ARTISANSVOICES
Dialogues for sustainable practices
Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

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ARTISANS VOICES
Dialogues for Sustainable Practices3Artisans Voices : Dialogues for sustainable practices / Sol Marinucci ... [et al.] ;compilación de Ritu Sethi ... [et al.] ; editado por Ritu Sethi ... [et al.]. - 1a ed. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires : The British Council ; Junín : Red Federal
Interuniversitaria de Diseño de Indumentaria y Textil- REDIT ; UNNOBA ;Nueva Delhi? : Craft Revival Trust ; Córdoba : Universidad Nacional de
Córdoba-UNC ; Mar del Plata : Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-UNMDP ;Misiones : Universidad Nacional de Misiones-UNaM ; Tucumán : Universidad
Nacional de Tucumán-UNT ; San Juan : Universidad Nacional de San Juan-UNSJ ;Santa Fe : Universidad Nacional del Litoral-UNL, 2022.
Libro digital, PDF
Archivo Digital: descarga y online
Traducción de: Guadalupe De la Fuente .
ISBN 978-987-21782-3-9
1. Patrimonio Cultural. 2. Artesanías.
3. Diseño. I. Marinucci, Sol. II. Sethi, Ritu, comp. III. De la Fuente, Guadalupe, trad.
CDD 745.5092

TABLE OF CONTENTSPROLOGUE
p.08

REGIONS
p.12

LISTENING TO
ARTISANS VOICESDIALOGUES WITH
ARTISANS

p.14

p.76

CULTURALINSTITUTIONSRESPECT
p.16

p.78

RECOGNITION
p.22

TRANSMISSION /EDUCATIONCONSENTTOURISM

p.32

p.98

ATTRIBUTIONTECHNOLOGY

p.40

p.104

ACTIVE LISTENING

CO-CREATION

p.86

p.50

p.114

COMMUNITIESAND KNOWLEDGESHARED BENEFITS
p.58

p.122

PARTICIPANTS VOICES
p.130

PROTECTION
p.68

WORK TEAM
p.132

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"Artisans Voices: Dialogues for Sustainable
Practices” is dedicated to the artisanalcommunities of Argentina, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan,to the people that engage with them and toall creators around the globe.

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PROLOGUE
The British Council’s Crafting Futures global program celebrates
the value of artisanship in our history, our culture and thecurrent world. Fomenting dialogues in the intersection between
the artisanal sector and other disciplines, the initiative brings
together artisans, designers, organizations and others fromall over the world with the purpose of exploring potential
sustainable futures.

Under this premise, research was carriedout in Argentina between 2019 and 2021
to gather the experiences and points ofview of participants in the joint processesof creation and knowledge exchange. The
survey, created together with REDIT (Federal Inter-University Network for Fashion
and Textile Design) and under the adviceof India’s Craft Revival Trust, reachedmore than 570 people. Whenever possible, considering the limitations imposedby the pandemic, in-person meetings andround-table discussions were carried out,
which included the contributions of specialists of this sector. The work methodology
and information gathered can be reviewed
in the report "Crafting Futures: Exploracióndel ecosistema artesanal en Argentina" in(view more)
Through 2021, the research was expanded
to include South Asia, thanks to the glo-

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bal reach of the British Council’s Crafting
Futures program. A vital foundation for thedevelopment of the project was UNESCO’s seminal publication, Designers Meet
Artisans*, on lessons learned from theexperiences in Colombia and India.
“Artisan Voices: Dialogues for Sustainable
Practices” is centred on the artisans who,
as carriers of an ancestral cultural patrimony, keep the knowledge alive and safeguard it by transmitting it from one generation to the next. The stories from Argentina,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and
Sri Lanka represent a dialogue that underlines the universal values that are inherent to
the intercultural processes that benefit all
parties involved.
The publication is structured in two sections.
The first one refers to the ethical practi-

ces that are essential to the relationshipbetween artisans and the world in general:
Respect, Recognition, Consent, Attribution, Shared Benefits, Protection and Active Listening. The second section highlights
some aspects of the artisanal ecosystemthat have an effect on their practices: Cultural Institutions, Transmission and Education, Tourism, Technology and Co-creation.
In the current context, marked by socialand environmental concerns, the artisans'voices encourage the development of thetype of society that our times demand:
more equitable, more sustainable andmore respectful of cultural diversity, andmore in harmony with our planet.

*Designers Meet Artisans: A practical guide (2005). Editors: Ritu Sethi, Cecilia Duque, Indrasen Vencatachellum. Published jointly
by Craft Revival Trust, Artesanías de Colombia S.A. and UNESCO. This volume was translated by UNESCO into French andSpanish for its distribution around the world.

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“I call artisans of my country‘masters’, because that’s what they
really are, since they have trained
themselves for years. In universities,
getting a licentiate degree takes
around five years, and a PhD,
another five. In the communities,
the wisdom transmitted from one
generation to the next is learnt
from a very early age, and twentyfive years can go by before it isexperimented in practice. What
we propose is a shared work withthose who want to commit to it, likea designer. There are very complex
gaps due to the issue of academic
training. We have worked in coauthoring projects, but the ‘I am auniversity student/graduate’ attitude
is still an issue. We need to build
10bridges for a good integration,with equality and mutual respect.
This is what we are working on aspractice communities, expanding
the discussion towards Latin
America and other regions. As partof this discussion, we also reflect interms of ecosystems, contaminationand consumption. I believe that
community artisanship or art solve
this matters in a more amicable andhumane way”.

→ Elvira Espejo, artisan, visual artist, researcher
and director of the National Museum of
Ethnography and Folklore in La Paz, Bolivia.
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Argentina
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Pakistan
Sri Lanka

The artisans voices includedin this publication represent
the following regions:

Argentina

CENTER
Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe
NORTHWEST
Catamarca, Jujuy, La Rioja, Salta,
Santiago del Estero, Tucumán
NORTHEAST
Chaco, Corrientes, Formosa, Misiones
BUENOS AIRES
Autonomous City of Buenos Aires
Province of Buenos AiresPATAGONIA
Chubut, La Pampa, Neuquén, Río Negro,
Santa Cruz, Tierra el Fuego

Bangladesh
Dhaka
BhutanThimphu
India
Andhra Pradesh
Bihar
New Delhi
Rajastan
Uttar Pradesh
Pakistan
Sindh
Sri Lanka
Colombo
KantaleCUYO
Mendoza, San Juan, San Luis
Source: Cultural Atlas of Argentina.
National Ministry of Culture.

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LISTENING TO
ARTISANS VOICES
(1)

(6)

(2)

(5)

(3)

(4)

(7)

1. Respect
2. Recognition
3. Consent
4. Atribution
5. Active Listening
6. Shared Benefits
7. Protection

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Collaborative work between
artisan communities andother disciplines is often achallenge. In this section,
artisans talk about some of
the aspects of this process:Respect, Recognition, Consent,
Attribution, Active Listening,
Shared Benefits and Protection.
Listening to their voices
translates into the developmentof healthier, sustainable
relationships leading tointeractions that benefit all
those involved equally.

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RESPECT

1. Respect
2. Recognition
3. Consent
4. Atribution
5. Active Listening
6. Shared Benefits
7. Protection

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NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“Everything is part of the nature and the peaks,
and reflected in the mountains. That’s where I go
when I need to fill myself with that light and that
wisdom. My great-grandfather, who was a cacique,taught me to appreciate who I am. Ours is a people
with deep cultural and historical roots. I have readand researched plenty, and I’m always visitingarchaeological sites. In the past, we have lost very
valuable objects, and that’s why I dedicate myself
to transmitting to our community the love for ourthings and the importance of our ancestral work.
When we work with designers, professors andartists, we enjoy sharing our experience and havethem tell us what they do; it is a form of exchange”.
→
Margarita Ramírez,co founder and president of Tinku Kamayu.
Ponchos from Santa María
dyed with natural dyes.
Photo: courtesy of Tinku Kamayu.

✺
Tinku Kamayu
Cooperative created by women who aredescendants of indigenous people, dedicatedto the design and production of textiles in sheepwool and llama and vicuna fibre.
Santa María, Catamarca.

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SINDH, PAKISTAN“Weaving Khes is the ancestral work of our family, as
we belong to a weaver’s community. We have learnt
our designs and skills from our father, Mohammad
Bachan, and not from a computer or from any school.
It is all our mental creative process. Our entire family
was involved in weaving Khes. I am married intoa clan of weavers, and my skills have been honed
further by my husband, Amanullah. In the past, only
men wove Khes, but I have broken that myth. Seeingme, many women have started weaving from theirhomes. Now, my son Shahid, my daughter-in-law
Farhana, and I all weave in the Sindh Museum
located in Hyderabad, Sindh”.
→
Siyani, textile artisan.
Khes is a traditional textile woven byhand on a pit-loom.
Photo: courtesy of Siyani.

✺
Khes textiles
Khes, a double-cloth hand-weave, is patternedin chequered designs. In the past, Khes weaving
was largely a male dominated profession.

THIMPHU, BHUTAN“My parents are potters. I helped my parents when
I was young, and that is how I learned to make pots.
Now, my husband works with me, he does all thelabour-intensive work. Earlier, only farmers bought
our products. But today, people from all walks oflife buy our products. People come to my worksite
to buy the products. Thus, I feel pottery has evolved
and is now being recognised and valued”.
→
Zangmo, pottery artisan.
Unglazed, fired earthenware pottery
in Bhutan has its own identity.
Photo: courtesy of Zangmo.

