New Delhi, India: A citywide celebration of the finest craftsmanship, Chapter Four of India Craft Week (ICW) by Craft Village, is back from 20 to 23 October 2022 at Okhla NSIC Ground, New Delhi, connects art, design, and culture. Organizations, Brands, Institutions, Designers, Craftspersons, Artisans, Craftpreneurs, and Makers from India and around the world will participate in the show. The ICW experience includes live demonstrations, masterclasses, cross-talks, installations, galleries, and film screenings.
ICW, which is recognised as the world's second largest Craft Week and is supported by the World Crafts Council, showcases authentic and contemporary craft forms through diverse and unique segments such as Craft Masterclass, Craft Rare, Craft Panorama, Craft International, Craft Luxe, Craft Discover, Craft Cinema, and more. Craft Village aims to provide craft communities with a sustainable source of income and exposure following the pandemic. By bringing together ancient and modern craftsmen, craftspeople, artists, brands, and individual makers on a single platform and, most importantly, by fostering a love for the handmade, Craft Village, a national Entity of the World Craft Council, has created India's unique craft ecosystem.
More than 50 artisans, makers, craft brands, museums, organizations, and figureheads will attend the exhibition, which is hailed as India's official and the second largest craft week in the world after its international counterpart, London Craft Week.
This year India Craft Week will host its 5th and 6th edition International Craft Awards together to recognize and celebrate exceptional accomplishments worldwide, reiterating the message presented by the Craft Village team. With participation from more than 8-nations, the winners of the Craft Awards would be announced at the event.
The theme for this year is based on one of the most important elements of life, i.e. water. It is also believed that each craft thrived and grew in places and locations with water access or water bodies such as lakes or 'Dariya.'. Not many people are aware, but Craft and Water have had an untold relationship since the beginning of civilizations. The theme of this year considers water as an important source of survival and living. A pledge to conserve water and not pollutes it to preserve underwater life. The aquatic world has significance in terms of mystery, surprises and vivid colors and forms of nature. Underwater life has been the biggest source of inspiration, as well as a great symbol to the world that has started to value Sustainable Culture, ‘Slow Life’ and organic products.
ICW is the creation of Iti Tyagi, a woman entrepreneur and recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar award by the Govt. of India, who has committed her life to improve the craft industry via image enhancement, revival, and ongoing community engagement for long-term employment and human dignity.
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. After the epidemic, India Craft Week was the only physical event last year, which gave artisans what they needed after long break-income, recognition and orders. The India Craft Week, with a focus on "Good Stories Untold," aims to bring stories from the craft sector and artisans who need to know and understand it rightly. It is intended to elevate the face of crafts which is still considered low key.
Today world is talking about sustainability, responsible consumption, circularity, and ethical, but our craft sector has been practicing this for thousands of years. They are innovative, multifunctional, culturally related, sustainable, and have a timeless appeal. India Craft Week aims to connect modern customers, industry and patrons with craftsmen, in a sense past with present and future generations” says Iti Tyagi, Founder of India Craft Week.
Through its curated experiences, Craft Village’s offspring ICW envisions formulating a harmonious ecosystem of craft and the people who make it, connecting them with national and global opportunities. The idea was well received by designers, craft activists and the social arms of the industry.
India Craft Week creates the ecosystem for weavers and artisanal communities. We too at Aadyam Handwoven , a corporate social initiative of the Aditya Birla Group, work actively with weaver communities across India to create a self-sustaining ecosystem for the finest artisans by enabling infrastructure & nourishing their craft and thus impacting their quality of life. We engage with them to create evolved sensibilities for new markets & help them connect with contemporary consumers, and for which a likeminded platform such as ICW is an ideal collaborator at many levels” adds Manish Saksena, Lead, Aadyam Handwoven.
The four-day long event is scheduled for 20 to 23 October 2022 at NSIC Ground, New Delhi, from 11 am to 7 pm. Tickets are currently available on Book My Show and ICW official website.
Craft Village- ICW is a Cultural Connect of Craft village, a New-Delhi based social organization, which is a national Entity of the World Craft Council-APR, Res-Artis, Netherlands, and Residency Unlimited, New York. Craft Village is a ‘Social Innovation’ focused on rebuilding the ‘Creative and Cultural Industry.’ It creates an Interface between Creativity, Culture, Economics and Technology as expressed in the ability to create and circulate intellectual capital that has the potential to generate income, jobs and exports while at the same time promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and human development.
India Craft Week is India’s first and World’s 2nd Craft Week. India’s only platform to bring Artisan, Designer, & Luxury brands on a single platform. Artisans were never exposed to the upper segment of the market directly, ICW gives trade as well as thought leadership opportunities to hundreds of participating Artisans (participation is FOC and Craft Village doesn’t charge a single rupee commission on sales & orders). ICW has grown many folds with an increase in brand participation from 16 to 30, an increase in Artist participation from 45 to 101, and an increase in Crafts from 30 to 50. The income of artisans and brands has grown three times in 2019, and thousands of visitors have visited in the past two chapters. ICW showcases authentic and contemporary craft forms under diverse and unique segments – Craft Heritage, Craft Masterclass, Craft Rare, Craft Panorama, Craft International, Craft Luxe, Craft Discover, Craft Cinema, Craft Symposium and Craft Installations.
Iti Tyagi, Founder of India Craft Week- NIFT alumnus and space designer Iti is the woman behind Craft Village, a social organization based out of New Delhi. She is working for the training and promotion of craftsmen and India’s iconic craft heritage. With the ethos of sustainability and authenticity at its core, Ms Iti Tyagi initiated the dialogues in Craft and heritage. She founded Craft Village in 2015 to revive the interest in cultural & craft products, especially among Modern Consumers and in Urban Centers, to bridge the gap between rural & urban communities. It was alarming so that efforts are made in a direction to stop the Migration of Villagers, Skills, and communities immediately, and in the long-term, these people and communities can find better employment opportunities in what they do for generations while it helps in retaining Timeless Crafts & Culture. It will also elevate the efforts for –
- Preserving the Crafts and Heritage of India,
- Avoiding loss of rare skill sets & to revive lost skills.
- Help employ millions of families dependent on the Craft Sector.
- To help reduce migration from villages to Urban Centers.
- To provide better value to the rural artisans and craftspeople engaged in this sector.
- Help create sustainable and ethical products.
The India Craft Week will blissfully give platforms like Craft Masterclass, Craft Rare, Craft Panorama, Craft Cinema and Craft symposium that has been curated and designed to cater to different aspects of craft sustainability and restoration.
