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Rare 8 pc set Peace Corps Ocepa Leather Furniture 1960's Ecuador
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Rare 8 pc set Peace Corps Ocepa Leather Furniture 1960's Ecuador
About the Item
What follows is Mr. Senseman's response to our inquiry and explains in detail about these unique pieces and their relevance;
Hello,
I worked for OCEPA during a Peace Corps Assignment in Ecuador from 1967 to 1970. During that time leather furniture was developed through the United States Agency for International Development, USAID. The ALIANZA para el Progresso was also a project of USAID. They employed designers from Scandinavia during the early 1960s to come to Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador to develop handcrafts for the artisans to make. It is likely that the furniture that you mention was made in Cuenca, Ecuador. The designer was someone named McGee......and we knew the chair as the McGee Chair during our assignments as Product Developers for Handcrafts there. Our main goal was the promotion of handcrafts and our projects for OCEPA were many and varied. We designed the interiors of Ecuatoriana's new (used) aircraft from Cathay Airlines with all artisan products. I also worked on and designed the interiors of three retail stores in Quito, Ecuador, Cali, Colombia, and Buenos Aires, Argentina while there using all artisan materials. The Ecuatoriana Airlines office in Cali, was also one of our projects. We also initiated mail order catalogs of artisan handcrafts to Europe and the USA which were advertised in the magazines, House Beautiful and other shelter journals. OCEPA as it was then, probably no longer exists, as the government of Ecuador has gone through many many changes since 1970 and continues to go through turmoil every year it seems. Anyway, I hope you find this information useful, and interesting if nothing else. I still have the photos of the chair you mention in one remaining copy of the catalog that I designed. The chair was shipped all over the world knocked down, and that was one of the design requirements. The chairs could still be manufactured down there. At the time our project was going on the average income of a typical jeweler, potter, artisan, craftsman, etc. was less than $100. per year. I'm not sure that it has improved much even today.
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)Depth: 27 in (68.58 cm)Seat Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 8
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960's
- Condition:The wood has been re-stained and sealed. The leather seating is great on 3 of the 4 chairs, the 4th had a tear that has been stabilized and is a little more worn than the others. One of the table has some staining, that blends in with the scene.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: U0810208350560
About the Seller
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