✺
Bhutan pottery
The craft of fired earthenware pottery is widelypracticed in Bhutan, with distinct objects crafted
as needed by local communities.

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RECOGNITION

1. Respect
2. Recognition
3. Consent
4. Atribution
5. Active Listening
6. Shared Benefits
7. Protection

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NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“In our community, we share something reallyvaluable, which is time, and we respect the timeof people and processes. When it comes to selling
our products, we have had both good and badexperiences. From both, we have learned that our
textile pieces are unique, and their sale can’t bedone under the logic of bargaining or lower prices
for bigger amounts. This would mean ignoring thedifference between an artisanal product and an
industrial one. In Tejedores Andinos, we are always
open to having conversations, telling our story
and transmitting the value of our work”.
→
Celeste Valero, weaver of the Huacalera
community in the Quebrada de Humahuacaand founder of Tejedores Andinos.
Artisans Bernarda Martínez, Lucrecia Cruzand Sabina Cruz from Tejedores Andinos.
Photo: Celeste Valero.

✺
Tejedores Andinos
Association of artisans of the Kolla people,
Jujuy. Their mission is to preserve, share andperfect textile techniques through meetings
that foster the exchange of knowledge.

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CUYO, ARGENTINA“Granting certification to the artisanal identity isa good tool to establish what objects are actual
artisanship and what objects are handicrafts andother type of objects without cultural value. It isalso a form of recognition for artisans that workwith traditional techniques and local raw materials.
The knowledge is being lost, and the situation
is worrisome. This is one of the measures that
intend to safeguard it. On the other hand, ensuring
the quality and the origin facilitates the link withthe local and international market. Certification
contributes to communicating and making
visible the techniques and processes and, mostimportantly, the person behind each object”.
→
Miriam Atencio is an artisan, designer
and director of the Mercado Artesanal
Tradicional Luisa Escudero.
Artisan Argentina Chávez.
Photo: Morena Soria, Irene Aliste andMarcos Garcés. Courtesy of Mercado
Artesanal Tradicional Luisa Escudero.

✺
Artisanal Identity Certification
The Traditional Artisanal Market Luisa Escudero
has the purpose of preserving, promoting anddeveloping artisanship as part of the cultural
heritage of San Juan. The Artisanal Identity
Certification is an initiative of the provincial
Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the
Mercado Artesanal Tradicional Luisa Escudero.

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RAJASTHAN, INDIA"I love my work! It is our tradition and the craft of
my ancestors. Machines have their limitations, but
handwork continues, without electricity and underadverse circumstances. Earlier, the education ofgirls was not taken seriously in our village, but
now girls weave and study alongside as weaving
gives them an income to support their education.
So now, families don't see their daughters as aburden anymore! Today, all the girls in our village
weave and support their families. Women are
upholding traditional wisdom and also enteringother occupations. Therefore, as a society, we areprogressing, and hope to leave a more developed
world to our future generations''.
→
Shehnaz Banu, textile artisan.
Weaving the Kota Doria textile.
Photo: courtesy of Shehnaz Banu.

✺
Kota-Doria textiles
Hand-woven mainly by women on pit-looms intheir homes, the Kota-Doria textile is a heritage
weave dating back to the 17th century.

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“In the Wichílanguage, there isa word, notejchel,which means‘ancestral’. And
there is another
word, ta otakie,
which means‘future’, or,more precisely,‘go forward’.
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Our work is a mixof those two words:
it is something thattakes the ancestralforward”.

→ Words of the Tsinaj tha chumaas group of La Puntana,part of the Thañí/Viene del monte collective, Salta, Argentina.
Members who participated: Anabel Luna, Marilin Belizani,
Aurora Lucas, Ana López, Claudia Alarcón and Edelmira Duarte.
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CONSENT

1. Respect
2. Recognition
3. Consent
4. Atribution
5. Active Listening
6. Shared Benefits
7. Protection

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NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“When I was eight years old, my father taught
me to braid leather, and later on I acquired
other techniques on my own. I have always liked
artisanship and, during a good part of my life, I was
my family’s breadwinner. I still have my workshop
but, due to my age, I don’t accept very large orders
anymore. I had a great experience working withdesigner María Isabel Serra, who gave me room toparticipate and freedom through the whole creationand production process of horn, bone and leather
buttons. I believe we are born with the power ofmaking in our hands. I have always believed that”.
→
Lucas Mamerto Mamani
Pieces carved in horn and boneby Lucas Mamerto Mamani.
Photo: Juana Montoya.

✺
Lucas Mamerto Mamani
Rope artisan and carver. El Mollar, Tucumán.

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PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA“I started spinning and using the loom as a young
child, with my mother and my grandmother, and thecraft was transmitted from one generation to thenext. This is what we like to do and what representsus; we have it in our blood. Now, I am teaching mydaughters so that the tradition is not lost; we havelost so many things already. I have given Mapucheloom courses, and I love transmitting something thathas existed for so many years so that it still exists
when we are no longer here. In the Mercado de laEstepa Quimey Piuké (“good heart” in Mapuche), weare still learning. We also make felt and we knit andcrochet. We took a course with designer Martina
Mianzan called ‘Design for rural artisans’ that wasa very enriching and unforgettable experience. We
hope this course is repeated and that more people
take it, because sharing it with other artisans was abeautiful experience”.
→
Rosana Perez, Mapuche artisan from Villa
Llanquín, Río Negro, member of Mercado
Estepa. Project: National Plan of Social
Economy “Creer y Crear” - National Ministryof Social Development (2017).
Martina Mianzan is an industrial designer
and a teacher, creator of the sustainablefashion brand Soldorada.

✺
Mercado de la Estepa Quimey Piuké
Non-profit organization that brings together
artisans and rural producers that sell theirproducts under the principles of Fair Trade.
Dina Huapi, Río Negro.

Rosana Perez.
Photo: courtesy of Mercado
de la Estepa Quimey Piuké.

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KANTALE, SRI LANKA“We make floor-mats, tablemats, bags, and alltypes of boxes from reeds that we collect fromthe forest. We get a good income from our sales toother villages, to the shops, and from the National
Craft Association. I have won first place awards
consecutively. I train others in the craft. I have
travelled to Japan and our products are also exported
to Japan. We weave as a team and are in agreement
on how we weave and what items we make.
We have been able to develop our lifestyle
thanks to our reed craft”.
→
Sandhya, basket makerBasket making in Sri Lanka.
Photo: courtesy of Sandhya.

✺

Basketmaking in Sri Lanka
Naturally grown wetland reed plant species
have traditionally provided rural communities
with raw materials.

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04

ATTRIBUTION

1. Respect
2. Recognition
3. Consent
4. Atribution
5. Active Listening
6. Shared Benefits
7. Protection

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NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“I think finding spaces for dialogue about problems
that arise from interactions between artisans anddesigners is very interesting. It is about linking
two different worlds. I wonder how we can achieve
respect for the name of the artisans that put theirhands and their heads in the ideas of others.
Collectors and gallery owners are also responsible
for preserving the information about the pieces.
It is a contribution of cultural knowledge to theglobal community”.
→
Andrea Fiorina Gatti, Ruta del Tejido.
Artisan weaving on a vertical loom.
Photo: courtesy of Ruta del Tejido.

✺
Ruta del Tejido
Group of artisans dedicated to the collective
creation of cultural goods related to ancestral
textile crafts. Tafí del Valle, Tucumán.

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PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA“It is very important that our work reaches thehands of those who buy them with a review about
the author, the origin and the meaning.
I am dedicated to transmitting the millenary art of
Selk’nam basketry, which, despite having belonged
to us forever, was thought to be lost. While thebaskets keep the original function of transportingfoods, in the workshops we experiment with new
applications of the technique. It is an additional wayof keeping it alive and not forgetting our ancestors.
We always hear about our people: ‘they were, they
made, they died’. Looking into, reproducing andtransmitting our knowledge is a way of putting
ourselves in the skin of the Selk'nam that we are
to tell the world: ‘we think, we feel and we are alive
here and now’”.
→
Margarita Maldonado
Artisan Margarita Maldonado.
Photo: Pedro Carcamo.

✺
Margarita Maldonado
She is a Selk’nam artisan, writer and educator
dedicated to researching and spreading theculture of her people. Río Grande,
Tierra del Fuego.

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UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA“Earlier, our craft was only to serve the temple.
My great-grandfather used to serve in the temple;
however, now it has become a source of livelihood
too. After my father passed away, I got associatedwith the NGO Delhi Crafts Council (DCC), which
encouraged me to make greeting cards using mypaper-cutting skills. Thus, the template became thecraft and Sanjhi got a new lease of life. Throughseveral discussions with DCC, our product range
expanded to include other products, like trays,
lamps and screens. Now, we even make art
installations. I also teach young adults in schools”.
→

Mohan Kumar Verma, artisan and artist.
Application of the Sanjhi technique.
Photo: courtesy of Mohan Kumar Verma.

✺
Sanjhi art
Sanjhi is an ancient craft that was practiced in
Hindu temples, using hand-cut stencils as atemplate for filling in coloured, powder patterns
on religious themes onto the temple floors.

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“We love this job,
it’s our passion andour main sourceof income. Mostof the designs are
inherited, although
we have created
our own, using
our minds.

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The future of ourcraft is based ontransmitting thisknowledge to thenext generations”.

