Handicraft display in West Jakarta

Handicraft display in West Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): An exhibition of Indonesian handicrafts are
being held in West Jakarta.

The exhibition was opened Thursday by Mrs. Surjadi Soedirdja,
wife of the governor of Jakarta at ITC Roxy Mas.

Among the local handicrafts on display were garments, batik,
leather work, marble work, calligraphy, wooden blinds, mats,
gems, seashell items, needlework from Kalimantan, East Java and
West Java.

Mrs. Surjadi called on the business community to support
amateur artists and offer them chances to learn and grow in order
to develop and improve their work.

The organizer did not say how long the exhibition would last.

Some participating artisans said they had received generous
support after becoming members of the Indonesian Handicraft
Council, a loose organization of craftsmen founded in the 1980s.

"We've been to Japan and the Netherlands to market our
products," said Udin, 20, from the Jakarta-based Kayu Tangi Art,
whose ingenuity gave birth to producing beautiful Kalimantan
wooden blind and mats.

"Lots of woods are wasted around the timber factory in
Kalimantan," he said. "I thought about making creative use of
it."

Prior to visiting the exhibition, Mrs. Surjadi inaugurated the
ITC Roxy Mas building, which had its soft opening last April. The
building has about 500 kiosks. (14)