The fourth edition of India Craft Week (ICW), a citywide celebration of the greatest craftsmanship organised by Craft Village will be held from October 20-23, this year, at Okhla NSIC Ground, New Delhi. Connecting art, design, and culture, the event will feature organisations, brands, institutions, designers, craftspeople, artisans, and makers from India and around the world. Live demos, seminars, cross-talks, installations, galleries, and film screenings are also part of the event.
Sources add that more than 100 craftsmen, producers, craft companies, museums, organizations, and figureheads will attend the show, which is billed as India's official craft week and the world's second-largest craft week after London Craft Week.
This year's theme for the festival is one of life's most essential components, water. Additionally, it is thought that each craft developed and flourished in areas with access to or near water bodies, such as lakes or ‘Dariya’. Few people are aware of the unspoken link that Craft and Water have had ever since civilizations first emerged. The theme emphasizes the value of water as a resource for surviving and existing.
According to reports, the craft industry struggled greatly during the pandemic, and the artisans went through severe suffering. After the pandemic eased, India Craft Week was the only physical event last year, which gave artisans a chance to earn income, recognition, and orders.
On the topic of the event, the founder of India Craft Week, Iti Tyagi told media sources, “Today, the world is talking about sustainability, responsible consumption, circularity, and ethics, but our craft sector has been practising 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 the present and future generations (sic).”
Sources added that through its curated experiences, ICW envisions formulating a harmonious ecosystem of craft and the people who make it, connecting them with national and global opportunities.
“India Craft Week creates an ecosystem for weavers and artisanal communities. We too at AadyamHandwoven, 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 and nourishing their craft and thus impacting their quality of life. We engage with them to create evolved sensibilities for new markets and help them connect with contemporary consumers, and for which a like-minded platform such as ICW is an ideal collaborator at many levels (sic),” said Manish Saksena, Lead, AadyamHandwoven.
This year, India Craft Week will also host its 5th and 6th edition International Craft Awards together to recognise and celebrate exceptional accomplishments worldwide, reiterating the message presented by the Craft Village team. With participation from more than eight nations, the winners of the Craft Awards would be announced at the event.