→ Ayesha Waseem and Mohammad
Waseem, artisans who specialize
in Jandri-ka-kam, a wood lacquer
technique practiced in Pakistan since
400 years ago. Currently, it is anendangered practice.
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ACTIVE
LISTENING

1. Respect
2. Recognition
3. Consent
4. Atribution
5. Active Listening
6. Shared Benefits
7. Protection

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NORTHEAST, ARGENTINA“We believe that, for us and for the people wholive in the city and are not part of the Wichí
community to understand each other, we need morecommunication. We need to learn how to talk andsell, and what life is like in other places. You have tolearn about us, our way of living and our history.
We are people who live in the hills, and weunderstand the messages brought by the winds
and the birds, but there are words in Spanishthat are hard for us to understand. We think anddream in Wichí. When we feel we are being heard,
we leave the meetings full of joy and strength tokeep defending our work, which is our identity, an
identity that changes, because it is alive”.
→
Words of Thañí/Viene del monte referents,
Melania Pereyra and Claudia Alarcón,
accompanied by artist, cultural agent
and curator, Andrea Fernández.
Artisan Emilce Pérez harvesting chaguar.
Textile process by artisan Andrea Arias.
Photo: Andrea Fernández.

✺
Thañi/Viene del Monte
Collective of indigenous women of the Wichípeople who get together to sell their artisanal
textiles made with chaguar fibre. Salta andthe Pilcomayo river basin, where the limits ofArgentina, Paraguay and Bolivia meet.

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THIMPHU, BHUTAN“I started working on embroidery in 1985. My wife
is also involved, and my children help sometimes.
There was no training institute during our time.
We used to watch and learn from the monks andothers who worked on embroidery. Though weface many hardships, I don’t get discouraged.
Discouraging ourselves can be the worst excuse.
I feel that I must keep working hard, and thismotivates me in my practice. Working with thedesigners and others is the best part of my work,
because we are able to share ideas and techniques.
Working in collaboration generates many thoughts,
which are required for embroidery work”.
→
Lopen Norbu, textile artisan.
Traditional embroidery or Tshemdrup.
Photo: courtsey of Norbu.

✺
Tshempdrup embroidery
Traditional Embroideries or Tshemdrup of Bhutan
follow the iconography of Buddhist ritual arts.

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THIMPHU, BHUTAN
I joined the National Institute for Zorig Chusum
in 2000. After completing the course, I started
working as a sculptor and also became an instructor
at the institute. I first worked with a designer in
2018, when a French designer came to our instituteto teach us about contemporary design. During the
20 days of our workshop, I learned the importanceof contemporary designing. We shared many skills
and experiences. These opportunities motivate me
to continue, since collaborations, especially withdesigners, give us a different scope and help us
think and work creatively”.
→
Sonam Wangdi, sculptor and teacher.
Photo: courtesy of Sonam Wangdi.

✺
National Institute for Zorig Chusum
Dialogue and discussion to enhance creativity
and learning between designers, teachers andstudents of sculpting.

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SHARED BENEFITS

1. Respect
2. Recognition
3. Consent
4. Atribution
5. Active Listening
6. Shared Benefits
7. Protection

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NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“I worked with architect Florencia Vivas, who
proposed replacing the traditional cotton threadwith a cable, to make a lamp with the randa
technique. At first, I was not sure, but when I
saw the results, I loved it. Experimenting withother materials was really satisfactory. These
collaborations really help us spread our work,
especially so that it is recognized and valued”.
→
Margarita Ariza, Randeras de El Cercado.
Project: Publication “Randa: tradición y diseño.
Tucumanos en diálogo” (EDUNT; IDEP, Cultural
Centre Eugenio Flavio Virla, 2013).
Artisan Margarita Ariza and architect
Florencia Vivas.
Photo: Solana Peña.

✺
Randeras de El Cercado
Community of women dedicated to the randa,
a weaving and embroidery technique that has
been transmitted for generations since the 16th
century. Monteros, Tucumán.

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NORTHEAST, ARGENTINA“When we were offered to work collaboratively, we
felt we were ready to learn something new.
We never thought our work would reach such a
far-away place like London. As a community, wewere proud to make something as pretty as theflower garlands. We still make them. The experience
was a knowledge exchange, apart from a financial
revenue. We would love to receive another offer
like this one”.
→
Anabel Martínez, Nery Martínez and Isabel
Fernández, members of the Wichí communityof El Potrillo, Formosa, who participated in The
Impenetrable Forest display in the London
Design Biennale of 2018, together with designcollective TRImarchi.
Wichí artisan harvesting chaguar.
Photo: Celine Frers. Courtesyof Fundación Niwok .

✺Wichí Community of El Potrillo
Community in the province of Formosa thatspecializes in the ancestral weaving of a plantfibre obtained from chaguar.

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BIHAR, INDIA"The themes for Madhubani painting are traditional
and part of our culture. It is an art form we enjoy
practicing together as a community. We learn
about designs from each other. Our themes haveremained the same over the decades, but the basematerial of Madhubani paintings is what keeps
changing. More people want to buy Madhubani
paintings now, too. In our organisation, Shilp
Sangh, we have 52 women, out of which around
30 to 32 come in daily and work. The work is so
engaging. We enjoy meeting and working together
every day, and also work excitedly on new orders".
→
Narmada Devi, artisan and painter.
Women gathered to practice
the art of Madhubani painting.
Photo: courtesy Narmada Devi.

✺
Madhubani painting
As one of the most popular forms of folk art
in India, the setting up of women’s collectives
in villages has empowered the artists of
Madhubani painting.

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“Silat means‘notice’,‘information’, ‘alert’,‘announcement’. We
call our textiles silat
to show the world
that, with them, weare making present
the legacy of ourancestors.
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We want themto know ourhistory. We are
the daughters ofthe mountains.
We are part of themountains. We area vital force”.
→ Claudia Alarcón, Wichí artisan, talks about
the name of the textile pieces that were partof the “La escucha y los vientos. Relatos e
inscripciones del Gran Chaco” exhibition.
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PROTECTION

1. Respect
2. Recognition
3. Consent
4. Atribution
5. Active Listening
6. Shared Benefits
7. Protection

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SINDH, PAKISTAN“My mother, Shalli Bibi, taught me the skill of rug
weaving. She, in turn, had learnt it from her mother,Sammi Bibi. Now, I usually work with my cousin,
Pari Bibi. We both sit at the loom together andweave. Only women weave, and we have our looms
in our homes. The men rear the goats and sheep,
spin the yarn and dye it in natural colours. Now,
only 10 to 15 of us weave in this village. As we only
speak Sindhi, and since there is a very strict purdah(seclusion of women from public observation), ourwoven rugs are taken for sale to the market in town
by the men. Sometimes, orders are placed directly
by rich landlords”.
→
Haleema Bibi y Pari Bibi, textile artisans.
Farasis rugs maintain theirunaltered ancestral patterns.
Photo: courtesy of Ghulam
Qadir and Master Zakir.

✺
Farasis rugs
Farasis rugs are woven only by women,
who work at home on their looms intheir ancestral craft.

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NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“Mujeres Esperanza of the Kolla community of Iruya
is a group integrated by fourteen artisan women.
In the workshops that I’ve been carrying out since2013, we recover previously lost knowledge andlearn new techniques, such as felt, to work withreadily available materials: sheep wool or llama
fibre”. This project has a holistic view, and thus
includes other matters related to women’s life,
beyond artisanship. For that purpose, we havealliances with the community and with public andprivate institutions. What I like the most is theirsense of sorority and the support that they give
each other. The work is an excuse to get together,share their time and encourage each other.
I am happy to feel their affection, they make me
proud of my origins and my life, and I feel loved...
That is priceless”.
→
Milagro Tejerina, artisan, creator of thebrand La Justa Diseño Textil, researcher
and professor of the National University of
Tucumán. Project: “Diseño y Comunidad
Creativa”, Espacio de Arte Fernández Mar /INTA Humahuaca.

✺
Mujeres EsperanzaGroup comprised of artisans of the Kolla
community of Iruya and the surrounding area,
in Salta, dedicated to spinning and loom
weaving with sheep wool and llama fibre.

Thread being dried.
Photo: Milagro Tejerina.

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BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA“My mother learned to weave using the loom
from other women of the Mapuche communitythat arrived from the South in 1986, because thatknowledge was lost in this small town. She, in turn,taught me. We had an experience with the National
University of the Northwest that was very enrichingfor both parties. We were taught to take better
photographs and show what we do, and we started
recording our designs in a manual, to be able toshare them. We like talking about what we do.
Going to fairs is a whole event. We are really happy
to talk to people who come to our stand to explain
the processes of the work and its meaning. Spinningand weaving, apart from being a job opportunity,
express our culture”.
→
Cinthia Zaballa Antimán, Kume Lalen.
Project: Mapuches of NOBA, Transfer andstrenghtening of regional production (2019).
National University of the Northwest.
Woven tablemat and bag.
Photo: courtesy of Kume Lalen.

✺
Kume Lalen (Good Spider)Group of artisans of the Mapuche community
dedicated to artisanal spinning of merino wooland loom weaving. Los Toldos, Buenos Aires.

74

75

DIALOGUESWITH ARTISANS
(2)

(1)

(5)

(3)

(4)

1. Cultural Institutions
2. Transmission / Education
3. Tourism
4. Technology
5. Co-creation76

In the wider artisanal
ecosystem, there have emerged
projects and programs thathighlight equal relationships,
mutual respect, sustainability,
protection and other aspects,
with bridges and intersections
that are beneficial to all those
involved.
Here, we underline examplesof these values in cultural
institutions, transmission andeducation, tourism, technology
and co-creation.

