Synergo Arts is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), tax exempt organization based in Arizona. Its purpose is to help artists and artisans around the world use ergonomics to maximize health, income, performance, productivity, creativity, and art or craft quality. They do this through a grassroots approach to innovating and delivering ergonomics resources, with a special focus on empowering the millions of artisans in the developing world who depend on their craft for survival.
Consulting and design projects
Synergo Arts’ current main focus in Guatemala is an ergonomic bench for backstrap weavers. The bench enables women to protect their health while producing more textiles of better quality. As a result, indigenous artisans increase their ability to provide for their families, and also preserve their weaving culture.
This project helps local people learn to make and use the ergonomic weaving bench. A start-up kit and tech support from Synergo Arts enhance carpenters’ skills and help ensure that the ergonomic features of the bench are preserved. By making benches, carpenters can increase their livelihood and gain satisfaction from helping their own people. Synergo Arts also offers a train-the-trainer program for backstrap weavers and conducts outreach activities to help local communities build their own infrastructure for fabrication, distribution, promotion, training and micro-finance.
Workshops and Publications
For artists, artisans, art educators, and organizations that support them, Synergo Arts offers customized workshops to expand capacity for using ergonomics.
Research and Development
Synergo Arts is actively developing ergonomics resources across the spectrum of art media and art cultures. They invite community participation in this research and development process.
Synergo Arts envisions a world in which artisans and artists create prosperous, healthy lives through the application of ergonomic knowledge and sustainable innovations.
To learn more about Synergo Arts, please visit their website. For more information on the bench project please read the article, Ergonomics for Creativity, Harmony and Wholeness from the Nov/Dec’08 issue of Fiberarts magazine, and visit the bench project and FAQ pages.
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