VietNamNet Bridge
VietNamNet Bridge – An export growth of 16.5 per cent this year will be a major part of HCM City’s plans to fight and prevent economic recession, said Nguyen Thi Hong, deputy Chairwoman of the city’s People’s Committee.
The city would focus on ways to achieve this target, she said at a meeting earlier this week with various departments, sectors and trade associations.

At the meeting, the city’s Department of Industry and Trade made two forecasts for export growth in 2009. The first one has export turnover likely to hit US$15.68 billion this year, a year-on-year increase of 12 per cent, in case the global financial crisis lasts until the end of the third quarter this year.

The second forecast put the export turnover at about $16.3 billion, an increase of 16.5 per cent compared with last year, if the current global financial crisis ends earlier in the second quarter of this year.

The city’s export growth target was higher than the national rate of 13 per cent.

The city will continue urging different agencies and credit organisations to assist businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to boost production and reach the target of $9.2 billion in export value of industrial and handicraft items, a year-on year increase of 20 per cent.

Agricultural, forestry and seafood exports are expected to reach $3.5 billion, an increase of 5.8 per cent over last year.

To achieve this year’s export target which was considered relatively high by economists, Hong has urged businesses to focus on key products like garments, footwear, agricultural and fishery items.

She also asked them to make efforts to find new markets in Latin America, North Africa and Middle East, apart from the traditional markets of the US, EU and Japan that had been hard hit by the recession.

She also urged domestic enterprises to look for export opportunities in neighbouring countries including Cambodia, where Vietnamese goods had topped sales over the last two years.

A turnover of $988 million in 2008 put Vietnamese goods ahead of China ($784 million) and Thailand ($674 million) in the Cambodian market.

To make trade promotion more effective, the city will organise domestic and foreign fairs to help businesses introduce their goods and directly contact customers, Hong added.

The city has also asked the municipal Department of Industry and Trade to co-operate with the HCM City Association of Fine Arts and Timber Processing and map out plans to establish a wholesale market for building materials and wooden products.

Business and trade associations would also receive guidelines from the city administration regarding policy support for boosting production and export involving preferential loans, taxes and land-use rights, Hong said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

Fibre2fashion.com
Carpet manufacturers and dealers in Srinagar engaged in handicraft exports have demanded relief package from state government in order to beat recession.

Duo to the impact of economic meltdown on world market, handicraft goods have witnessed sharp decrease in its sales from last year. This decrease has affected Kashmiri Carpet Industry, which has been considered as the backbone of Kashmir’s economy.

Around fifteen lakh people associated with the handicrafts business are going through very harsh situations as they are struggling very hard even to meet their basic requirements.

Slackening of demand for the finished handicraft goods in the world markets has compelled workers in this profession to change their area of work to sustain their livelihood.

According to the artisans associated with carpet weaving, carpet dealers have slashed their wages forcing them to leave their traditional centuries’ old profession.

In such trying conditions, if the dying carpet industry does not receive any incentive package from the government soon, then the people linked with this industry would not have any option other than leaving the profession.

In this regard, the officials say that the handicrafts department is very much concerned about the difficulties of the people earning their bread from this profession and they are trying to give relief to the affected people.

A few plans will be chalked out for the welfare of handicraft traders and artisans by holding a meeting next week.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

Viet Nam News
HUE — The Viet Nam Craft Village Fair 2009 and the Viet Nam Handicraft Contest will be held at Thuong Bac Park, the former imperial city of Hue, from June 10 to 14.

It would be the first time Hue had hosted the events.

They would be part of the city’s Traditional Craft Festival 2009, said Agriculture and Rural Development Deputy Minister Diep Kinh Tan yesterday.

Previous fairs were held in Ha Noi but would take place throughout Viet Nam from this year to promote the exchange of regional products, he said.

Acclaimed porcelain, jewellery, brass ware, sculptures, wooden products and embroidery would be on display.

The fairs were intended to create opportunities for artisans to exchange knowledge, advertise their products, seek partners, sign contracts, transfer technology and promote trade, he said.

Forums that allow villages to share their ideas would be part of the five days.

