Bolivian art mirrors struggle

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"Artesania Sorata," cloth wall hangings from the Andes. An exhibition, organized by Diane Bellomy, at the Galeria de la Raza, San Francisco, July 21 through August 18, 1984. (Tentatively scheduled to tour to other U.S. cities.)

Weaving is an ancient art in Bolivia. For centuries, the people of the harsh slopes of the Andes have produced fabrics of pure colors and incredibly intricate patterns.

Seven years ago, when Diane Bellomy came to the Bolivian village of Sorata, textile art had long fallen into disuse. Bellomy, an artist who was born in the United States, was able to work with the people of the region to find an artistic use for the scraps of cloth left over from clothes-making. The pieces were sewn into appliqued wall hangings GREATER BALANCE OF TRADE EQUILIBRIUM APPROPRIATE CURRENCY ADJUSTMENTS...

EAT LESS and dolls. About 100 men and women— artists, weavers, and dyers-are now associated with Bellomy's workshop.

«These were families of miners, but they needed more money to pay for food and kerosene, Bellomy told me. "By using their inherited abilities in weaving and sewing, the people were able to gain additional economic and personal stability."

Bellomy pointed out that the people of Bolivia have been further impoverished recently as a result of the disas trous combination of the worldwide recession and the austerity decisions made by the International Monetary Fund. Bolivia's international debt is $3.8 billion. The peso, which was valued at 25 to the dollar less than three years ago, today stands at 7000 to the dollar.

Increased economic hardship has had an impact on the textiles. "Formerly, the work showed charming country scenes with animals and mountains, Bellomy said. "But about six months ago, when we were planning our exhibition in San Francisco, I looked at the works and didn't feel good about them. They were no longer inspired. And I didn't feel the artists were happy with their work. They were just trying to make something that might sell.

"We began to realize together the possibility of showing their actual life— which is one of daily struggle. We have hopes of making people aware through art of the problems of people whose babies are dying because they can't afford to feed them."

The more recent wall hangings reflect the increased political concerns of the artists. Joyously colored landscapes are now peopled with groups of striking miners raising their picket signs, women with baskets waiting for bread, or protesters halting traffic at a roadblock. The ancient art of the Andes has been restored to speak to the modern world..

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The Fight Again Shutdowns: Youngstown's Steel Mill Closings, by account, Lynd asserts that such a policy is possible within the capitalist system. Nowhere does he challenge the basic assumptions of the private profit sys-