It is World Artisan Day tomorrow 18 April. And there’s a clarion call by non-profit League of Artisans for the “dignity of the hand. Let’s recognise, respect, learn and practise it. Because the future is artisanal.”
- The manifesto being released—Dignity of the Hand: An Artisan Manifesto—appeals: “…artisan trades cease being passed down to the young. They become endangered, then extinct. And this despite the fact that craft often represents one of the only viable forms of income, particularly for women, in rural areas around the world. It takes no more than a generation for centuries-old traditions to disappear into dust.”
The League: League of Artisans was established in 2022 by Carry Somers, founder and former Global Operations Director of Fashion Revolution, the world’s largest fashion activism movement, Ritu Sethi, chair of the Craft Revival Trust and editor of the online International Journal of Living Heritage, and Sol Marinucci, textile designer, cultural manager and curator, the three women having met while working on the British Council-funded Artisan Voices project.
- The global non-profit organisation sees a vital role for artisans in responding to today’s global challenges. Alongside an international board of artisan advisors, the team works to combat inequality, injustice and the climate emergency in the belief that artisan skills offer a dignified future for people and planet.
The Manifesto: The manifesto is built on nine ethical principles:
- We are not anonymous. We have names. And we come from a place, a people, a culture. At the same time, we recognise that many crafts derive from collective knowledge and cultural expressions. These are held by our community, our culture, and cannot be owned by anyone.
- Acknowledge the intangible values held in our work. Craft is more than a product—it is a storehouse of ideas, a container for stories, a web of relationships, a carrier of dreams, a means of communication. It is a repository for ways of understanding.
- Embrace variation. Our thoughts and dreams are reflected in our work, and as in life there is no uniformity; what may seem like an error or imperfection is a visible mark of the maker’s hand. We relish distinctiveness in the materials we work with, the methods we employ, the forms we build, the dynamics between our communities. Out of diversity comes richness and strength.
- Recognise our connection to the earth. We are rooted in the earth. We help keep it in balance. When we source natural materials, we begin a dynamic conversation between all forms of life.
- Understand that we have always been climate activists, because of the statements we make or the marches we join, but because of the way we live our lives and the manner in which we produce. The practices of circular economy are rooted in our tenets.
- Acknowledge craft as a global inheritance. Our systems of learning are a continuum of adaptation, innovation and the application of practical intelligence. Often, they have been passed down through generations, transmitted orally, honed through apprenticeship and practice.
- Protect our patrimony. Our designs are too readily copied, centuries of accumulated knowledge and skills feeding a greedy machine. We call on you to protect our patrimony and learning, for in doing so you will safeguard our livelihood and a global inheritance.
- Collaborate with us in ways that go beyond the transactional. Our communities, our culture, our way of life are all under threat: from conflict that displaces us; from the impossibly low price we are paid for our work; from those who steal the riches beneath our earth, or lay bare exuberant habitat; from the changing climate. We are not alone in this fight. This affects everyone, wherever you are in the world.
- Recognise that craft is evolutionary. It is a dynamic progression, never static. A creative process of adaptation, modification and refinement. Craft is our response to what we see all about us. An echo of the earth’s convulsions. A reflection of cultural fluctuations. We do this for the continuity of our heritage. We do this for our livelihoods. We do this for the joy of honing our art. We do this to change the world and be of the world.
