Clare Brett Smith is President Emerita of Aid To Artisans. Aid to Artisans (ATA) is a non-profit organization based in Hartford, Connecticut whose mission is to offer "practical assistance to artisan groups worldwide, working in partnerships to foster artistic traditions, cultural vitality, improved livelihoods and community well-being." ATA works with artisans in every region of the world through its product and market development programs, business skills training and Small Grants Program.
Smith served as President of ATA from 1986-2005. Prior to that, Smith owned and managed Primitive Artisan, a well-known import company specializing in handicrafts of developing nations. The company was sold in 1982.
Clare Brett Smith graduated from Smith College, where her major field was history and where she was Editor-in-Chief of the college newspaper.
I'm always surprised at how talented people are and that's the really good thing. It's just astounding how hard they'll work and what they have to do to make it work. You know at one time, my husband and I were in Kurdistan and they were making felt. Well, you sort of know a little bit about felt...(Full transcript available to logged in subscribers.).
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