The Smithsonian Folklife Magazine recently featured the Southwest Folklife Alliance in an article by SFA Disability Cultures Folklorist, Alisha Vasquez. This article is part of the Kazakhstan Artisan Initiative, a community-based cultural sustainability initiative in the country of Kazakhstan developed through a partnership between the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the Union of Artisans of Kazakhstan. Vasquez shares how 13 artists from Kazakhstan and a handful of artists from through the Southwest connected over three short days in June 2025. The collaboration aims to strengthen artisan networks, enhance the skills and income of artisan enterprises, and increase youth participation in craft practices.
