WORLD CRAFTS COUNCIL

EVENTS

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FIART – 13th International Arts and Crafts Exhibition 2009
Havana, Cuba
Dec 10-20th, 2009

FIART takes place every December in Havana. It has been recognized as one of the most important spaces to promote handicrafts, and exhibit the material and non-material heritage, national identity, and cultural diversity of participating nations.

The event was spectacular on several fronts. Highlights were the fashion shows, the opening of the exhibit “Más allá de los límites” (Beyond Limits) by sculptor Raul Valladares, the Biannual Exhibit of Papier-mâché, and the Hall of Awarded Carved Sculpture by the Cuban Association of Artisans.

President of the WCC Latin American region, Mrs. Mercy Correa Pinero, invited Mrs. Usha Krishna, President of World Crafts Council, to visit Cuba during the Latin American Assembly and the FIART exhibition in Havana. The third board meeting of the World Crafts Council was also organized to coincide with the WCC LA assembly and the FIART exhibition.

The Cuban Cultural Ministry invited Indian Artisans to take part in the FIART exhibition. This was made possible by the support of the Ministry of Textiles, Department of Handicrafts, Government of India. It was especially fruitful for the group of five Indian craftspeople, who were selected by the Crafts Council of India, to cover various crafts across India. They interacted with other participants, openly exchanged techniques and designs, and relished the opportunity to understand the international market.

This year’s exhibition included artisans and crafts workers from 18 countries. Argentina, Spain, Chile, Mexico, and Peru participated while India, Namibia, South Africa, and Iran attended FIART for the first time.

There were 260 stalls, showcasing crafts from most of the Latin American countries. UNESCO award pieces were exhibited, including silver jewellery, wooden sculptures, papier-mâché, leather goods, stained glass, fiber baskets, and fine lace work dresses outfits. The display of recycled metal cars was truly unique. Leather puppets, wooden sculptures, and jewellery of stone, glass, bead, and silver attracted a lot of attention. Handbags in cloth, with embroidery, patchwork, and weaves were typical of the region. One particular stall showed how famous Cuban cigars are made.

In this region, FIART is especially relevant today when the Latin American and Caribbean countries are living in new times of integration. Amidst the current global crisis, crafts seem to offer a glimmer of hope in fighting poverty and economic hardships.


Mrs.Usha Krishna, Mrs.Sangeet Chopra Mrs.Manjari Nirula with Mrs.Mercy Correa	With the Indian Ambassador in Cuba & The Minister of Culture, Cuba
Sharing Techniques

Exhibits at FIART

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WCC Latin American Assembly & WCC Board Meeting:

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WCC SCHOOL CRAFT EDUCATION PROGRAMME 2009

Children hold in their little hands the hope to our future. Today, when modernization and commercialization are increasingly threatening the existence of traditional crafts, our children do indeed hold in their hands the vital link to our rich, cultural past. The World Crafts Council (WCC) recognizes that by reaching out to the younger generation, traditional and languishing crafts could be revived and reinstated to their former glory.

The WCC Craft Education programme in schools aims at capturing the attention of our youth by introducing crafts early in their lives

Based on the positive feedback from our Pilot session launched at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan, Chennai, and requests from various schools, WCC decided to take it further to more schools.

Palm leaf products was taken up for the first session and craftspersons from The Palm Leaf Women’s’ Association of Pulicat were involved in training the children.

The WCC craft workshop was formally launched in the following schools in Chennai during the first week of October 2009.

Padma Sarangapani Matriculation Hr. Secondary School, Villivakkam
Children’s Garden Hr. Secondary School, Mylapore
MCTM Chidambaram Chettiar Matriculation Hr.Seconday School, Alwarpet
Hari Shree Vidyalayam, Mandaveli

The craft was introduced to the children with a documentary compiled by WCC which brought to light information on the raw material, process, ancient history and step by step process.

The children showed a lot of interest and they were very quick in picking up the techniques. Craft teachers in the schools also showed keen interest in learning.

Fine Arts Students from Justice Basheer Ahmad Sayeed Women’s College(SIET), were involved in this session, as part of their internship.

88 children & 12 Fine Arts students were covered in the first session.

At the end of the session, children exhibited the products made during the workshop.
WCC education team members and school authorities were present and issued certificates to the participants. The children and the crafts persons shared their experiences.

All this has been made possible by the relentless efforts of our education committee members,