Kythzia Suarez

Overview

I am Head of Innovando la Tradición (IT), a platform where artisans, designers and artists share skills, knowledge and stories to rethink and honor the ceramic traditions of Oaxaca, Mexico. We are a multidisciplinary non-profit and a sustainable design enterprise trying to build bridges between high-tech and appropiate technology, open new markets and support cultural exchange between design and folk art, to rethink how we produce and relate to the objects we create. Pottery making traditions have been a source of income, identity, social structure and ecological balance for centuries. this valuable heritage and the livelihood of thousands of indigenous artisans is now greatly in danger of disappearing. Through collaborative design strategies, anthropological methodologies, narrative therapy, marketing and other social sciences we identify needs and foster solutions based on thorough research. We started the first social enterprise in its kind, Collectivo 1050º, to bridge pottery communities from Oaxaca to high-end export and national markets. Our goal is to elevate the commercial value, but above all, the symbolic and cultural value of pottery in today's world. We foster innovation through experimental design workshops and technical training, we search for sustainable technological changes, promote pottery through a variety of means and open new market opportunities for the artisans. Feel free to contact me and ask all the difficult questions! Looking forward to answear them... together! k kythzia holds a Bachellors Degree on Industrial Design by Universidad Iberoamericana (MX), a Masters Degree on Social and Sustainable Design by The Design Academie Eindhoven, (NL) and technincal trainning at the Program Modern Design and Traditional Crafts from Kyoto Institute of Technology (JPN). k has taken several seminars on Business by New Ventures Mexico and has trainned herself on ground to lead potters from remote villages to sell fine pottery at Concept stores