Frequently Asked Questions
2006 Tech Award
Pilot Project Team
Design Team
traditional
kneeling posture
We welcome your ideas and comments.  For more information, please get in touch!
Q:  What is Synergo Arts’ role in this project?
A:
Synergo Arts’ role is educational.  We developed a start-up kit and technical support to help carpenters learn
to make the bench, and a train-the-trainer program to help weavers learn to use it.  Through outreach
activities we seek to help local communities build their own infrastructure for fabrication, distribution,
promotion, training and micro-finance, so that they are not dependent on outside support.
Q:  What’s included in the carpenters’ Start-up Kit and Technical Support Package?
A:
The original package, as developed for use in Guatemala, included a kit containing templates, engineering
diagrams, educational DVD, sample bench, promotional poster, and weaver training materials; and the kit
came bundled with technical support for implementing this project in local communities.  We are in the
process of assessing the project in Guatemala and considering modifications to this resource package.
Q:  Where is the bench made?
A:
Contact info for bench makers in Guatemala is posted on the bench project page.  Using our start-up kit and
technical support, participating carpenters in Guatemala make and distribute the bench independently under
their own brand.  They set their own prices and are responsible for the quality of their work.
Q: Are the manuals and videos available to the general public?
A:
The manuals and videos are now being made available to the general public, separate from the full Start-up
Kit and Technical Support Package that we use during collaborative community empowerment projects.
Q:  How much does the bench cost?
A:
The price of the bench is set by the local makers and distributors.  They make the bench independently under
their own brand and are responsible for the quality of their work.
Q:  Is financing available?
A:
Synergo Arts is networking with micro-lending organizations to pave the way for carpenters and weavers in
Latin America to apply for loans from those organizations.  We are also providing outreach to humanitarian
and fair trade organizations who may want to help weavers obtain the bench.
Q:  Who designed the bench?
A:
Ergonomist Karen Piegorsch collaborated with woodworker Glenn Smith to create the design for the bench.
Q:  What about intellectual property; is the bench design patented?
A:
Rather than patenting the design, Piegorsch and Smith put the bench design in the public domain by
registering it with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  Their goal was to help ensure that the bench could
be copied freely for the benefit of all backstrap weavers around the world.
Q:  What’s the history of the pilot project?
A:
Prior to the formation of Synergo Arts, a pilot project was conducted by Synergo LLC with Guatemalan
organizations Oxlajuj B'atz' (OB), Mayan Hands and Maya Traditions, from May 2005 to February 2007.  
Working on a pro bono basis with collaborator Glenn Smith during the pilot project, Karen Piegorsch
designed the bench and training programs.  The core team from OB that facilitated the pilot project consisted
of Herlinda Tzep, Ramona Kirschenman, and Juana Ramos.  The pilot project involved a participatory
process that was initiated in response to interest from within the indigenous community, where women had
been looking for alternatives to their traditional kneeling posture.
Q:  What special role has Juana Ramos played in this project?
A:
Juana Ramos, an experienced community educator and weaver from San Jorge La Laguna, Guatemala, has
continued to collaborate with Synergo Arts since the pilot project.  She has played a major role in ensuring the
cultural appropriateness of our training materials.  We are grateful for her dedication to helping women
artisans learn to use the bench.  Juana's contact info is on the is posted on the bench project page; along
with a list of the services she now offers independently.
Q:  What is traditional backstrap weaving like?
A:
The weaver rocks back and forth to adjust the tension on the cloth throughout the weaving process.  In effect,
her body becomes integrated with the loom, and while the loom itself is quite simple, the weaving process is
dynamic and sophisticated.
Q:  How does using the ergonomic bench help backstrap weavers?
A:
Unlike the traditional methods, the ergonomic bench works in harmony with the weaver’s body.  It rocks with
the rhythm of her movement as she weaves on the backstrap loom.  The height of the specially-shaped,
padded seat can be adjusted to fit the individual weaver.  Because it’s adjustable, the bench can be shared
by other weavers in the family or community.  An interlocking footrest provides leverage and stability.
Q:  What are Mayan women saying about the bench?
A:
What used to take me three days to weave now takes two.
During the course of the pilot project it became obvious that, although the design is purposefully simple,
precision woodworking and a basic understanding of the ergonomic features of the design are necessary to
copy the bench well.  To help meet this need, Synergo Arts developed educational resources.  The
educational resources created by Synergo Arts are copyrighted.
From the pilot project there are already 150 women in Guatemala using the bench to protect their health and
increase their ability to provide for their families!
This ancient weaving tradition is very hard on the weaver’s body.  Pain, numbness, and fatigue limit the length
of time a weaver can work, and are readily evident in how slowly and stiffly a weaver moves when she gets up
from the ground.  Despite chronic, disabling symptoms associated with traditional work methods, women
tend to push their bodies through fatigue and pain in order to provide for their families.  This pattern sets up a
vicious cycle which ultimately limits earning potential.
I used to be able to weave for thirty minutes, then had to quit for the pain; now I can weave for three hours with
no pain.
The cloth comes off the loom with straighter edges and more evenly packed weft, and it's cleaner because it’s
not so close to the ground while it’s being woven.
And from their daughters:  I want a bench like my mother has now, so my body won't get the years of abuse
and pain that hers has.
Juana Ramos
In addition, Synergo Arts is in the preliminary stages of responding to requests to plan collaborations in Peru,
Mexico, and Indonesia.
Photo credit: Anne Dunham
Q:  Has this project received any awards?
A:
This project has been recognized with a 2006 Tech Award from the Tech Museum of Innovation's Award
Program for Technology Benefiting Humanity, and the 2007 User-Centered Design Award from the Human
Factors and Ergonomics Society's Product Design Technical Group.
Videos
    We've uploaded to YouTube the 10-minute educational video -- we created this video primarily for
    carpenters, to help them learn about the ergonomic features of the bench, so that the benches they
    make will function well for backstrap weavers. Weavers can use this video too, as part of their process
    for learning how to get the most benefit from the bench, and how to use it safely.
Synergo Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Copyright © 2012 Synergo Arts.  All rights reserved.
Manuals
    In 2012, versions in both Spanish and English will be posted here.
  • Makers' Manual: includes engineering specs, drawings and tips.
  • Users' Manual: includes information on how to use the bench.