Embracing a Fresh Artisan Legacy on the Island

Promoting and safeguarding the art of rosettes Canary Islands, as well as driving the process to declare the artisanal technique of making fabric with a unique needle lace as a Cultural Heritage Site (BIC). This is the unanimous agreement of the Tenerife Island Council in the latest plenary session, at the behest of the Mixed Group (Vox) to preserve a traditional craft inherited from generation to generation, which today is mainly present in the southern areas of the Island such as Vilaflor de Chasna.

Only a handful of rosette artisans are listed in the island’s artisan registry. The majority are women who received this cultural heritage from their grandmothers or great-grandmothers. Last weekend, Carmen Fumero García (La Escalona, Vilaflor, 1962) showcased her products, the result of this exclusive craftsmanship, at García Sanabria Park in Santa Cruz as part of the Crafts Fair integrated into the capital city’s May Festivities.

Antonio Rodríguez Luis (Palo Blanco, Los Realejos, 1965) also had his space nearby. Both artisans positively valued the measure promoted by the Council and called for “more support from the institutions”. They also noted that after a period of crisis, the essential generational shift seems guaranteed.

In Carmen’s case, “with a promising niece” and in Antonio’s case, because he even teaches in centers such as La Cuesta, whose students recently received her outdoors. Carmen explains that the rosette consists of creating a type of needle lace using a pad called “pique”. She describes how she has been “doing this all her life”, starting with her great-grandmother Leocadia Linares (born in 1888), and continued by her grandmother, Luisa Tacoronte Linares (1908), and her mother, Isabel García Tacoronte (1933), until reaching the fourth generation of rosette makers she represents.

These female ancestors are represented on a panel at the stall with their respective photos, each coinciding with a step-by-step display of the technique. Carmen considers herself a “creative” artisan who “ventures into new things, always based on traditional rosettes”. She recalls that her sister, María Isabel, is also dedicated to the craft, although she could not attend the fair in Santa Cruz. She believes her products are “not expensive” because they “involve a lot of sacrifice, delicate materials, and a lot of work behind it, which people usually do not appreciate”.

Antonio explains that he has been involved in craftsmanship “since he was little”. On his father’s side with the rosette, in Arona, and on his mother’s side, in Los Realejos, with lacework. “To keep me quiet, they kept me busy with the work, and I ended up learning.” He concludes, “When I started, not many knew about the rosette, but now it is in a better moment, and we must strive to preserve it.”

The Initiative

The initiative, now institutionalized, led by the island councillors Naím Yánez and Ana Salazar, proposes to support and enhance the visibility of rosette makers, as well as seek the revitalization of the artisanal tradition. It includes a specific action plan to promote and make artisans more visible, as well as support groups like the Tomasita de Arona Rosette and Lace Association.

Furthermore, the Canary Islands Government is urged to declare the technique a Cultural Heritage Site (BIC) with the aim of providing a stronger protection framework. The text acknowledges the work of the staff of the Island Craft Company and commits the Council to the International Rosette Meeting, which last took place in Vilaflor. This year will be the third, the location is yet to be determined.

Representative

Rosettes have been and continue to be one of the most representative needlework crafts in the Canary Islands, with a significant presence in Tenerife and Lanzarote. They represent the only genuinely Spanish contribution to the wide variety of lacework made in the Western world and are part of the Canary Islands’ cultural identity. They persist on the Island in a residual way despite their rich history and influence, in Arona and Vilaflor, after disappearing in the North. A traditional source of income and a symbol of women’s artisanal skill, especially in the Chasna region. Despite its rich history and global influence, it has significantly declined.

Supporter

The island Employment councillor Efraín Medina values: “For the entire Tenerife Craft team, it is very important that this motion has been approved as a way to promote this genuine and truly ours craft.” He adds: “The commitment is to continue working to promote it and ensure its survival in society.”