77

01

CULTURALINSTITUTIONS

1. Cultural Institutions
2. Transmission / Education
3. Tourism
4. Technology
5. Co-creation

78

79

NORTHEAST, ARGENTINA“The work we put together to present in London
was part of a knowledge exchange. My brother andI remember that, when they came into our house,
we were happy and excited to learn something new.
My mother made them tortillas with honey. They
were well received. I also remember going to Mar
del Plata for a talk to present this experience. At
first, I was really nervous, because there were many
people we didn’t know listening to us. I was afraid tomake a mistake, but Sol (Marinucci) told me that it
was just a talk, and that everything would be okay.
And so it was. After that, we went to see the ocean.
I had always dreamed of seeing the ocean with myown eyes, of feeling the cold and the salt, like inthe movies. It was all very knew to me, andI enjoyed it deeply”.
→
Anabel Martínez, artisan, member of the
Wichí community of El Potrillo, Formosa.
The Impenetrable Forest installation.
Photo: courtesy of London Design
Biennale 2018.

✺
The Impenetrable Forest
Argentinian participation in the London Design
Biennale 2018, curated by the TRImarchi
collective and textile designer Sol Marinucci.
The exhibition in Somerset House was arranged
with support from the Argentinian Chancellor’s
Office, the National Secretary of Culture, theEmbassy of Argentina and the British Council.

80

81

NEW DELHI, INDIA“I work with an organization that certifies handmade
products. Craft practice is a key criterion forawarding this certification. So, whenever there isany doubt related to a particular craft practice or
tradition, we invariably refer to the rich repository ofknowledge that the Craft Revival Trust’s (CRT) online
encyclopaedia Asia InCH offers. It not only helps us
gain more information about craft practices, but also
helps in validating our process. The crafts sector is so
dynamic, with continuous changes in techniques andmaterials. So, we fall back on information provided
by CRT, in case of doubt. It helps us to decide on thebest way to proceed”.
→
Anjali Bhatnagar, Manager, Enterprise
Support Programme and Marketing,|
All India Artisans and Craftworkers
Welfare Association (AIACA).

82

“To read the Global InCH Journal is to engage ina dialogue with visual dialects that illuminate theanswers towards better futures. Global InCH isa treasure trove of documentation, discussions,heritage and living intangible cultural heritage”.
→
Dra. Varsha Gupta, professor, masterof Design, National Institute of Fashion
Technology.
Photo: Extract from a page of the Global InCH
Journal about intangible cultural heritage.

✺
Craft Revival Trust (CRT)The Craft Revival Trust (CRT) was foundedon the principle that knowledge building andits dissemination is the key to preserving andsustaining the intangible cultural heritage of
traditional craft and cultural practices.

83

NORTHEAST, ARGENTINA“The dialogue with the field of arts opens up new
possibilities to build meaning, communication andfinancial revenues for the community. These typesof experiences give value to knowledge that isoften unappreciated by people outside the Wichí
community. The presence of the weavers in art
spaces proposes a reflection for the institutions
and professionals with whom they collaborate andopens up a new path”.
→
Andrea Fernández, artist, cultural agent
and curator. She accompanies indigenous
women organisations from the North of Saltaby researching possibilities that link art andsocial economy.
Pieces of "La escucha y los vientos.
Relatos e inscripciones del Gran Chaco"
in IFA-Galerie, Berlin.
Photo: Victoria Tomaschko.

✺
Listening and winds. Narrations
and inscriptions of Gran Chaco
Exhibition from 2020 in the IFA (Foreign Affairs
Institute) in Berlin, Germany, curated by Andrea
Fernández. The exhibition brought together
the collaborative work of artisans, researchers
and artists of the North of Argentina, in an area
known as Gran Chaco.

84

85

02

TRANSMISSION /EDUCATION

1. Cultural Institutions
2. Transmission / Education
3. Tourism
4. Technology
5. Co-creation

86

87

NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“I have dedicated myself to researching andcollecting knowledge about spinning and dyeing withnatural pigments, with the help of grandmothersfrom Tafí del Valle. They are the experts and mastersof this craft. When talking about natural dyes, wemust begin by knowing and protecting the plant
species that we call weeds. Most people don’t knowthat these herbs provide many benefits, apart frombeing the source of dyes. Our relationship to themis ancestral, and some are in danger of extinction.
When the University of Florence contacted me, I felt
small working alongside the scientists. Until I noticed
that they felt the same in relation to my research.
That recognition made me think that my work ofyears hasn’t been in vain. Today, I feel l am theguardian of that knowledge, which is our legacy”.
→
Liliana Pastrana, Grupo Warmipura.
Cooperation project: “Recovering ancestraltechniques of wool dyeing and natural fibres of
the Argentinian Northwest”. Grupo Warmipura,
University of Florence - UNIFI, Italy, andUniversity of Morón, Argentina.

✺
Grupo WarmipuraThis association is comprised of nine weavers
who specialize in the conservation of ancestralknowledge about natural dyes and dyeing
techniques. Tafí del Valle, Tucumán.

Liliana Pastrana and her researchon natural dyes.
Photo: Juana Montoya.

88

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CENTRE, ARGENTINA“Good artisanship is related to choosing the raw
materials, the history and the tradition, although
this is not a generationally transmitted technique.
Techniques are rescued, learnt and innovated.
Artisanship also involved design. Artisanalproducers have a cultural content, that is, acultural identity. I have more than thirty-five yearsof training and research; I initially studied art,
and then specialized in ceramics. I have worked
with museums, archaeologists, historians andanthropologists to expand my knowledge about
pre-Hispanic ceramics of the litoral of Santa Fe. All
that knowledge about styles, techniques, shapes andfunctions is part of the curriculum of the La Guardia
ceramics workshop that I run. The identitarian
growth and development of the different lines werecreate today has awoken the interest of cultural
institutions and designers of other disciplines”.
→
Juliana Frías, director of the ceramics
workshop La Guardia, Santa Fe.

✺
Artisanal ceramics workshop,
La Guardia

Ceramic pieces created with pre-Hispanic
techniques. Photo: courtesy of La Guardia
artisanal ceramics workshop.

Space dedicated to the formation, research andrescue of pre-Hispanic ceramics techniques in
the province of Santa Fe.

90

91

NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“I remember how hard it was for me to learn on
my own by watching older women weave andembroider. Now, we explain how to grab theneedle, place the guide and tighten the mesh tostart embroidering. We make samples or videos,each with their own style. It is a slow process that
requires patience and follow-up. Having so muchcontact, we have become a family. Not letting thetechnique of randa die out is very important to us”.
→
Mirta Noemí Costilla,
Randeras de El Cercado.
Artisan Mirta Costilla weaving randa.
Photo: Pablo Masino.
Samples by artisan Mirta Costilla.
Photo: Alejandra Mizrahi.

✺
Randeras de El Cercado
Community of women dedicated to the randa,
a weaving and embroidery technique that has
been transmitted for generations since the 16th
century. Monteros, Tucumán.

92

93

ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA“We knew about Kalamkari, but since we were notpracticing the craft, we had no idea about how it
was done. So, when I joined Dwaraka, I was called
for training programs, and through these I learnt
the craft of Kalamkari. We have received continuous
training over a period of time. Dwaraka has not only
taught me about the craft, but has helped me get aplace in society. We feel much more confident now,
as we can support our families. We are in a happy
space now”.
→
Bhanu Priya, textile artisan and manager.
Kalamkari textiles are decorated
by hand with natural dyes.
Photo: courtesy of DWARAKA.

94

“I joined Dwaraka in 2009. I look after marketing.
I go to the city for sourcing materials. I feel
confident and am able to handle all the market
work by myself, and I can travel alone. The feelingof unity and oneness is the most special thing
here at Dwaraka. We all are a part of the Dwaraka
family, and we get to learn a lot. Dwaraka has beena constant support to us. Even during the time of
Covid-19, we were fortunate to have work”.
→
Mona Kumari, textile artisan.
Artisan painting a textile piece byhand in the kalamkari technique.
Photo: courtesy of DWARAKA.

✺
Dwaraka
Dwaraka has collectivized artisans, especiallywomen, empowered them with knowledge andskills of Kalamkari textile making, and affected
over 3000 lives.

95

Chenen allie,jamnikachen iyu
yak howen.
Karoyeten, chenkexa’ alcen naa
Selk’nam wikayen.
Taiu haruwen
yikowa yolien tan.
Yikowa holhs,

96yikowa kartshowen,
yikowa viekiyon,
yikowa van.
Yikowa Selk’nam.
Yataiken.
Naa Elesken→ Margarita Maldonado is a Selk’nam artisan, writer andeducator dedicated to researching and spreading the cultureof her people. Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
See translation in page 42
97

03

TOURISM

1. Cultural Institutions
2. Transmission / Education
3. Tourism
4. Technology
5. Co-creation

98

99

CUYO, ARGENTINA“The Mercado Artesanal Tradicional is part of acultural space that is open to the general public
and is especially dedicated to tourism. It includes
an exhibition and sale store that we are renovating.
For that, we travelled around the territory toengage and interview artisans to learn about
their needs and their reality, while also recording
their work through photographs. The idea is tocreate a document that has information about theidentitarian pieces of our region, from techniques toauthorship. Showing and explaining the processes is
crucial for the understanding of the value of theseobjects. At the same time, we grant an Artisanal
Identity Certification, which is a warranty of quality
and origin that helps us give value and visibility toand project our artisanship to those interested in it”.
→
Miriam Atencio, artisan, designer and directorof the Mercado Artesanal Tradicional Luisa
Escudero. Ministry of Tourism and Culture of
San Juan.
Certified artisan Ceferino Torres.
Photo: Morena Soria, Irene Aliste and Marcos
Garcés. Courtesy of Mercado Artesanal
Tradicional Luisa Escudero.

