Johnny Chamba opened the door with caution. Two foreigners stood out on the street, and he eyed them warily. In Lima, where he created and sold wood carvings, middlemen ruled the art world. They could determine if your work made it to market. If it ever saw the light of day. But they also set the price of an art object, often driving it down so low that the artist — however skilled — might struggle to survive.
In Johnny’s case, his work was fastidious, clean, and sophisticated. His woodcarvings were labors of love that he poured his heart and soul into. But he earned such little money from his work, that he could not afford to buy his daughter — his pride and joy — clothes, school supplies, or toys. To make matters worse, recognition followed profit, and so he toiled for many years without the dignity he deserved.
Little did he know that his world was about to change. The foreigners outside were NOVICA founders, Roberto Milk and Mina Olivera, and they had been searching high and low to find him. They had discovered one of his “Ekeko” statues in a market in Lima. Ekekos are good luck charms and are prevalent throughout Peru. But they had never seen one this beautiful.
Tracking down the artist among cagey middlemen was no easy feat. When Roberto and Mina finally found Johnny — when he finally overcame his suspicion and opened the door — they announced their intentions. They wanted to sell his work. They wanted him to set his own price. And they wanted to buy hundreds of dollars of his art right then and there.
Johnny Chamba wept tears of joy. Today, he runs a thriving workshop with his brother. His woodcarvings are adored with NOVICA customers, especially his #1 Bestselling Peruvian Paso Horse which was just featured in the latest NOVICA catalog. And he has not only received the respect his artwork merits, but he has also been profiled in an AP news article. His is a success story we’re so proud to share. |