Artisans and craft villages would be honoured and visitors would have the chance to be entertained and shop during the fairs.

The organisers hoped the fair would inspire and enhance the creativity of Viet Nam’s artisans and create domestic and international demand for their work.

The deputy minister said the fairs would help promote rural economic development and craft villages.

This would contribute to the eradication of hunger and reduce poverty in the villages while also helping preserve the national cultural identity and development.

Viet Nam has 2,790 craft villages. — VNS

Voice of the Armed Forces and People
The Vietnam Craft Village Festival 2009 will be opened on June 10th and closed on June 14th, in Thuong Bac park, Hue city, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The festival will contain various activities such as exhibitions of products from Vietnamese craft villages, seminars on the development of craft villages, showcasing of traditional handicrafts, displays of photos of Vietnamese ancient and current craft villages, costumes of ethnic minorities and many folk arts.

This is seen as a good opportunity for the nationwide craft villages to show their unique products to the public and to seek investment and trade cooperation with domestic and international partners.

On the other hand, it helps preserve and develop national traditional cultural identities as well as boosting craftwork in Vietnamese villages.

Source: HNM
Translated by Thu Nguyen

Fibre2fashion.com
The Central Asian Handicraft Fair representing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan will take place on April 17-18, 2009 in Bishkek, in front of the American University of Central Asia.

Address: Bishkek, Abdymomunova Street 205
Organizers: The Central Asian Craftsmen Support Association (CACSA) and the American University of Central Asia (AUCA)

Central Asia, once being known as the heart of the great Silk Road connecting countries and peoples over vast territories, is home to a diverse variety of cultures. Chinese silk was the major good traded, which helped to initiate the first contacts between East and West at the end of the 2nd century BC. The people of Central Asia played a great role in connecting western and eastern civilizations. Settled and nomadic peoples of Central Asia offered the world unique creations representing traditional culture.

Uzbek silk, Tajik embroidery, Turkmen carpets, and Kyrgyz and Kazakh felt and silver were sent to Europe and gained worldwide recognition. The craftsmen, the major carriers of the traditional culture, were the key figures who helped promote the interaction of various cultures along the transcontinental trade routes. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan were always culturally connected to each other and, historically, belonged to one unified, cultural space.

However, the economic hardships the newly independent countries have been facing during the last decade, and the new customs and visa regulations, have led to the isolation of the people and cultures of Central Asia. Therefore, any events that provide opportunity for creative interactions and exchange of experiences amongst masters of traditional culture have great significance for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the region. Such events are also helpful for the professional growth of craftsmen, strengthening mutual understanding and the promotion of peace among the peoples of Central Asia.

At the fair, visitors will have a chance to be exposed to various works of craftsmen, which comply with the requirements of modern markets while preserving traditional methods of production. Bright Uzbek textiles and scarves made of pure wool, exclusive clothing from natural hand-made textiles, ceramics and unique embroidery, excellent Turkmen carpets, fashionable Kyrgyz scarves made of felt, headgear, clothing and souvenirs, sparkling Kazakh jewelry made of silver, artifacts from barks, knitted goods and much more will be presented at the fair.

The selling of handicraft items provides an opportunity for these populations, especially to women, which will help them raise their living standards. International organizations, like American-based NGOs: “Help to Artisans”, “The Eurasia Foundation” and others are offering solid support to this field.

American University of Central Asia (AUCA)

Kantipur Online
Kantipur Report
SUNSARI, April 13 - The export of handicrafts to third countries has been on an increasing trend with goods worth Rs. 100 million exported through the eastern border last year.

According to the Eastern Business and Export Promotion Centre, Italy, Germany, France, the United States and the United Kingdom are Nepal’s largest customers. Italy and France each bought Rs. 30 million worth of handicraft products during this fiscal year. Exports to the U.S. were worth Rs. 20 million, to the U.K. Rs. 12 million and to Germany Rs. 4.5 million.

Chairman of the Eastern Industrial Forum, Tanka Dulal, criticized the government for not motivating the handicraft industry even when demand was so high.

