Even the daintiest of pieces in Siam describe deep, cultural histories and traditions. Brightly painted celadon ceramic bowls were crafted using an ancient Chinese technique of glazing that uses a mixture of wood ash. The bowls were then delicately hand painted by artists in Thailand, whose photographs sit alongside their work.
A trip through the Siam storefront, located in the space previously occupied by Hell Bent Leather and Silver on main street, is less a meander through yet another home furnishings store, and more a private tour of owner Cindy deVittorio's Asian art collection. DeVittorio has spent most of the last two decades living and working in areas of Southeast Asia, most recently Thailand. The art and furniture found within the walls of her store reflect her and her husband Tony's passion for the art and culture discovered in the places they've explored.
"When I started the business, I did it to help share some of the experiences I had that were associated with the culture of the areas we lived and traveled in," says deVittorio. "Opening the business was also a way for us to help these cultures keep their art and ancient crafts alive. Art is just one way people keep their culture alive anywhere in the world, and we hope to encourage people to continue to learn those ancient arts so that they won't disappear."
The idea for opening a store like Siam began during the years the deVittorios spent living abroad, first in Australia, then in Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and finally, Thailand. As diVittorio explains, friends and family visiting the couple during their years overseas would ask about finding furniture and art pieces similar to those in the deVittorios' home. What began as just a "hobby" of decorating their own home and those of friends, turned into Siam Art and Décor.
"It is more about the art being handmade than it simply being from another culture," said deVittorio of the focus of her business. "We wanted each piece to be unique, and each piece to tell a story."
Much of the art found at Siam reflects Burmese, Cambodian (called Khmer) and Thai influences. Every piece, from the stone statues of Ganesh and other Hindu-inspired figures, to intricate wood carvings depicting time-honored designs, to terra cotta votives kept as good luck charms and traditional style rain jars and ceramic tableware, is 100 percent hand made by artists living in Thailand and other southeast Asia countries.
"The general rule is that we don't do business with any artist until we've seen what they can do, and have inspected their work and determined that their standards are high," deVittorio says.
What this "rule" means is that the furniture and art found at Siam is of the highest grade and quality available, made entirely by hand in the traditions of the native culture, and that deVittorio and her staff create close working and personal relationships with the artists.
"The key to our success has been that we have built relationships with the artists and their communities," says deVittorio. "Especially within a culture like Thailand, you have to be a part of the whole process."
When in Thailand, deVittorio frequently travels around the country in search of new artists and rare art. Her travels take her to remote parts of the country, and occasionally to private homes and kitchens where her adventurous nature is tested.
"For me, it's nice to have a piece in my store and know the history behind it, and have a relationship with the people who made it," she says, even though she admits that choking down chicken feet is not exactly the most glamorous or pleasing aspect of her job.
DeVittorio's desire to maintain high quality art standards while helping perpetuate dying art forms was recently put to work right here in Telluride.
Gonpo Dorjee, a Tibetan refugee visiting Telluride as a guest of the Montrose-based Western Colorado Friends of Tibet organization, owns and operates an authentic Tibetan rug business from his current home in Toronto, Canada. On his trip to Telluride, he brought with him numerous examples of his home country's most revered art form, hand-knotted rugs. DeVittorio warmly opened Siam's doors to display the rugs over the weekend.
Dorjee said of the authentic Tibetan rugs, some of which will remain on display and for sale at Siam through Labor Day, "This is one of Tibet's oldest traditional art forms. To me, being able to show this work at different places is a chance for me to help keep my country's culture alive. The Tibetan culture is one that not many people know about ... but when I travel and sell my goods, I leave a little bit of Tibet in every place I go. People then get interested in Tibet and learn more about Tibet, and that is a very overwhelming feeling for me."
Tibetan refugees living in Nepal make the rugs using the traditional double-knot technique. A weaver must work nearly full time for close to two months to complete just one three-by-six-foot rug. The technique makes for a very sturdy and antique-quality carpet.
As Dorjee explains, the weaving techniques and traditional designs of the Tibetan rugs were in danger of becoming an extinct art, due to the volatile cultural and political conditions in the country over the last five decades. The Tibetan Refugee community kept the art of rug weaving alive, and now it is one of the main sources of income for exiled Tibetans.
"Our rugs are often made by relatives and friends living in Nepal, where it is very difficult to get jobs," says Dorjee. "To be able to come to a place like Telluride, a small community but a place where a lot of the people are well traveled and seem concerned about the situation in Tibet at the present, to show my rugs has been very overwhelming for me. I feel very thankful to Cindy and everyone else who helped me come here to show my rugs."
Post a Comment