and beyond. In this way, education is reinforced on every level, through art and hands-on activities, and the students are reminded of these lessons within their schools, their communities, and their homes.

    Thus, the Kantara Project was born. As we begin this Project in Ohio, the idea is to use this model to grow and expand. This is only the first step of the next phase, and just like the Kantara Project grew out of a love and appreciation for Moroccan textiles, so too will this Project evolve into a comprehensive educational tool for educators across the United States.

All the best,

Alia Kate