Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca

The Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca (State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca) or MEAPO is a small museum in the municipality of San Bartolo Coyotepec just south of the city of Oaxaca in Mexico. It is run by the state of Oaxaca to showcase the entity’s handcrafts and folk art tradition, through its permanent collection, online “cyber-museum,” collaboration with national and international entities, and sponsorship of events such as craft markets, conferences, and temporary exhibitions. It is dedicated to the crafts and to the artisans and the cultures behind the items. Its collection contains samples of most of the crafts produced in the state, especially the Central Valleys region, but most of its collection consists of barro negro pottery, the specialty of San Bartolo Coyotepec. It is run by director Carlomagno Pedro Martínez, a recognized artisan and artist in barro negro.

The Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca (State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca) or MEAPO is a small museum in San Bartolo Coyotepec just south of the city of Oaxaca. It is on the south side of the main plaza of the town, on the former grounds of the Constancia y Progeso School.

The main purpose of the museum is to conserve and promote Oaxacan handcrafts, folk arts and the artisans, as they are an important part of the state’s culture and economy. The museum is also a venue to promote new folk/popular artists. The permanent displays trace the history of Oaxaca handcrafts and folk art from the early pre-Hispanic period to the present day. The museum is sponsored by government agencies with foreign foundations with the aim of growing its collection and to hold events and other activities to promote traditional Oaxacan crafts and the people who make them.

The museum works to build collaborative partnerships such as that they hold with the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art association based in New York City. This organization has worked with the museum on projects such as scholarships, five of which valued at 10,000 pesos each were authorized in 2008 for the training of young artists.

The physical museum has three permanent halls and a permanent collection that focuses on the common crafts of the state of Oaxaca. Its largest collection is of barro negro pottery, which is the most important handcraft produced in San Bartolo Coyotepec. The collection includes 120 pieces made by 37 artisans in the municipality. These pieces were selected for their aesthetic qualities with many having participated in state, national, and international competitions.

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