About Us
About Our Art Gallery
In describing Galeria Namu, we are often asked about our name: namu, which is the Bribri word for jaguar, the sacred animal to so many tribes of Central America. This name addresses one aspect of our mission – to respect and celebrate the permanence and legacy of the first people of this land.
In our downtown San José gallery you will find the incredible artwork that comes from Costa Rica (and other Central America locations) indigenous and folk artists. There is no other gallery in the country that has brought together such a collection. Our objective is to bring to you these unique works, at reasonable prices, not only for your delight, but also to give the artists the forum they deserve. We engage in fair trade practices: the artists get paid immediately, we are not a consignment gallery and they are assured of receiving equitable compensation.
Despite the general consensus about Costa Rica of not a country one comes to expect to find an array of arts (other than wood crafts), Namu proves that this is simply not the case. When one looks hard enough, as we did, there is a rich and diverse body of folk and indigenous art which is not hard to imagine, given the great natural beauty of this land – how could it not inspire the beautiful art we have assembled.
There is much to discover on both our website and within our physical gallery in Costa Rica. Our staff astounds visitors with their knowledge base and our commitment to fair trade. We are all about fair trade and sharing the incredible works of art from this little corner of the world. We trust you will enjoy your shopping experience with us.