✺
Mercado Artesanal
Tradicional Luisa Escudero
The market has the purpose of preserving, promoting and developing artisanship as part of thecultural heritage of the province of San Juan.

100

101

NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“Weaving is part of the life in the valley. In our
cooperative, we choose spaces dedicated to tourism
to show our productive processes. We are aroundforty members with different specializations:spinning, vertical and horizontal loom weaving anddyeing. The idea of getting together was born outof conversations organised by El Ceibal, a nonprofit organization, more than fifteen years ago. Asa group, we obtained better access to raw materials
and added our volumes to consolidate ourselves as
producers. Another important step was opening
a store where visitors can appreciate what we do.
After all, everything involving the head and thehands of an artisan is reflected in the objects. We
didn’t want our crafts to be empty of meaning.
Nowadays, we are located in Tafí del Valle, acrossfrom the Casa del Turista. We are the starting pointof the Ruta del Artesano, an initiative that we sharewith another twenty workshops”.
→
Andrea Fiorina Gatti,
Ruta del Tejido cooperative.
Sheep wool pillows.
Photo: Camila Villaruel.

✺Ruta del Tejido
Group of artisans dedicated to the collective
creation of cultural goods related to ancestral
textile crafts. Tafí del Valle, Tucumán.

102

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA“At Apé Gama, my creativity has increased. This
peaceful village atmosphere is very good for artists
and artisans to thrive in. I’ve also greatly benefited
from training opportunities offered here. Meetingand interacting with visitors has also helped me gain
confidence and sustained my craft”.
→
Wasantha, artisan, Batik specialist.
Living cultural centre.
Photo: courtesy of Apé Gama.

✺
Apé Gama
Apé Gama or ‘our village’ is a living cultural
centre that offers a presentation of the cultural
aspects of Sri Lanka.

103

04

TECHNOLOGY

1. Cultural Institutions
2. Transmission / Education
3. Tourism
4. Technology
5. Co-creation

104

105

NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“During the pandemic, the people who use to cometo our community to buy our crafts stopped coming,
and we were not able to go to fairs either. Luckily,
we managed to make some sales by mobile phone.
Since I have access to the Internet, I was able to help
my relatives and colleagues with the communicationand distribution of orders. Social networks helped
us disseminate our products. Many people know
our work because they saw it on-line. We stopped
making ceramics because we could not sell themat a good price, but in 2019, we put together thisgroup of women and we resumed our work with
the incentive of people outside the community,
such as Andrea Fernández and Florencia Califano.
Participating in museum expositions also helps tomake our work known. Last year, we participatedin an exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art of
Buenos Aires, through audio recordings that wesent via mobile phone”.
→
Vicenta Ovando, referent of Orembiapo
Maepora. Andrea Fernández, artist, cultural
agent and curator. Florencia Califano, artist andceramics teacher.
Ceramic pieces exhibited in "La escucha y losvientos. Relatos e inscripciones
del Gran Chaco" in IFA-Galerie, Berlin.
Photo: Victoria Tomaschko.
Artisan Claudia Sánchez painting ceramics.
Photo: Andrea Fernández.

✺
Orembiapo Maepora
Group of eight ceramists and painters of the
Chané people, from the community of Tuitatí,in the city of Campo Durán, Salta.

106

107

BHUTAN“I’ve always had an interest in painting and, initially,
I practiced my skills on the planks and card boards.
I live in a remote village and there was no one who
could paint in my village. The Internet was my tutor.
I faced many obstacles; nevertheless, I consider
obstacles are the bridges to success. It was in 2015
when I first painted for an earning, and it's goinggreat. Currently, there are three artists training
and working with me. The villagers here are mycustomers. I paint their chairs, tables, Buddhist
chapels, houses, gates and other objects”.
→
Ngawang Jamba, Ngawang Jamba, artist.
Photo: courtesy of Ngawang Jamba.

✺
Bhutan traditional painting
Self-learning a traditional art
form from the Internet.

108

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PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA“The incorporation of the Mini Mills semi-industrial
machine, as from June 2021, is a great step for
Guanaco Estepa, since it provides autonomy to the
productive system of guanaco fibre, an animal native
to South America, which is closely linked to the life ofindigenous people. It can be seen in cave paintings,
and its name is present in social and cultural beliefs
and practices. Having control over the traceability of
its fibre means empowerment for the associations ofsmall producers and rural artisans of the Patagonian
steppe. Our project seeks to recover ancestralknowledge to heal the intergenerational social
fabric, fomenting artisanal spinning and weaving in
the wïtral (mapuche loom) taught by our elders. At
the same time, the processing plant is a source of
employment for younger people in a region whose
population has been decreased year after year.
Management is done by the agricultural cooperative
Peñi Mapuche, in the city of Ñorquinco, Río Negro”.
→
Patricia Dreidemie, director of Guanaco
Estepa, technology linker, teacher and
CONICET researcher in anthropology,
environment and sustainability.
Product made with 100% guanaco fibre.
Photo: courtesy of Guanaco Estepa.
Wild guanacos in the Patagonian steppe.
Photo: Chino Leiva.

✺
Guanaco Estepa
Group that brings together rural producers
and artisans from the Tehuelche, TehuelcheMapuche and Mapuche communities of Río
Negro. The collective brand includes all the
production chain of the guanaco fibre undersustainable principles.

110

111

“To us, our hands
are like ourmachines; we
let them speak
for themselves.

112

Weaving is a
moment of peace,of serenity”.

→ Claudia Aybar,
Randeras de El Cercado,
Tucumán, Argentina.
113

05

CO-CREATION

1. Cultural Institutions
2. Transmission / Education
3. Tourism
4. Technology
5. Co-creation

114

115

PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA“Working with designers was very enriching. I was
hired to develop the prototype of a knife used toharvest mushrooms collaboratively. We exchanged
knowledge until we arrived at an object that, despite
having ergonomic details that I wouldn’t have comeup with and being visually different from what I
imagined, completely represents me. I was verysatisfied participating in a project that will foster
knowledge and protection of the region’s nature”.
→
Martín Müller has been a cutler for more thanten years. He learnt this craft from his father,and then expanded his knowledge on his own.
He specializes in blades and folding knives.
Tools for mushroom harvesting.
Photo: Martín Sabattini.

116

“With the studio, we have participated invarious collaborative works with the artisanaland entrepreneurial sectors. Experiences haveunderpinned the idea that designers can be flexible
professionals at the service of artisanship. In fact,
we have developed two free booklets with design
tools for artisans that are available in our website”.
→
Manuel Rapoport is the co-founder, together
with Martín Sabattini, of Designo Patagonia,
a design study from Bariloche that has the
purpose of creating objects that rescue theartisanal stories, materials and knowledgeof the region.
Knives for mushroom harvesting.
Photo: courtesy Martín Müller.
Design manual for artisans
View more✺
Patagonia Fungi
Equipment for mushroom harvest designed
collaboratively by industrial design study
Designo Patagonia and local artisans as partof the Patagonia Fungi project, an initiativeof the CIEFAP (Andine Patagonic Centre
for Forestal Research and Extension), thataims to spread knowledge about wild edible
mushrooms in Patagonia.

117

DHAKA, BANGLADESH“I have been working here since 2008. Today, I train
women in Kantha embroidery. The women involvedin this work not only contribute to household income,but also get a tremendous sense of fulfilment.
As they work from home, they find time beyond
their regular household chores to do this work.
I also help teach them how to invest their money
sensibly and help in tutoring their children in reading
and writing. There are about 50 women from myvillage and the surrounding villages working with me.
I travel to meet them, supply the raw materials,
check the quality of their work, and collect thefinished products”.
→

Nargis Apa, manager,
embroiderer and educator.
Embroidering the Kantha.
Photo: courtesy Studio Mayasir.

✺Studio Mayasira conscious fashion design and embroidery
house has impacted over 2500 rural
underprivileged women across Bangladesh.

118

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NORTHWEST, ARGENTINA“I’ve had several experiences with designers andartists. I want to highlight a very good experience
with Gonzalo Villamax. With him, I learnt new things,
like working with moulds and including other shapes,
embroideries and types of nets. It was beautiful.
Gonzalo always said: ‘This neckline was made by
Claudia Aybar’. On another occasion, my work witha fashion brand, Clara Rosa, was seen on a runway
in Buenos Aires. It was unforgettable. Every time I
collaborate with someone, I ask them to include myname. Seeing your name and feeling the recognition
fills you with pride, it is very nice. Also, thesecollaborations help us make randa known and valued”.
→
Claudia Aybar, Randeras de El Cercado.

Artisan Claudia Aybar anddesigner Gonzalo Villamax.
Photo: Solana Peña.

120

“My first work with randa was when Alejandra
Mizrahi invited me to participate in the book ‘Randa:
tradición y diseño. Tucumanos en diálogo’ (2013).
Part of this proposal included getting together
three couples of designer-artisan; I was invited
to work with artisan Claudia Aybar. Together, westarted looking for ways to apply the randa. Aftersome testing, we chose to create patterns using
the technique to make a dress. It was a processof mutual learning which was followed by othercollaborative processes. This experience changed
my way of designing; from there, all my collections
included other creators. Also, I was inspired to keepon learning about the cultures of indigenous people.
Today, artisanship helps me support everything I
seek to express as a designer”.

→
Gonzalo Villamax. Fashion designer andcreator of a brand of the same name,currently based in Valencia, Spain.
Collection by Gonzalo Villamax incollaboration with Claudia Aybar.
Photo: Pato Rivero.

