Voice of the Armed Forces and People, Vietnam

Vice-Chairman of the Central Province of Thua Thien – Hue’s Provincial People’s Committee Ngo Hoa presided over a meeting to listen a report by the City of Hue’s People’s Committee about their plans for the upcoming Hue Traditional Handicrafts Festival 2009.

With the theme “Hue Traditional Handicrafts – Identity and Development”, the festival will be held from June 12th to 14th. Handicraft production, artistic performances and handicraft manufacturing teaching will take place during the festival. In addition, there will be exchanges between artists and festival participants.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will also hold an exhibition about Vietnamese traditional handicrafts at the Festival, as well as a contest on handicraft products and artistic performances and specific cultural activities.

The festival is expected to draw the participation of craftsmen from traditional villages, as well as artists and antique collectors from throughout the nation.

At the meeting, Vice-Chairman Hoa asked the City of Hue’s People’s Committee to be open to all ideas in order to come up with a complete and comprehensive plan.

The Festival will be an important cultural event to popularize Hue’s unique culture and values, contributing to the tourism development of the Province and contribute to the 1000th anniversary of the foundation of Thang Long – Hanoi.

Economic Times, India -

NEW DELHI: North Eastern Council (NEC) and the United Nations Industrial Devel-opment Organisation (UNIDO) have jointly set up a trust fund with

a corpus of $6 lakh aiming at providing fillip country’s

cane and bamboo sector.

The NEC and UNIDO signed an agreement to this effect on Thursday in Guwahati.

The trust’s primarily focus would be target technology issues of bamboo processing in its various forms and a rich diversity of items ranging from handicraft to construction materials and ex-port-quality flooring products.

The NEC contribution is part of a $2 million project, which is supported by the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP). The four-year project will be executed during 2012-20

Express Buzz, India

KOLLAM: Global recession has its adverse impact on the handicraft sector of the country as well, according to deputy director of the Handicrafts Department, Government of India, C.George Varghese.

George Varghese, who was here in connection with the opening of the handicraft-handloom exhibition organised by the Gujarat Emporium, said that the global recession had already affected the exports of the handicraft sector of the country. The export earnings of the country from handicraft products is about Rs 17,500 crore per year. Major share of this comes from the exports to the USA. However, the demand for Indian handicrafts has come down recently. In the domestic markets also the situation is not much different, he said.

He said the Handicrafts Department under the Central Government is now organising exhibition-cum-sales of handicraft products in more than 200 places in the country. This is done mainly with an objective to create an awareness among the people. In order to help the handicraft sector and artisans, the government is now encouraging cluster-level production and marketing. Under this system, clusters producing products in a particular sector will be created and the government will provide them help for production and marketing. In Kerala, as many as 26 clusters have been created, he said.

He also said that the Central Government is implementing various schemes for the welfare of artisans in the country. They include a health insurance scheme called Rajiv Gandhi Silpi Arogya Yojana Scheme under which a four-member family of an artisan would get Rs 15,000 per year for treatment expenses.

Calgary Herald,  Canada

Pamela Mcdowell, Calgary Herald

As Calgarians sprint eagerly forward in the electronic age, many traditional skills are being left behind, abandoned and unlearned by new generations.

Not so at the Alberta Handicraft Guild. Here, more than 180 members from Calgary, Cochrane, High River and Airdrie gather weekly to share their skills in a variety of handicrafts. And they have been doing so for nearly 80 years.

“We have four groups that meet each week,” says Guild president Linda Kjinserdahl. “The quilters are our biggest group, with 65 or 70 members.” The needle arts group includes knitting, crocheting, tatting, bobbin lace, a half-dozen kinds of embroidery, cross stitch and stump work.

“The rug hookers are the most vibrant and enthusiastic group,” says Kjinserdahl, explaining that this form of rug hooking uses strips of fabric, often custom dyed and cut, rather than the yarn and latch hook of the more modern craft.

“Traditional rug hooking has taken off in the last little while. This group has brought in teachers from out of province to help build their skills.”

The fourth group in the Guild is the weavers. The Guild owns several looms, including one enormous floor loom on which bed spreads and other over-sized items can be crafted.

“It takes two people to run this loom,” says Kjinserdahl. “It’s the largest in the city.”

