Maria Zapca
1962 - 2020
MARIA ZAPCA WAS A MASTER OF TRADITIONAL WEAVING IN ROMANIA AND AN INTEGRAL PARTNER WITH MOZAIQUE ARTISANS, WHO WORK CLOSELY WITH TRADITIONAL ARTISANS IN ROMANIA, GUATEMALA AND IMMIGRANT GROUPS IN CALIFORNIA. CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, MIHAI PATRU IS ALSO ROMANIAN, (BASED IN CALIFORNIA). HE'S AN ADVOCATE FOR SLOW MADE CULTURES AND HAS DEVELOPED A FINANCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEM TO EMPOWER THESE TRADITIONAL COMMUNITIES FOR MODERN TIMES.
MIHAI KINDLY PAYS TRIBUTE TO A GREAT ROMANIAN LADY, WHO'S LEGACY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE HANDS OF ARTISAN WEAVERS FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
Our collaboration with Maria Zapca started in 2018, following a couple of years working with master artisans in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Working with Romanian artisans had been our priority from the start.
On our first visit toSapanta, (Maramures County) where Maria lived, we were looking for an artisan partner who was open to new design possibilities while able to use traditional techniques.
Our mission was to develop a system allowing artisans to preserve their traditions while creating opportunities and financial security.
Maria was the perfect person to partner with. She was more than an experienced and outstanding weaver. She was a keeper of traditions, a fabulous storyteller, an educator and a community leader. She was a visionary who understood that traditions, although about the past, should be glorified in the future. Her entire life was about protecting, preserving and passing on Romanian traditions, stories and history.
There are still some amazing weavers in Romania but Maria also had the energy to make things happen. She was constantly on the move making sure that no day passed without trying something new, pushing her creativity and challenging herself.
Maria was not only an exquisite weaver, but also an outstanding embroiderer. Anything that involved wool, cotton… any natural fibres… Maria was able to turn into amazing functional art pieces. Her storytelling skills were equally as important, contributing to local culture and weaving traditions. All of these attributes make up… 'made by Maria Zapca'.
We had the privilege to work alongside Maria over two summers prior to her unexpected death earlier this year. Spending time with Maria was an experience in itself… a mix of weaving, sharing stories, ideas and learning about village life and traditions. One day, a group of about 20 children stopped to visit her workshop. Instantly, Maria changed from 'weaver sitting silently on her wooden chair in front of the heavy foot loom', to an energetic storyteller capturing everyones attention for over an hour. The way she presented herself… always wearing the local, traditional outfit… some elements inherited from her mother and grandmother, other elements created by herself.
Maria will always be remembered as an inspirational force, whether locally or at a national level. We hope there will be a collective effort to preserve her legacy by sharing her stories and protecting her notes and books about weaving, patterns and colours. But the most important way to preserve Maria's legacy, is to continue her efforts to protect local traditions and crafts.
Maria is dearly missed, not only in her village, or nationally in Romania, but by weaving enthusiasts all over the world. May she rest peacefully.