Synergo Arts | Ergonomics for Artists and Artisans

About Synergo Arts

Our mission is to help artists and artisans around the world maximize their health, income, performance, productivity,
creativity and art or craft quality through ergonomics education, consulting, and design. We take a grassroots
approach to innovating and delivering ergonomics resources, with a special focus on empowering the millions of
artisans who depend on their craft for survival.

Board of Directors

Vision

We envision a world in which empowered artisans and artists create their own
prosperous, healthy lives through the application of ergonomic knowledge and
sustainable innovations.

Synergo Arts established as an Arizona nonprofit corporation in 2007, to be the leading provider of resources in
ergonomics education, consulting, and design for artisan communities around the world. In May of 2009, Synergo
Arts became a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

Here's what we've accomplished thus far, through the award-winning
ergonomic weaving bench project:

Developed a Start-up Kit and Technical Support Program to enhance
carpenter's skills and help ensure that the ergonomic features of the
bench are preserved.

Provided the Start-up Kit and Technical Support Program to train
indigenous carpenters in two Guatemalan communities, training them to
make and sell benches independently under their own brand. This
increase's the men's livelihood and gives them a way to help their
community. They set their own prices, and are responsible for the quality
of their work.

Developed a train-the-trainer program for the weavers that prepares
women to educate other weavers in their communities. While enhancing
self esteem, this program helps weavers get the most benefit from the
bench and learn to use it safely.

Guatemalan weaver Juana Ramos, who collaborated closely to create
our culturally appropriate training program, now consults independently.
Along with training for weavers, Juana offers assistance to local
communities and organizations for introducing the bench. Through
Grupo Cajola, for example, Juana has worked closely with the women of
Maya Mam Weavers cooperative to provide our train-the-trainer program,
and she assisted the carpenters of Arbol de Talento with quality feedback.

Together with Juana in Guatemala, Synergo Arts has provided numerous
invited talks and demonstrations of the bench to spread the word and to
respond to questions. We have also networked with a variety of fair trade,
humanitarian, and micro-credit entities to help pave the way for the local
people to seek assistance with gaining access to the bench.

We are in the preliminary stages of responding to requests to plan
collaborations in Peru and Indonesia.

The bench project is a wonderful example of the benefits that artisan
communities can achieve through engaging in the Synergo Arts ergonomics
consulting and design process.

If you're interested in collaborating on a similar project, please contact us to
begin exploring the possibilities.