This year, the handcraft industry has been able to expand its market to the Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, Holland, Sweden, Switzerland and Portugal while it has a satisfactory market share in Australia, Denmark, Taiwan, Japan, Czech Republic and Norway.

Demand for Nepalese handicraft has declined in Japan, which used to be a big importer. Japan imported handicraft goods worth Rs. 3 million, down from Rs. 3.6 million last year.

Fibre2fashion.com
Taiwan has a rich tradition of handicrafts going back by a few centuries, but the growth is impeded due to a lack of marketing knowhow. But all that is set to change now, with the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute (NTCRI) to step up efforts to help the craftsmen.

NTCRI, had started promoting the rich heritage of handicrafts produced by the locals by assisting the artisans to promote and market their products in domestic and international markets through various marketing channels as well NTCRI certified shops.

But now the NTCRI has tied up with a few luxurious hotels and resorts which have a constant flow of foreign tourists to sell these beautiful pieces of handicrafts. It has also opened an exhibition in Taipei to showcase these products and help the artisans.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

Minneapolis Star Tribune
Woodworker Virgil Leih of Edina turned a lifelong passion into an art form like no other.
By JOY PETERSEN , Star Tribune
Virgil Leih visits a tree graveyard each week to find something that he might be able to work. His prize isn’t the 2,000-pound stump he brings back to his Bloomington shop. Instead, it’s the piece of art he creates from within.

The lifelong woodworker began log-turning five years ago — a process by which he takes discarded tree trunks and turns them into pieces of art. Though some artists use chain saws to carve out a shape, Leih use a chain saw to smooth the outside and inside of a log to make a piece of art. And through research with fellow artists, he believes he’s the only person who works this way.

“My deal is all one piece, always tree trunk and there’s nothing glued up.”

The Edina resident will premiere 20 pieces at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in the “Spring Trunk Show: Art of the Tree” exhibit running Friday to May 4. The artwork will be for sale, ranging from $4,000 to $8,000.

Though he’s been working on his technique for five years, Leih said, “I was not interested in showing until I thought that this was about as good as I could do.”

Steeped in experience

Growing up in a carpentry family, Leih said he was cutting wood on an open saw at the age of 8. He continued working with wood during his 20s in a California door-making shop with German woodworkers. However, his most recent project, a cabin in Ely, Minn., inspired his current works of art.

Through working 80-foot logs into smooth matching pieces to build the cabin, he said, “I really was taken with the beauty of these things.”

“This is just an extension of being able still to work full logs, full tree trunks,” he said.

The process is meticulous. It takes more than 120 hours per piece and involves transporting 2,000-pound tree trunks, sawing, turning, carving inside and out, sanding, drying, sanding some more, then finishing the pieces.

For turning the wood, Leih said he needed something large to carry the weight and length of a massive tree trunk. He said he looked everywhere for a lathe big enough, and when he found a 1917 Oliver lathe in Massachusetts, the rest was history.

“When I saw this advertised, I bought it sight unseen over the phone. I said, ‘Do not sell this to anyone,’ and, ‘I’m wiring you money.’”

He hauled the nearly 8,000-pound machine, which was once used to make pattern molds for Navy ship driveshafts, back to his shop. “This is not made to make vases,” he joked.

The lathe cost more than $10,000, but he said he considers it a small price to pay.

“There were hundreds of men who have worked on this lathe, so it’s kind of a privilege, you know, to be an extension of this thing,” he said.

Drying out

After carving the wood into particular shapes, Leih said he knew the wood needed to dry completely or it would crack. He invested $20,000 in a custom-made kiln, only to find it didn’t work.

“I wasted 18 months of my life to make it work.”

Leih enlisted the help of his friend of more than 30 years, Dale Bowman, to come up with a solution for drying his pieces.

After using a kitchen microwave oven to dry smaller pieces of wood, Leih and Bowman decided to make a microwave big enough for the pieces.

Bowman, a retired Honeywell temperature control manager, said they had experimented by making a microwave out of an emptied out washing machine, which worked. However, Leih needed something larger.

Though they designed it together, complete with three microwave tubes and a makeshift control panel, Bowman said Leih researched how to build the contraption from scratch.

