The UN Division for Sustainable Development provides leadership and is an authoritative source of expertise within the United Nations system on sustainable development. It promotes sustainable development as the substantive secretariat to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. It does so through technical cooperation and capacity building at international, regional and national levels.
In attendance at the event were mountainous country delegations and other NGO representatives and stakeholders. Kathy, a noted tableware designer, ceramist and educator, was invited by The Mountain Institute (TMI) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to participate in a panel presentation promoting mountain economies through high value, high quality mountain products. TMI is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation, community development and cultural preservation in the Andean, Appalachian, Himalayan and other mountain ranges.
In conjunction with TMI, Kathy worked with ATA in the fall of 2007 on a small project in the remote part of Yunnan, Western China that was the focus of her UN presentation. ATA’s goal was to increase the sales of Nixi Township black clay pottery to domestic and foreign tourists and therefore improve the incomes and livelihoods of the Nixi potters.
Kathy worked collaboratively with the Nixi potter artisans to ensure that their cultural references remained intact during the design process. Within that context, she helped to teach the potters innovation, for example how to design portable, small, functional pieces that were more than just cooking vessels and could appeal to the Chinese tourist market. They also created a collection of vases based on traditional, local dZi beads that had historical relevance and yet were functional.
ATA is thrilled to have learned from TMI some exciting post-project news. After ATA ended its project and left the region, the Yunnan potters found a renewed interest in their community to produce pottery and they are selling more products with the design mentoring they’ve received. The head of TMI’s Asian region said it is the first time in 2,000 years that women have started to make pottery there. This was never done in the history of the Nixi Pottery tradition before ATA’s project. ATA is extremely proud to report that we helped not only save, but revive, a dying tradition.