But the group has been unable to use this equipment for a number of years because of a lack of space. Since moving to Rosscarrock Community Association a few years ago, meetings have been cramped, classes have been difficult to accommodate and the Guild’s looms and libraries have remained in storage.

The Guild leased space from the Calgary Board of Education for 30 years, but a classroom crunch within the schools left them homeless just a few years ago. Then the entire group moved in with the quilters, who have been at Rosscarrock for 20 years. Space is very tight.

“We have been looking for a more appropriate, permanent space,” says Kjinserdahl, “but when we find something suitable, we can’t afford it.”

The Alberta Handicraft Guild is a registered charitable organization that strives to do a certain amount of charity work each year, including quilted placemats for Meals on Wheels, knit hats for the Tom Baker Cancer Clinic and baby blankets for the neonatal units in Calgary hospitals.

Like similar organizations, the Guild finds securing suitable space its most important and expensive requirement.

In looking for a new home, the Guild’s top priority is 2,500-to-3,000 square feet of space that is centrally located and easily accessible. The average age of the members is 70 and mobility is an issue with some. Adequate parking is important, as weekly meetings can draw as many as 65 members.

Members require access to numerous electrical outlets for sewing machines and dye pots. Excellent lighting is necessary, as well as access to sinks for water and drainage.

Guild meetings for the various groups are held several mornings each week.

“We’d love to get evening meetings going to attract new, younger members,” says Kjinserdahl. Together, members represent a wealth of knowledge and skill far beyond what can be gained from books or historical records.

“It would be a shame to lose all of this,” she adds.

For more information on the Alberta Handicraft Guild or to assist with their relocation, call Kjinserdahl at 403-236-4926.

Fibre2fashion.com, India

The Kozhikode, Kerala, branch of the Madhya Pradesh Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. has organised an exhibition cum sale of handloom and handicraft products which is produced and sold under the name of ‘Mrignayanee’.

The fair which began on February 3, will showcase various handloom items like cotton sarees, bed sheets, pillow covers, curtains and dress material and woolen carpets. Also on display are handicraft products like ornaments, bamboo items, purses and bags.

A part of the revenue generated will be donated to the families of the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy and the struggling tribal artisan families of the state.

Fibre2fashion News Desk – India

Fibre2fashion.com, India

The overall export performance from the country has shown an encouraging trend in December 2008, but shipments of handlooms and handicrafts have fallen by a staggering 64 percent. Though a negative growth was registered in the overall export basket in the month of December, the sharp fall of the two preceding months has been arrested.

The export value of all sectors from the country stood at US $12.7 billion, to register a negative growth rate of a meager 1.1 percent. The decline in exports rates in the months of October and November 2008 stood much higher at 12.1 and 9.9 percent respectively.

The sector which was the worst to be affected was the handlooms and handicrafts industry which saw shipments plunging by an awesome 64 percent. Exports of textiles also witnessed a slide, by recording a negative growth rate of 13 percent corresponding to December 2007.

The gems and jewellery industry as well as the chemicals industry also saw exports plummet by as much as 21 percent compared to the same period of 2007. The sectors which contributed to the arrest of the fall in exports in December were the pharmaceuticals, engineering goods and agricultural sectors. Exports from these sectors rose by an average 19-25 percent.

As of end of December 2008, the collective value of all exports in the current fiscal (2011-09) beginning April touched $131.99 billion against $112.73 billion registered in the same period of the previous fiscal. The export targets for the fiscal have been set at $200 billion which seems improbable even if the situation improves in the last quarter of the current fiscal year.

Fibre2fashion News Desk – India

BigNews.biz (press release), MA

Mahavideh Company’s decorative Indian handicrafts has given a new definition to home furnishing.

Mahavideh is a fast growing Indian handicrafts exporter in Jodhpur Rajasthan

We deal chiefly in manufacturing, developing and exporting world class handicrafts items, gift articles, reproduction of antiques, utility items, furniture items and furniture accessories in a wide and varying range (Wooden, Wrought Iron, Wood Carving, Meena work, Painting work etc). Our motto is to emphasize on impeccable quality of products and services at par with the international standards. Our designs are highly creative and innovative and we have a team of excellent craftsman and skilled artisans well versed into the art of converting creativity into reality. Mahavideh also boasts of technical professionals who after years of research and development have come up with top class products of matchless aesthetics and intricate workmanship. MAHAVIDEH EXPORT’S its exotic and exquisite products to broad array of customers across the global horizon. Last but not the least we at firmly believe in the satisfaction of our clients and ensure prompt and timely deliveries.