It’s in Leih’s character to finish what he starts, Bowman said.

“If he has an idea, he’s going to drive to a point of getting it done one way or another. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him start something that he’s not completed or failed at,” he said.

The final design is a 128-cubic-foot microwave oven that pulls the remaining water out of the wood in one to three weeks.

“There’s not anything that I cannot dry,” Leih said.

It’s all about the finish

For finishing, Leih contacted a man he calls the “guru of wood finish,” Mitch Kohanek.

Originally trained at the Smithsonian Conservation and Analytical Laboratory, Kohanek has been teaching wood finishing at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount for 31 years.

Kohanek said he was intrigued by Leih’s ideas and wanted the pieces to have the best finish.

“To complement his pieces, I was more than happy to sit down with him and discuss what some of his options were. And shellac, for what he’s doing, there’s just no more beautiful finish,” he said.

This final step takes 10 coats of shellac and 20 days to finish the procedure.

Leih said he hopes to continue improving his pieces for the next 10 to 15 years, but for now he’s looking forward to his April show.

Joy Petersen is a University of Minnesota journalism student on assignment for the Star Tribune.

Asheville Citizen-Times
ASHEVILLE – A new study concludes the craft industry pumps more than $206 million each year into the Western North Carolina economy, providing a clean and sustainable source of jobs in the mountains
The results were released Friday at the headquarters of HandMade in America, a group working to promote the region as a national center for craft.

The study is a potent tool for economic development, said Linda Carlisle, secretary of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

“It underscores the pivotal economic benefits of craft, often overlooked as we marvel at the creativity of a basket or weaving, a necklace or piece of glass that is so beautiful it defies description,” she said.

The study, organized by HandMade in America, was based on surveys of consumers, artisans and gallery and shop owners. The results were analyzed by the consulting firm DESS Business Research.

The economic impact of $206.5 million in the 25-county region was up from $122 million found in a similar study in 1995.

“This is impressive for any business model,” Carlisle said. “And, importantly, the number of craft artists attracted to live, work and study in Western North Carolina is up an astonishing 200 percent. This bodes well for the future of the craft industry.”

The region offers the greatest concentration of craft education in the nation, and half of all craft school residency graduates choose to stay and open their own studios here, she said.

“Craft artists make their homes in the mountains, and their work makes our homes more attractive, our lives richer and our communities more exciting,” she said.

“The Blue Ridge region is a magnet for creativity. Our data shows the presence of creative workers is the single-most important factor associated with the amount visitors will spend in an area.”

There are more than 130 craft galleries in Western North Carolina with average gross sales of $500,000, according to the study.

“The study proves the craft industry is alive and well in North Carolina,” said John Cooper, board chair of Blue Ridge Natural Heritage Area.

The Oregonian - OregonLive.com
by Inara Verzemnieks, The Oregonian
Faythe Levine, 31, grew up in the suburbs of Seattle and fell into the city’s vibrant all-ages music scene of the early ’90s, which was, as she puts it, “my gateway drug into DIY — I was around people making their own records, silk-screening their own T-shirts, fixing their own clothes.”

Over the years, she became involved in an emerging movement she’s referred to as “the new wave of craft,” where the boundaries of traditional handiwork have been re-interpreted and reimagined by a tight-knit community linked by message boards and regular indie craft fairs.

She started her own company, Flying Fish Design, in 2002; organized a yearly craft fair called Art vs. Craft in her hometown of Milwaukee, starting in 2004; and, with a business partner, opened a bricks-and-mortar retail and gallery space in 2005. She was so inspired by what she was seeing and the people she was meeting, she decided someone needed to document what was happening.

“I was worried someone would come along and make an expose: ‘Cute Girls Doing Craft’!” she says. “I needed to make sure this was captured in the right light. I felt like why not embrace my DIY ethics and make a film about the DIY craft scene?”

Fifteen cities, more than 80 interviews and 19,000 miles later … .

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Levine brings her documentary, “Handmade Nation,” to Portland’s Museum of Contemporary Craft. (Levine’s also co-written a book, “Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY Art, Craft & Design,” with Cortney Heimerl for Princeton Architectural Press.)

