Artisans & Local Communities

Supporting artisans at the nexus where
tourism, conservation, and handcraft development meet

Launched in 2007, the Artisan Fund positively affects the communities where National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions explores by supporting and empowering local artisans.

Guests can find a robust selection of handmade goods for purchase in the fleet’s shipboard Global Galleries and Markets—from beaded jewelry to woven baskets. A portion of all sales are earmarked for the Fund, which goes towards artisan training programs, workspaces and equipment, and other educational projects, creating a renewable cycle of support. Purchasing these items allows you to connect more deeply with the people and places you’re visiting while also making a difference in an artisan’s life.

Artisans in the Galápagos are transforming paper waste into beautiful beaded jewelry—with support from the Artisan Fund. In 2011, the Artisan Fund invited Ugandan bead-maker Sarah Akot to host the first of several “paper to pearls” workshops for local residents in Galápagos. Today, artisans like Daysi Patiño of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz (pictured), continue to pass on the skills they learned, fostering an ongoing, decade-long legacy of sustainable handcraft development.

In Rancho Las Animas, a remote community outside of La Paz, Baja California, artisans are keeping centuries-old blacksmithing traditions alive. To support their efforts, in 2025 the Artisan Fund delivered equipment and launched the Blacksmith Lab, a series of metal-casting workshops led by on-the-ground experts. With new tools and training, local artisans can craft more efficiently while preserving their cultural heritage through art.

Each year, the Artisan Fund provides financial support that helps first-time artists attend the International Folk Art Market—the largest gathering of master folk artists in the world, featuring 150+ artisans from 60+ countries. By participating in this renowned juried marketplace held annually in Santa Fe, New Mexico, artists can connect with global buyers while celebrating handcraft traditions.

In 2008, the Artisan Fund launched the Glass Adaptive Reuse project to bring glass working equipment and training to artisans in Galápagos. Participants at these workshops learn how to recycle glass bottles—which would normally go through the expensive and energy-consuming process of being shipped off the islands for disposal—turning them into beautiful works of art and utility.

In collaboration with nonprofit Minga Peru, the Artisan Fund helped fund the creation of 25 new radio broadcast segments about artisan development, empowering artisans in the Upper Amazon with tips and training on handcraft design, best business practices, the use of sustainable natural materials, and more. In an area without internet and where radio is the primary means of information sharing, this powerful project reached over 120,000 listeners in remote regions of the Amazon.

In Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions has supported efforts by First Nations communities to preserve endangered art forms like Raven Tail weaving and Spruce-Root weaving, and funded a project that enabled a local artisan to research and recreate (through carving) a culturally-significant Kwakwaka’wakw rattle that was previously thought to be lost to time.

Expedition Spotlight: The Greenlandic Sheep Wool Project

The Greenlandic Sheep Wool Project is the very first project in the Arctic sponsored by the Artisan Fund aboard the National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions fleet. Working with local educator and artisan, Ellen Frederiksen, whose husband is a descendent of Greenland’s first sheep farmer, this initiative provided critical equipment to help the people of Qassiarsuk process wool, train artisans, and create blankets, mittens, yarn and more to sell to both visitors and locals.

In this episode of "Expedition Spotlight," learn more about the storied sheep-farming settlement of Qassiarsuk and how the Artisan Fund is helping to empower and uplift this remote community.

Artisan Fund Spotlight: The Paper Birds Project in Galápagos

In 2025, the Artisan Fund hosted Indian artist Niharika Rajput in Galápagos to facilitate a hands-on workshop for 12 local artisans. Renowned for crafting detailed, realistic bird sculptures from paper, Niharika shared her knowledge and skills over five days, guiding everyone through the step-by-step process of building blue-footed booby sculptures from wastepaper, wire and clay.

The Paper Bird Workshop provided these artisans with the skills and tools to expand their product lines while growing the Artisan Fund’s Adaptive Reuse projects in the archipelago. Much like the paper-to-pearls workshop, projects like this continue the legacy of keeping waste out of landfills and offering important skill development that can lead to a livelihood for local families.