✺
Randa: tradición y diseño.
Tucumanos en diálogo
Publication created collaboratively with the
publishing house of the National University of
Tucumán - EDUNT, the Institute for Productive
Development of Tucumán - IDEP and the
Cultural Centre Eugenio Flavio Virla (2013).

COMMUNITIESAND KNOWLEDGE

122

This section expands on
the information about thecommunities, institutions
and organisms in Argentina,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka thatparticipated in this publication.

123

Argentina Bangladesh Bhutan Pakistan India Sri lanka✺ Tinku Kamayu /Assembled to Work.

✺ Tejedores Andinos.

Santa María, Catamarca. Argentina.
Tinku Kamayu is a cooperative created by women who are descendants of indigenous people
dedicated to the design and production of itemsof clothing and home textiles in sheep wool andllama and vicuna fibres. Their specialization is
artisanal spinning and loom weaving. All of theirproducts are made completely by hand.
“By organising in a group and creating a brand,
we are helping to protect our heritage, transmit
respect for our culture and carry on our knowledge. By spinning and weaving, we are reviving
the techniques of our ancestors”.
Lorena Ramírez, Tinku Kamayu.
View more✺ Siyani, artisan.

AMBH village, Khairpur district,Sindh, Pakistan.
Khes is a traditional double-cloth weave
hand-woven on a pit-loom using cotton yarn.
Patterned in a wide range of chequered designs, it is used as a bedspread and as a shawl
or wrap. In the past, Khes weaving was largely amale dominated profession, with the women of
the family working on the pre-loom and postloom processes. Entire communities wove theKhes. However, in the last few decades, there
has been a sharp decline in Khes weaving, making this an endangered craft.
View more✺ Zangmo, artisan.

Thimphu, Bhutan.
The crafting of unglazed, fired earthenware pottery in Bhutan has its own distinct identity. Utilitarian pots and cooking vessels are amongst the
many other items crafted that are in demand by
the community. Using local clay, the artisans use
techniques that include moulding and shaping on
the potter's wheel.

Humahuaca, Jujuy. Argentina.
Association of weavers of the Kolla people, province of Jujuy. Their missions is to preserve, shareand perfect textile techniques through meetings
that foster the exchange of knowledge.
“This is a family-based project, because I’ve always worked with my weaver parents, and myaunts, cousins and nieces are also part of it. We
invited other groups and cooperatives to participate, and all those who want to share and continue learning. The idea is to weave together”.
Celeste Valero, founder of Tejedores Andinos.
View more✺ Mercado Artesanal
Tradicional Luisa Escudero.

City of San Juan, San Juan, Argentina.
The Mercado Artesanal Tradicional Luisa Escudero is part of a cultural space that is open to the
public and is especially dedicated to tourism. It
includes an exhibition and sale store of artisanalproducts from San Juan. Its purpose is preserving, promoting and developing artisanship aspart of the cultural heritage of the province of
San Juan. It grants the Artisanal Identity Certification from San Juan, together with the provincial Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
View more✺ Shehnaz Banu, artisan.

Kaithoon village, Kota district, Rajasthan, India.
The Kota-Doria textile is hand-woven mainly by
Muslim women belonging to families of traditional weavers. The gossamer weaving techniqueforms a square-checked pattern crafted with finesilk and cotton interspersed with metallic yarns ofgold or silver. The weavers work on a pit-loom witha hand-throw shuttle in their homes-cum-workshed. The Kota-Doria textile is a heritage weavethat has been woven since the 17th century.
View more124

Argentina Bangladesh Bhutan Pakistan India Sri lanka✺ Mercado de la Estepa
Quimey Piuké.

Dina Huapi, Río Negro. Argentina.
The Mercado de la Estepa Quimey Piuké (“goodheart” in Mapuche) is a non-profit organizationthat brings together artisans and small rural producers that sell their products under the principles of Fair Trade.
“The market is a place for selling and exchanging
that gives us unity. Its name speaks of our identity, the same reflected by our crafts, created withthe resources and raw materials provided by theenvironment in which we live and with the knowledge we have”. Collective text.
View more✺ Sandhya, artisan.

Saliyapura, Kantale, Sri Lanka
Reed plant species grow abundant in the wetlands of Sri Lanka. These naturally grown wetland plant species have traditionally provided
rural women with an additional source of livelihood. Working together, they produce all varieties of bags using indigenous and traditional
knowledge. The crafting has been impacted bycheap machine-made boxes.

✺ Ruta del Tejido.

Tafí del Valle, Tucumán. Argentina.
“We are a group of artisans dedicated to thecollective creation of cultural goods related toancestral textile crafts”, said this cooperative,
created in 2004. This organisation works under
the principle of collective design applied to the
production of textile arts and crafts for use in thehome, fashion, accessories and toys. They specialize in spinning, horizontal and vertical looms
and dyeing.
View more✺ Margarita Maldonado,
artisan and educator.

Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego. Argentina.
For thirty years, she has dedicated herself to re-searching and spreading the Selk’nam culture.
She wrote the following books: Comunidad Indígena “Rafaela Ishton”. Breve Reseña Histórica
del Ser Fueguino - Maldonado/López (2002),“Cestería y Ornamentación Selk’nam” (2006)
and “Entre dos mundos - Pasado y presente delos Selk´nam Haus de Tierra del Fuego” (2018).
“A people’s ancestral art is alive in their blood.
I am fourth generation Selk'nam on my mother’s side. I started by rescuing the technique ofbasketmaking as was made by the women of
our community to collect foods. Keeping an ancestral tradition of more than 1200 years alive
is a wonderful thing”. Margarita Maldonado, Río
Grande, Tierra del Fuego.
View more✺ Mohan Kumar Verma, artesano.

Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. India.
Practiced in Hindu temples, the craft of Sanjhi
used stencils that were finely cut out on leaves or
paper to create templates. These templates patterned with religious themes were used for fillingin coloured powders to create temporary floor
decorations onto the temple floors. Unveiled atevening prayer for the devotees to view, theseephemeral patterns filled with coloured powders
were then effaced on the same day. The coloured powders were later immersed in the river.
View more | View more

✺ Thañí / Viene del monte.

Salta. Argentina.
Collective of indigenous women who belong tocommunities of the Wichí people of the provinceof Salta, in the North of Argentina, in the Pilcomayo
river basin, where Argentina meets Paraguay andBolivia. The people of the region make bags, clothing items and fishing nets, among other objects,
using chaguar, a plant-based fibre obtained from
Bromelia Hieronymi. In 2017, a group of women
got together with the support of governmental
institutions in Argentina to sell their artisanal textiles collectively and build a network that generates

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added value for their work.
“Every one of our pieces is unique, one-of-a-kind,made by hand, under the shade of the trees, near
the fire with which we cook. Every figure thatappears in the textiles has a meaning; it’s an ancestral message that carries the stories of our culture”. Collective text
View more✺ Sonam Wangdi, artisan.

Thimphu, Bhutan.
The National Institute for Zorig Chusum at Thimphu not only preserves the traditional BhutaneseArt, but also passes it onto the next generation.
Here, the 13 traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan
are taught. Students can specialize in Lhadri, or
painting of furniture and Thangkas, painted religious pictures; Jimzo, or sculpture, Patra, or woodcarving of masks, statues and bowls; Tshemdrup, or embroidery; and Thagzo’, or weaving
and other traditions. The courses range from fourto six years. Earlier, these arts and crafts were
taught in the Dzongs, Monasteries, and Palaces.
Apart from their regular teachers, visiting facultyinteract with teachers and students to enhanceskills, technologies, and design.
View more✺ Lopen Norbu, artisan.

Thimbu, Bhutan.
In the past, the traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan were taught in the Dzongs, Monasteries, andPalaces, or by lay people. Now, these arts andcrafts, including Tshemdrup or embroidery, aretaught in the National Institute for Zorig Chusumin the capital city of Thimphu. The institute not
only preserves the traditional Bhutanese Art, butalso passes it onto the next generation.
View more✺ Randeras de El Cercado.

El Cercado, Department of Monteros, Tucumán.
The technique arrived with the Spanish colony inthe 16th century, and has been transmitted fromone generation to the next for over 500 years.
“Randa is made in two very important stages.
First, we create a mesh in a stretcher, and thenwe embroider it. Traditionally, we’ve used whiteand nude cotton thread, but with time, we haveadopted other colours and materials. To us, ourhands are like our machines; we let them speak
for themselves. Weaving is a moment of peace,of serenity”. Claudia Aybar.
View more | View more

✺ Wichí Community of El Potrillo

Formosa. Argentina.
Wichí community that lives in the banks of theBermejo river and specializes in the weaving of aplant-based fibre obtained from chaguar, a SouthAmerican bromelia that is closely linked to theircultural identity. With this fibre, they make domestic use items, such as bags, strings and fishingnets, as was done by their ancestors, and crafts
for sale. Using natural dyes, the Wichí women
represent the sacred geometry that evokes thepower of Mother Nature in their textile pieces.
“In our community, we are willing to show more ofwhat we can do in collaboration with people outside the community. It’s a mutual learning experience. We want our culture to be recognized all over
the world”. Anabel Martínez, El Potrillo, Formosa.
View more✺ Narmada Devi, artisan.

