FROM BALI TO BALA
Celebrating our 15th Anniversary

Annual Holiday Sale of Unique Indonesian Handcrafts & Gifts with Contemporary Batik Paintings by Laura F. Cohn

November 25th – December 18th

Monday – Saturday 11 am-7 pm

Sunday 12 pm-5 pm

8200 Germantown Ave.

CHESTNUT HILL

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

610.529.2083

Map it on Mapquest!
From Bali to Bala on Facebook

OPENING NIGHT PARTY – Saturday, Nov. 26th 7 – 9 PM

Featuring dance performance by Indonesian Cultural Club

LOTS OF SPECIAL EVENTS for this years show can be found on Facebook!

When Laura Cohn first met Mas Arief, a wood-carver living in Bantal, a small village in Java, Indonesia, he wasn’t sure what to make of her. While he had met Westerners before, this was the first time he met one who not only spoke the local language but also was genuinely interested in his family and community. To Laura, that was exactly the point. Since 1996, Laura has shared many cups of tea and stories with Mas Arief and watched with delight as his small home business has grown, requiring him to hire other carvers to help him fill his orders.

From Bali to Bala was launched in 1996 and runs yearly starting in November, just in time for the holidays. The show is held in the former Magarity Ford Building on Germantown Avenue, in Chestnut Hill and features Indonesian crafts from “batiks to Buddhas.” What makes the show unique is that all of the items are hand-selected by the artist herself who buys them directly from the artisans, on her annual foray back to her beloved second home. To Cohn, From Bali to Bala is a way of expanding her customer’s awareness about the diverse island nation, to help support local non-profits there, and to create a unique shopping experience surrounded by the sights and sounds from this exotic land. This year, in honor of her show’s 15th year, Laura will feature an array of special events, including an opening night party with an Indonesian dance performance, a travel and slide lecture about the country, Indonesian dance classes, storytelling, and a movie premiere. As Cohn puts it “My show lets you travel to Bali, halfway around the world, and still be home in time for dinner!”

“From Bali to Bala: Holiday Sale of Unique Indonesian Handcrafts and Contemporary Batik Paintings by Laura F. Cohn” will run from November 25 - December 18, 2011, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, at 8200 Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. The opening night party will be held on Saturday, November 26, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. A portion of proceeds will go to will be Bumi Sehat, a maternal wellness center in Ubud, Bali (www.bumisehatbali.org).  For additional information, directions, and updates on special activities, you can call Laura Cohn at (610) 529-2083 or follow her on Facebook.

Some of the special events for From Bali to Bala on include:

• Opening Night Party, featuring the Indonesian Cultural Club
• First Friday Celebration
• Travel Lecture by the artist
• Chestnut Hill Holiday House Tour
• Children’s Indonesian Dance Class
• Chestnut Hill Stag & Doe Night
• Fundraiser for Bumi Sehat—a woman’s health organization in Indonesia and featuring the documentary film, Guerrilla Midwife

My first experience with a Laura show -- actually, the first time I met Laura -- I walked out with a hand-painted silk scarf that cemented a fledgling romance for a year.
Each subsequent event has left my house better furnished, my friends bejeweled with the exquisite objects she finds in Indonesian craft villages....

Don

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