The Cabildo of Tenerife and the Government of the Canary Islands have launched the XXXIX Canary Islands Craft Fair, which brings together 140 professionals from 53 artisan trades at the Tenerife Fairgrounds with weaving as the main theme.
The inauguration took place yesterday and was attended by the Minister of Economy, Industry, Commerce and the Self-Employed of the regional Government, Manuel Domínguez; the vice president of the Cabildo, Lope Afonso; the insular Minister of Employment and Education, Efraín Medina, and the mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez. The fair is free and can be visited until December 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Inside the institutional stand there is a space where a loom is installed so that the weaving artisans, both participants and guests, can work on site, making, among other things, traditional costumes. In addition, a screen has been placed on which images and videos that have been contributed by all the Cabildos in relation to the topic’s work will be projected. The exhibition space also includes artisanal pieces made with the weaving craft that have been awarded by the Government of the Canary Islands.
The graphic material will be accompanied by representative pieces of the craft for display at the stand, being reflected by each island with the following distribution: Lanzarote: Traditional pottery; La Palma: Silk weaving and preparation; El Hierro: Cane and wicker basketry; Tenerife: Rosettes; La Gomera; Fuerteventura: Juncos Draft and Workshop, and Gran Canaria: Pirgano basketry. The stands are labeled with the trade, name of the artisan or name of the workshop and the island of the artisan. Tenerife is the island with the largest number of participants, a total of 68; followed by Gran Canaria and La Palma, both with 26, Lanzarote (eight), El Hierro (five), La Gomera (four) and Fuerteventura (three). Of the 140 participants, 29 develop some traditional trade. In this sense, it should be noted that in the Canary Islands there are 87 trades declared as artisans, of which 43 are declared traditional and 31 at risk of disappearance.
The Government of the Canary Islands has registered the Artesanía Canaria symbol brand for more than 10 years, which aims to maintain the prestige of Canarian artisans and their works with an image that allows their dissemination and recognition among consumers. Currently there are more than 900 affiliated artisans.