Monteros, Tucumán. Argentina.
Randa is a type of lace created with needles, andis made by around fifty women in the rural town ofMadhubani district, Bihar, India.
Shilp Sangh is a platform for female artists toshowcase their work and develop new designs.
It is a self-supporting cooperative of Madhubani
artists. Traditionally, on festive and religious occasions, and during weddings, the women of the
Madhubani district decorated their homes andcourtyards with images from Hindu epics, stories
from wedding rituals and nature. Passed downover generations, while the themes and techni-

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Argentina Bangladesh Bhutan Pakistan India Sri lanka
ques used for the painting remain the same, thisvibrant and deeply religious art has moved fromvillage walls to all types of materials, from murals
on walls to painting on paper, textiles, wood andother materials. It is now one of the most popularforms of folk art in India.
View more✺ Kume Lalen.

Los Toldos, Buenos Aires. Argentina.
Group of artisans of the Mapuche community
who share a spinning and loom weaving workshop. They work with merino wool from Trelew.
They use natural dyes or plant-based colorantsthat are safe for human consumption.
“We make everything using our hands and theknowledge we have. Being a weaver means putting a part of you in each piece. My mother said
that weaving is like going through life: sometimes you go forward and sometimes you makemistakes, so you have to go back, correct the
mistake and continue onwards”. Cinthia Zaballa
Antimán, Kume Lalen (Good Spider).
View more✺ Mujeres Esperanza.

Iruya, Salta. Argentina.
Group of fourteen women of the Kolla community, from the city of Iruya and surrounding areas.
They specialize in spinning and loom weaving
using sheep wool and llama fibre. In 2019, they
inaugurated their own Artisanal Room, a place toexhibit and sell products were they also have aworkshop that has incorporated some semi-industrial and domestic use machines.
“The room is a meeting place that gives us strength to continue working, learning, enhancing our
products and selling them. We work to have abetter quality of life, so that our children can continue studying and so that the younger ones see
what it’s like to work together”. Rosa Chorolque,
Grupo Mujeres Esperanza of Iruya.
View more✺ Haleema Bibi and Pari Bibi,
artisans.

Bagheli village, Badin district, Sindh, Pakistan.
Bagheli is a small village where Bibi Haleem andBibi Pari of the Maheri caste work together toweave rich Farasis rugs. Working at home on
their looms, their patterns are timeless and theirdesign vocabulary has remained unchanged
irrespective of where they have settled. This ancestral craft, handed down through generations,has always been practiced by women. After setting the base, the foundations are worked on withthe textile. They threading the yarn through theweft with their hands and the only tool they use isa wooden fork, which helps in compressing theyarn. This is now an endangered craft practice.

✺ Craft Revival Trust (CRT).

India.
The Craft Revival Trust (CRT), established in
1999 as a registered non-profit, was founded on
the principle that knowledge building and its dissemination is the key to preserving and sustaining intangible cultural heritage. Keeping this as
the central idea, CRT embarked on the journeyof recording and documenting traditional craft
and cultural practices in a form that was not only
intelligible to a wide audience of practitioners,
scholars, researchers, enthusiasts and more,
but also could be preserved for transmission to
the future generations as well. Through yearsof work and extensive research, CRT has built arich and enviable repository that includes traditional practices, enriching discussions, debates,
critiques from experts, amongst other subjects.
The repository has taken the form of three
distinct encyclopaedias that can be accessed
through the links below:
View more | View more
1. Asia InCH Encyclopaedia: An Encyclopaediaof Intangible Cultural Heritage: View more
2. India InCH: Address Directory: Listing of Traditional Craftspeople, Weavers, Artists AcrossIndia View more127

Argentina Bangladesh Bhutan Pakistan India Sri lanka
3. Global InCH Journal: International Journalof Intangible Cultural Heritage; Advocacy and
Policy: View more

✺ Grupo Warmipura.

Tafí del Valle, Tucumán. Argentina.
Group of nine weavers that specialize in naturaldyes. The research started in 2003 by Teresa
Liliana Pastrana about the ancestral techniquesand sources of colour was translated, among
other things, into a survey of native plant species
and the safeguard of practices that are recorded
in her book “Volver a lo nuestro... Rescate y preservación de las técnicas ancestrales sobre tintes naturales" (2016).
View more✺ Artisanal ceramics workshop,
La Guardia.

La Guardia, Santa Fe. Argentina.
Space dedicated to the formation, research andrescue of pre-Hispanic ceramics techniques.
The workshop combines tradition, work and innovation to build a singular element that identifies
the people of Santa Fe.
View more✺ Dwaraka - Development of
Women and Rural Artisans forKnowledge and Action.

Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, India.
An unplanned journey to Srikalahasti, a small town in Andhra Pradesh, by Anita Reddy andher father, Dwaraknath Reddy, in response to adesperate plea by an ageing rural artist in 1998,
was a turning point. It was the beginning of theorganisation Dwaraka - Development of Womenand Rural Artisans for Knowledge and Action
and the revival of the dying heritage art form ofhand-painted and mordant resist-dyed textile,
Kalamkari. Women of this region were caught inthe snare of poverty and the struggles that they
had endured were tangible.

With the belief that everyone has the power
and potential to transform their lives, Dwaraka
collectivized the artists, especially the women;
sharpened their skills; and enabled them to harness their talents into livelihood activities thatempowered them to find their strength and rise.
Today, the impact of Dwaraka’s efforts has touched over 3,000 artisans, transformed the livesof women artisans with skill and livelihood opportunities, and empowered rural and urban poor families and communities.
View more | View more

✺ Apé Gama.

Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte.
Sri Lanka.
Apé Gama, literally ‘our village’ in Sinhala, wasconceived as a reimagining of a traditional Sri
Lankan village and represents all its cultural aspects from the performing arts, traditional artsand crafts, cuisine, architecture, agricultural andindigenous medical practices, and other aspects. This living cultural centre set on a 14-hectare area is located in Sri Lanka’s capital city.
Expanded in 2013, it attracts large numbers ofstudents, researchers, tourists and others who
visit to learn about heritage, sample local food,see live demonstrations of the making of arts andcrafts, interact with the performers and artisans,and buy handcrafted objects from the heritage
shop and directly from the artisans.
View more✺ Guanaco Estepa.

Río Negro. Argentina.
Collective brand that brings together small producers and rural artisans from the Patagonian
steppe in Río Negro. Many of them are membersof the Tehuelche, Tehuelche-Mapuche and Mapuche communities. The group is in charge of all
the production chain, from round-up and shearing of wild guanacos according to the Animal
Welfare Protocols, to conditioning and distribution of the fibre to the spinners and weavers that128

Argentina Bangladesh Bhutan Pakistan India Sri lanka
make the final products: hats, gloves, scarfs, ruanas and ponchos.
View more✺ Orembiapo Maepora.

Campo Durán, Salta. Argentina.
Orembiapo Maepora (“our work is beautiful”, in
Chané) is a group of eight ceramists and paintersof the Chané people, from the community of Tuitatí, in the city of Campo Durán, province of Salta.
“We make polycrhomated ceramic pieces with
red clay that we find in a vein near our community.
Then, we shape the objects with a lot of patience,
we let them dry, we paint them and we polish themwith stones. When we feel the moment is right,
we put them in the fire. We also paint the masks
carved by the men with natural pigments”. Vicenta
Ovando, referent of Orembiapo Maepora.
View more

step process, poplar wood is turned on a lathe,several layers of coloured lacquer are applied
and then floral and geometric patterns are
etched onto the lacquered surface. The process
reveals the colours that vary in intensity depending on the depth of the engraving. The numberof artisans is dwindling, with only 20 still actively
pursuing the profession.
View more | View more

✺ Studio Mayasir.
Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Studio Mayasir is a conscious fashion designand embroidery house. Working in close cooperation with artisan communities, it preserves andsustains traditional artisanship, affecting morethan 2500 underprivileged rural women acrossBangladesh. Maheen Khan is the managing director and founder of Mayasir and a well-known
pioneer in the design industry of Bangladesh.
She is also the founding chair of Arts Council,
Dhaka.
Kantha is an embroidery tradition of up-cycling and quilting with a large stitch vocabulary.
View more✺ Ayesha Waseem and Mohammad
Waseem, artisans.

Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Jandri-ka-kam, also known as Laky-ka-kam orlacquer work, has been practiced in Pakistan forover 400 years. This tradition is used to makedecorative wooden items. Following a three-129

