We met Elkana in 1965 when we were Peace Corps Volunteers in Kenya and he was a student and an artist.
Elkana grew up in a community in Kisii, Kenya, near a quarry with a unique stone that is known as Kisii Stone. It is similar to soapstone. Most of the children in the village of Tabaka carve but Elkana excelled. We were thrilled for him when he won a first prize when he was a high school student in the international Freedom from Hunger campaign for his carving of an emaciated man chewing on a maize cob.
Elkana went on to study in Uganda and Canada and is now an internationally exhibited artist, having recently been part of a group of carvers from around the world who worked in bronze in China. In March 2007 he came to New York as an artist in residence at Hofstra University.
We are delighted to present his work here for sale. Elkana has graciously agreed to allow 30 percent of the sale of his work to be donated to Sema Academy www.semaacademy.org, a primary school near where his family lives. Elkana has a strong commitment to his community and particularly in providing education for people in the region. His goal is to open a community center that will preserve traditional arts and crafts of the Kisii people.
were Peace Corps Volunteers in Kenya and he was a student and an artist.