India Craft Week online forum

The first digital edition of India Craft Week will be held 1-3 May 2020, in partnership with British Council, India and Garland Magazine, Australia.

COVID-19 has an extraordinary global impact. Like any other sector, World Crafts has been also affected badly. Such extraordinary times require innovative solutions and a new interface to bring everyone together, and create a feel-good factor with hope and optimism, especially when the world is under lock-down due to pandemic. In order to begin the dialogue amongst various stakeholders, the Craft Village, a young member of World Craft Council – APR, is back with India’s Official Craft Week, but this time in its new avatar of Global Preview (Digital) in partnership with British Council, India and Garland Magazine, Australia.

Scheduled from 1-3rd May 2020, the digital edition aims at connecting craftsperson, craft organization & companies, with Global & Urban Population, Craft lovers, Craft Patrons and the general public at large through a range of activities. This small gesture of ours can help Artisans and the Craft Community in dire need to connect back with potential consumers and revival of interest in the global community.

Participated by more than 70- Brands, Artisans, Experts & others, the 3-Days ICW-Digital Preview would be inaugurated by Shri Dinesh Patnaik, Director General, ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, and Keynote to be delivered by Dr Ghada H. Qaddumi, President, World Craft Council-APR, (Kuwait), Dr Barbara Wickham OBE, Director, British Council, INDIA, Dr Jonathan Kennedy, Director Arts, British Council, INDIA.

The other eminent personalities joining ICW (Global) Digital are Dr Darlie Koshy, Former Director, NID, Deepikka Jindal, MD, Arttdinox, Manish Saksena, Lead Advisor, Aadyam Handwoven, Sundeep Kumar, CEO, Craft Beton, Dr Kevin Murrey, Editor, Garland Magazine, Australia, Ms Lisa Cahill, CEO & Artistic Director, Sydney Craft Week & Australia Design Center, Dr Fatina Saiklay, Director, Co-Creando, Italy, Rahul Mishra, Fashion Designer, Anju Modi, Fashion Designer, Rina Dhaka, Fashion Designer, Rajeev Sethi, Founder, Asian Heritage Foundation, Jaya Jaitley, Craft Revivalist & Founder, Dastkari Haat Samiti amongst many others.

The whole program is webcast on Facebook & Instagram

Read more about the situation for India's crafts artisans during the national lockdown:

Ashoke Chatterjee issues a call for support to help India’s artisans cope with the unprecedented crisis of a national lockdown: https://garlandmag.com/loop/chatterjee-call/

Stand up for craftspeople - Laila Tyabji: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/stand-up-for-craftspeople/article31429085.ece