PARTICIPANTS
VOICESAll the people that participatedin the Artisans Voices:
Dialogues for Sustainable
Practices publication are
mentioned below, including
the names of the members of
the artisan communities andthe persons, institutions andorganisms that have engaged
with them in the creationand knowledge exchange
processes.
130Tinku kamayu / Assembled to Work Margarita Ramírez, Lorena Ramírez, Rita Gutiérrez, Sonia
Aráoz, Silvana Vargas, Maricel Caminos, Yesica Pasallo, Anabel Reinoso, Ines Ramírez, Rosa
Cancinos, Andrea Ramírez, Rocío Castro, Francisco Moreno / Siyani / Zangmo / Tejedores
Andinos. Celeste Valero, Lucrecia Cruz, Casillas Community, Irma Cruz, Sabina Cruz, Maimará
Community, Nora Ríos, Yacoraite, Vanesa Cruz, Joana Palacios, Sumalagua Community,
Esperanza de La Quiaca, Bernarda Martínez - Inti Cancha Community, Edilberta Puca - Cusi
Community. Ministry of Tourism and Culture of San Juan, Mercado Artesanal Tradicional
Luisa Escudero, Miriam Atencio / Shehnaz Banu / Lucas Mamerto Mamani / Mercado dela Estepa Quimey Piuké. Rosana Perez, Alejandra Córdoba, Lili Fernández, Mónica Castillo,
Dominga Juanico, Susana Rivas, Catalina Fernández, Elsa Oses, Paula Antrichipay, Elsa
cañupan, Virginia Antrichipay, Magdalena Porma, Magdalena, Méndez, Cintia Quilaleo, Sonia
Santiago, Estela Guerrero, Doralisa Toledo, Sandra Malvina Gómez./ Sandhya / Ruta delTejido. Andrea Fiorina Gatti / Margarita Maldonado / Mohan Kumar Verma / Thañí/Vienedel monte: Andrea Fernández, Melania Pereyra and Claudia Alarcón. IFA-Gallery Berlin. /Sonam Wangdi / Lopen Norbu / Randeras de El Cercado / Anice Evangelina Ariza, Juana
Margarita Ariza, Margarita del Rosario Ariza, Claudia Noemí Aybar, Elva Rosa Aybar, Gabriela
Noemí Belmonte, Tatiana Belmonte, Ofelia Belmonte, Norma Beatriz Briseño, Cristina delValle Costilla, Mirta Noemí Costilla, Ana Belén Costilla Ariza, Marisel de los Ángeles Costilla,
Silvia del Valle González, Dolores Marta Núñez, María Magdalena Núñez, María Marcelina
Núñez, Yohana Elizabeth Pacheco, Giselle María Paz, Romina Elizabeth Paz, Camila Nieva,
Silvia Robles, Mayra Alejandra Robles, Agustina del Carmen Sosa, Elva Cristina Sosa, Yohana
Torres, Silvina Amado, Silvina González, Malena González, María Laura González, Ana María
Toledo / Florencia Vivas, EDUNT, IDEP, Cultural Centre Eugenio Flavio Virla / Wichí Communityof El Potrillo. Isabel Fernández, Marisela García, Anabel Martínez, Marisela Martínez, Sonia
Fernández, Verona Fernández, Ayelén Fernández, Angelina Fernández, Evelin Fernández,
Lidia Paz, Juana Fernández, Guillermina Fernández, Orfilia Ibáñez, Dominga Fernández, Rosa
Barraza, Carla Martínez, Mirta Tomas, Adolfina Tomas, Johana Pérez, Nery Martínez / London
Design Biennale 2018, TRImarchi / Narmada Devi / Kume Lalen. Cinthia Zaballa Antimán,Giselle Zaballa, Jennifer Zaballa, Patricia Carpio and Samantha Carpio / Other artisans fromLos Toldos: Guillermina Luberriaga, Mabel Pilquil, María Ester Ancay and María Antonia Pilqui.
National University of the Northwest / Mujeres Esperanza / Gabriela Zambrano, Dayana
Chauque, Enilda Chorolque, Eulalia Lunda, Rosa Cruz, Celeste Chauque, Elena Ayarde,
Fernanda Zambrano, Griselda Baños, Lola Ramos, Nancy Zerpa, Norma Chorolque, Rosa
Chorolque, Yamile Choque / Milagro Tejerina, National University of Tucumán, Espacio de Arte
Fernández Mar, INTA, Humahuaca / Haleema Bibi and Pari Bibi / Sol Marinucci / Elvira Espejo /Argentinian Chancellor’s Office, National Culture Ministry, Embassy of Argentina in London
National Ministry of Social Development, Martina Mianzan / Craft Revival Trust (CRT). Anjali
Bhatnagar, Varsha Gupta / Grupo Warmipura. Silvina Reyes, Julia Cruz, Carina Reyes, Karina
González, Nelida Gómez, Maira Cruz, Julia Reyes, Crecencia González, Liliana Pastrana,
University of Florence - UNIFI, University of Morón / Artisanal ceramics workshop, La Guardia/ Juliana Frías, Ignacio Bertussi, Adriana Pérez Lindo, Nelida Cutreras, María Luiza Lopategui,Teresa Bastistuti, Claudia Lorenzón, Cristina Lebetto, Roberto Acosta, Marcela Heger, Sonia
Piedrabuena, Nelida Rolón / Dwaraka / Bhanu Priya, Mona Kumari / Ruta del Artesano
Apé Gama. Wasantha / Guanaco Estepa / Patricia Dreidemie, Peñi Mapuche / Orembiapo
Maepora / Lilia López, Felisa Ruiz, Soledad Ruiz, Claudia Sánchez, Gabriela Orio, Eli López,Vicenta Ovando, Alicia Saravia and Ester López / Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires,
Florencia Califano / Ngawang Jamba / CIEFAP - Andine Patagonic Centre for Forestal
Research and Extension / Martín Müller, Manuel Rapoport, Martín Sabattini, Designo
Patagonia, Gonzalo Villamax, Clara Rosa, Alejandra Mizrahi / Studio Mayasir / Nargis Apa /Anita Reddy / Bhawni Mehrotra / Darshan Mekani Shah / Darshi Keerthisena / Himali Jinadasa/ Indranie Dasgupta / Karma Zangmo / Mahedi Hasan / Mohammad Ahmad / Nivedita Negi
/ Noorjehan Bilgrami / Pema Chopel / Rinzin O. Dorji / Shristha Bhandari / Royal Textile
Academy of Bhutan

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TEAM

Florencia Elena Antonini. IDI - UNNOBA, National
University of the Northwest of the Province of Buenos Aires
Beatriz Martínez and Mariela Favero. FAUD - UNMdP,
National University of Mar del Plata
Patricia Pieragostini. FADU - UNL,
National University of the Litoral
Moriana Abraham.DITI. FAUD - UNC,
National University of Córdoba
Maria Blanca Iturralde. FAyD - UNaM,
National University of Misiones
Maria Alejandra Moreno. FAUD – UNSJ,National University of San Juan

BRITISH COUNCIL
The British Council is the United Kingdom’s internationalorganisation for cultural relations and educational
opportunities. We foster knowledge and understanding
between the population of the United Kingdom andother countries. This results in benefits for all, since wetransform the lives of the people by creating opportunities,
establishing links and generating mutual trust.
Valeria Zamparolo – Director of Arts,
British Council Argentina
Verónica Bergna – Arts Projects Manager,
British Council Argentina
Katia Stewart – Global Manager of Crafting Futures,
British Council United Kingdom

REDIT INTERNSMicaela Borlandelli, Franco Chimento, Andrea del ValleOcón, Julieta Richeri, Juana Luisa Montoya, Melina
Suarez Sabatini, Victoria Zaccari and Josefina Zentner
TERRITORY AGENTS
Pilar Avetta, Lucía Camargo Pablicich, Gina Crespi,
Andrea Fernández, Andrea Gatti, Miranda Mayer,
Alejandra Mizrahi, Juana Montoya, Natalia Orozco,
Milagro Tejerina and Yazmine Zampaca

RITU SETHI - INDIA
Ritu Sethi is the editor of Global InCH, the online
international journal of intangible cultural heritage,
and supervisor of Asia InCH, an encyclopaedia on the
traditional arts, crafts, and textiles of South Asia. She
is a founder-trustee of the Craft Revival Trust, a nonprofit organization based on the principle that accessto knowledge and its dissemination are the vital nucleus
for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage. She
has authored and edited several publications, including“Designers Meet Artisans - A Practical Guide” (translated
into Spanish and French).

RACHEL KELLY - UNITED KINGDOM
Responsible for postgraduate textile design programs in
the Manchester School of Art.
She led the Creating Sustainable Textile Futures for
Women project in 2019, as part of the British Council’s
Crafting Futures program in the Philippines.

SOL MARINUCCI - ARGENTINA
Designer, cultural producer and researcher. She participatedin the organisation of the biggest design festival of Latin
America, TRImarchi. Her experience in fieldwork withindigenous people during the last decade has made her
an ideal leader for the coordination of the Crafting Futures
program of the British Council in Argentina. She was incharge of guiding the project since the initial diagnosis
stage and of creating interdisciplinary teams. She fosteredreflections around collaborative creation practices
between artisanship and design and defined a vision with apolyphonic approach to start new conversations that include
different voices.
REDIT - Argentina
The Federal Inter-University Network for Fashion andTextile Design - REDIT was created in 2012 with the ideaof driving the development of that specialization undera perspective that takes into account the identitarian
particularities of each region of the country. In the lastyears, they have focused on knowledge exchange
experiences with artisanal communities applied to the fieldof textile and fashion design.
Alejandra Mizrahi, artist, teacher and researcher, was the
REDIT representative and coordinator for the Crafting
Futures Argentina project. She also contributed her wide
experience with the group Randeras de El Cercado, withwhom she has worked closely in the last years.

ADVISORS
Elvira Espejo - Bolivia
Artisan, visual artist, researcher and director of the National
Museum of Ethnography and Folklore in La Paz, Bolivia.
Deirdre Figueiredo - United Kingdom
Director of Craftspace, a Birmingham based organisationthat promotes artisanal development.
Milagro Tejerina - Argentina
Artisan, professor of the National University of Tucumán
and educational and productive projects manager withartisan communities in different regions of the country.
Bridget Harvey - United Kingdom
Interdisciplinary artist, adviser for design and artisanshipprojects, researcher, curator and teacher.
DESIGN
Sofia Noceti Studio
ILLUSTRATIONS
Celeste Chauque, Elena Ayarde, Norma Chorolque,
Rosa Chorolque, Nancy Zerpa, Lola Ramos y Sofía Noceti
TEXTS
Andrea Lázaro

REDIT universities
María Lombana and Alejandra Mizrahi. FAU - UNT, National
University of Tucumán

COPY EDITOR
Maria Marta Pugliese
TRANSLATOR
Guadalupe de la Fuente

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A Crafting Futures initiative134