Recently, I called Levine to talk with her about her documentary. What you read here is an edited version of our conversation, which was a little more sprawling and meandering than your time and this space allow.

Q: The film itself was a do-it-yourself venture, right down to the funding, I understand?

A: It’s an independent film funded predominantly by myself, on credit cards. There was some fundraising. I think if I’d spent a bit more time looking into funding possibilities, there might have been a bit more there. But I felt this immediacy and I didn’t want to wait. It was something that I felt really strongly about, and I was willing to make the financial investment. I just tackled this project the same way I tackled opening my shop and my craft fair — which is sort of headfirst … .

That willingness to take those kind of risks and jump off cliffs, which is a big part of doing anything yourself, honestly terrifies someone like me. Where does that part of your character come from?

I grew up with both of my parents being self-employed, and they were always really supportive of my life choices. I was never pressured to do anything I didn’t want to do. That’s a big part of my personality; no one was ever telling me, “This is crazy” or “That’s a bad idea,” so I don’t have that in my head. Now with the Internet, I think what’s going on is you can tap into all these examples of people doing their own thing at the push of a button.
Work by Jenny Hart

As a result I think more people are realizing that they can do whatever they want. You can structure your life however it works for you, and you don’t have to do things maybe the way you thought you did. That’s at the root of my message with the film, I think: “Handmade Nation” is about a handmade movement, but it’s also a lifestyle. You can really set your mind to anything and do it on our your own terms and however it works for you. For me, it’s about a feeling of empowerment.

Why is craft the vehicle for this? What does the surge of interest have to do with the world right now?

I think it’s important to point out people have never stopped making things, but I think it’s very interesting a younger generation has embraced traditional mediums and methods and decided to reshape them and reclaim them. Again, the Internet plays a huge, huge role. There is so much information-sharing out there.

Let’s say you wear a scarf you made to work and your co-workers say, “I love your scarf, where did you get it?” And you get to say, “I made it.” But when you take a photo of your scarf and put it on a social networking site, you suddenly have this online community where you start to share your methods and your materials and people make suggestions: “Have you ever tried to use this thread rather than that thread?” Someone at work might say, “That’s a pretty wild scarf you made,” while maybe someone online might say, “I own a store. I love this. Would you be willing to make these for my store?” Online, you never know who is going to see your work.

I think on the other side of that: People sit in front of the computer all day, and they need to step away and do something active and use their brains in another manner.

People have also become more conscious of labor issues — where material comes from — how things are made, who makes it. They’re thinking about where their dollars are spent, about buying local.
Nikki McClure

Is there something this new craft movement can teach those of us feeling anxious about our futures, who are watching jobs dry up and disappear and wondering if we can somehow make our own way?

My first reaction to that question was to say doing something creative can be very therapeutic and calming. So in a time of stress and panic there is something to be said for not just watching TV but doing something to breathe and slow down. There’s something about making something that forces you to slow down. And going back to the feeling of empowerment — you get to make these creative choices: what color fabric am I going to use, what color paper — and that makes you feel in control.

On the business side — DIY isn’t all about selling your work, but people are trying to make a living at it. It’s a constant uphill struggle. People have different levels of lifestyle comfort. I might be comfortable going without health insurance to make a documentary, but that might freak someone else out. If you’re interested in restructuring your life, there are people’s stories out there as a resource. Just hearing someone else’s story and realizing it’s similar to your life — you might get an idea for a path you want to choose.

What did you learn from the people you met on the road? What were some of the things they taught you?

There are lots of people in the indie craft community that are coming out of the punk DIY scene, but it’s not everyone by any means. It was really eye-opening and amazing how everyone had fit their craft into their lives, what people were willing to do in order to make things. Where they cram their studios in their small apartment in New York. How many hours they are willing to work after their nine-to-five job in order to fill an order for a store. It’s fascinating to see what people were willing to sacrifice to make art, and I guess that was a big part of the experience for me.

I’ve also learned personal things, like I am good at overextending myself!