Last weekend I took a trip to the Wissa Wassef Art Center. I went to the ATM first, knowing that I’d find things that I wanted to buy.
The place was really amazing. It’s basically an art colony started in the 1950s. Everyone works together but they don’t make the artists wait for a piece to sell before they pay them, they pay them all along so that their art doesn’t become commercial and so that the artists only follow their pure creative impulses. They even grow plants to make their own dyes.
If you want to know more about the place, you should go to their website. I was too busy running around taking pictures!
(Click any image to enlarge)
The wool weaving these ladies were doing was amazing – particularly as they were working strictly from a vision in their head — and working vertically!
You can see that the picture is coming out sideways on this one.
They also weave in cotton – the panels are smaller since the thread is so much finer than wool.
I felt my heart rate increase when I walked into this workspace – this man is making a batik panel, and as a quilter I love love love batik. It was a real treat to see how it is done.
I coveted this fabric but could never conceive of cutting it up for quilting!
The detail they manage to weave into these panels is just phenomenal!
This gigantic piece is actually three panels made over the course of three years.
This is some detail from the above panel. Amazing!
All of the above pieces were in the art center’s museum. I didn’t look very closely at the items for sale because they were too expensive for me to even consider. They started at $500 and went up from there. Worth every penny, but I wasn’t so sure my husband would agree with me!
I also resisted most of the pottery. It was pretty, but I have a habit of falling in love with teapots and then not using them.
I loved these little teapots but in an awesome display of willpower, I decided only to take pictures of them 
I got this picture while we were waiting for our bus to pick us up. The whole trip was worth this picture – I see this all the time but almost never have my camera with me, or a zoom lens powerful enough to take a picture like this from so far away.
All in all, quite a satisfying way to spend a Saturday morning in Cairo.
Wow – amazing. I definitely would have splurged on pottery; it’s something I try to collect from the various places we visit.
Finally in Colorado, and we have a lead on a possible small rental unit so we can get out from underfoot at our daughter’s house while we look for our ‘real’ home.
by Terry Odell March 12th, 2010 at 1:37 pmOh, I got some pottery – a small bud vase and a small plate. The teapots weren’t unreasonably priced, but the plate that I wanted most was $$$
by Jenyfer Matthews March 12th, 2010 at 3:56 pmThat weaving is UNBELIEVABLE! I can’t begin to conceive of how it is done. Truly artistic creations.
Gorgeous picture of the lady with the basket on her head. What a beautiful part of the world.
Thanks for sharing with us.
by Mama Pea March 12th, 2010 at 4:34 pmMama Pea – I am so saving up my pennies! I really want to acquire one before we leave here.
by Jenyfer Matthews March 13th, 2010 at 3:13 amWow! I wish I was that talented … I’m not. The quilts and weaves are beautiful. I would love to walk around that place and take pictures, too! Lucky duck.
by Jennifer Elliott March 15th, 2010 at 8:29 pm