Team L&M
The annual celebration of Indian crafts, craftsmen and craftsmanship, the India Craft Week (ICW) will be held from Oct 20-23 at Okhla NSIC Ground in New Delhi this time. The four-day long festival, organised by the Crafts Village, connects art, design, and culture through live demonstrations, masterclasses, cross-talks, installations, exhibitions, and film screenings.
By bringing together ancient and modern craftsmen, craftspeople, artists, brands, and individual makers on a single platform as also fostering a love for the handmade, Craft Village aims to provide craft communities with a sustainable source of income and exposure.
Hailed as the country’s official and the second largest craft week in the world after its international counterpart, London Craft Week, ICW 2022 will see more than 50 participants, including artisans, makers, craft brands and museums among others. It will also host its 5th and 6th edition of the International Craft Awards together.
This year’s theme is water, one of the most important elements of life – craft thrived and grew in places and locations with access to water bodies.
“Craft has an intrinsic value to make the product conversational. The craft industry struggled greatly during the pandemic, and the artisans went through severe suffering. We, at ICW, focus on “Good Stories Untold,” and aim to bring forth the stories from the craft sector and artisans,” says ICW Founder Iti Tyagi, ruing that crafts is still considered low-key art.
“Today world is talking about sustainability, responsible consumption, circularity, and ethical creation, but our craft sector has been practicing these values for thousands of years. They are innovative, multifunctional, culturally related, sustainable, and have a timeless appeal. Through this festival we want to connect modern customers, industry and patrons with craftsmen, connect the past with present and future generations,” she adds.
The ICW 2022 will have eight rare and exclusive Craft Workshops by Padma Shri, National and International award winners in the fields of textiles, paintings and block printings among others.
“India Craft Week creates the ecosystem for weavers and artisanal communities. It resonates with us as we, at Aadyam Handwoven, too work actively with weaver communities across India to create a self-sustaining ecosystem for the finest artisans by enabling infrastructure and nourishing their craft,” adds Manish Saksena, Lead, Aadyam Handwoven, CSR initiative of the Aditya Birla Group.
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