:: December 2006 ::Treasures AboundThe home of art collector Sandra Perry is a reflection of her travels as much as it is a museum that honors artisans from thousands of miles away.text Teena Apeles photo Evans Vestal Ward
There are numerous treasures to be found in Pasadena. Among them is the incredible variety of African art, from tribal textiles to contemporary paintings, at Sandra Perry's store, Cultures, located on Del Mar Avenue. Perry's own doorstep lies just four blocks away in a complex that she has called home for more than two decades. There, in her charming two-bedroom condo, Perry has an extraordinary collection of art and furnishings that are worthy of being housed in any crafts museum. She collected the majority of the items in her home during visits to Africa, and they will take you to exotic places and introduce you to peoples most have only read about: the Republic of Congo, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, the Zulu, the Punu. Against one wall are display cases that hold intricately beaded sculptures, decorative ceramics, wooden figurines and expertly woven baskets. Colorful paintings of African women by Congolese artist Lutanda Nzamba also hang on the wall, with tribal masks and a ceremonial drum among the items placed below them. Against the opposite wall is a leather couch made in South Africa that Perry designed herself, as well as gorgeous suede pillows she also designed, inspired by Zulu shields. Every piece conveys the human touch because all were handcrafted with a quality and care that only generations of learned artistry could produce. Perry first traveled to Africa in 2001, and it was on that initial visit that she became captivated by the creations of local artists who were eager to show their wares. "I found all these wonderful things that I purchased for myself, but on the plane I thought, 'Wait a minute — this is a business.'" She had originally wanted to start a sorbet business, but put that aside to launch Cultures in 2002 and import the work of artists she discovered on her journeys. "Can you sell this? Can you use this in the United States?" the artists asked Perry. "Everyone wanted help," she says. The prospect of working with African artists and helping support their craft excited her. And the artists were equally grateful to have their work traverse continents. "I have such a large variety of items because when you go [to Africa] . . . they put art in everything that they do, like a Zulu beer pot, just made for ceremonies [and] used when drinking beer," she says. "For us, it's art, and they're collected all over the world." Perry enjoys learning about the origin of every artwork or artifact she purchases. In most cases, she intimately knows the artists behind them and carries their work in Cultures. Her admiration for them shows. She speaks enthusiastically about a painting by Utella Didi, whom she met on one of her many trips and who uses a mixture of sand and paint to create his exquisitely textured pieces. The embroidered fabric hanging in her eating area she identifies as Kuba cloth, made by the Kuba tribe of Congo. It is "very rare and really sought after," she says. "I was told that it was made for the king to walk on when the king comes to the village." There is such a harmony to her home and everything contained it in — from the remarkable textiles and baskets of Congo and finely crafted wooden furniture from India to her gorgeous mahogany-colored bamboo bedroom furniture from the Philippines. And at the heart of her impressive collection is a deep appreciation for the handiwork of another human being. © 2006 Southland Publishing |