The Marae Gallery in Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, features 40 photographs of In Her Hands women artisans from all over the world. Toby pauses before entering the exhibit for the first time.

Paola leans on a showcase-full of Shipibo pottery and arpilleras from Peru, plus Ndebele beaded dolls from South Africa. Our first visitor inspects photographs of floral offering makers in Bali.

The Field Museum's store is full of In Her Hands displays with crafts made by women artisans in many countries; here, baskets woven by Zulu women in South Africa and by Wounnan women in Panama... Among the molas by Kuna women in Panama and weavings from Guatemala, Toby discovers some In Her Hands Notecards...

Jill Mandler, Store Manager, refills the stock of In Her Hands books, which are stored underneath shelves of arpilleras from Peru, packaged foods from The Women's Bean Project, and slippers made by Navajo women in the American southwest.


The party favors for the opening reception arrive (the bags include little notecards made by the Women Against Aids project in Thailand, contributed by Eco-Accents, which imports them). David Foster, Curator at the Field Museum in Chicago, discusses exhibition details with Toby.

On opening day, Toby greets Save the Children's Eleanor Cicerchi, Associate Vice President for Development and Paola laughs with the organization's Northeastern Development Director, Regina Bell.


© Paola Gianturco and Toby Tuttle 2003-2009