Indian Handicraft

The artistic craftsmanship of handicrafts could be easily seen in panels, columns, balconies, doors, windows, ceilings, temple, houses and entire forts showing that the skill of the wood workers is not restricted to only domestic use. Wood craft is highly demanded across the world and wood work could be easily seen in doors, house fonts and screens. Thus we can say that the wood has revived and is now being used to design a plethora of items like decorative, furniture, utensils, partitions etc.

Kindly feel free for all type of queries you have regarding these products.

Author: Mr. Vineet Chopra (CEO)

Mahavideh Furniture-Indian Furniture Export House

Visit Us: www.mahavideh.com

Mail Us: info@mahavideh.com

Contact Us: +91 999 499 9005

< < Previous Story Next Story >>

Xinhua, China

Tibet will hold a tourism souvenir handicraft competition this month to promote the local industry.

Considered one of the pillars for the local economy, the competition is being organized by the Tibetan Autonomous Regional Government in Lhasa.

Officials say local tourism souvenirs are popular among tourists, but standards can be improved. Most souvenirs here are made in homestead workshops so better links to market demands are needed.

The competition, with a top prize of 150,000 yuan, will help develop rich tourist resources, culture and art for ethnic groups in the region, said officials.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lhasa.

Editor: Zhang Mingyu

India Today, India

Ramesh Vinayak

In a reflection of the heightened security concerns after the Mumbai terror attacks, the upcoming world-famous Surajkund Handicrafts Fair at Faridabad will have an unprecedented security blanket for the visitors.

Beginning from February 1, the 23rd edition of the fortnight-long fair is expected to be a big draw for the domestic and foreign tourists. The fair premises will be kept under constant surveillance with 80 CCTV cameras, eight bullet proof pickets and eight security towers equipped with telescope and hi-tech weapons, according to the Haryana police officials.

Apart from high-tech equipment, police officials in civil dress, dog squads, commandos, bullet-proof vehicles would also be deployed at the fair to provide security to the visitors.

The fair would be inaugurated by the President of India. Madhya Pradesh would be the theme state of this year. Egypt, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand would also take part in this festival, according to the state Tourism Secretary Kashini Arora.

From the security point of view, festival area had been divided into seven separate sectors. Each sector would be governed by an officer to the level of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

A team of 1100 police officers and officials, which includes six officers of Indian Police Service, 15 officers to the level of DSP and 100 female police staff, had been deputed to ensure security in and around the mela area, said a senior police official.

By Bruce Stewart Email

blog.wired.com

This $10,000 crayon set is for sale on ETSY to make a point. Small artisan toymakers and those who support their work are worried about their ability to stay in business after Feb. 10, when the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act takes effect. It requires that every toy intended for children under the age of 12 be tested for lead and phthalates.

For another absurd example and some good perspective on this issue, check out Dale Dougherty’s recent column on The $4,000 Rattle. Dale is the publisher of Make and Craft magazines and is well aware of the problems this legislation will cause for many of the makers out there.

As written, CPSIA is going to have a chilling effect on the handmade toy industry. The motivation behind this law is clearly good: We all sat in horror as we learned about lead paint in toddler’s toys, and other toxins finding their way into many items we bought for our children.

But surely common sense can prevail. CPSIA is heavyhanded. Lawmakers should be able to figure out some modifications or exemptions from the costly testing regulations that won’t put domestic handmade toymakers out of business. It seems clear that where the regulations might make sense for a multi-national conglomerate, they just aren’t going to work for the small, do-it-yourself cottage industries. Surely we don’t want to punish the little guy making homemade wood toys in his garage because Chinese factories are using unsafe materials in mass production.

Without modifications, CPSIA will stifle a segment of society I really believe we should be encouraging — those who are out there making things. For more information on this issue and to learn what you can do to help, check out the Handmade Toy Alliance and the National Bankruptcy Day site.

For more, see also this post in an ongoing series about CPSIA at our own Jeremiah McNichols’ website, Z-Recommends.

Update: While I focused on toymakers in my post, several people have rightly pointed out in the comments that this law is much broader than that. CPSIA impacts any products made for children, including clothing, school supplies and many other non-toy items.