KOCHI: For hundreds of artisans across the state, ‘Crafts’ n Weaves’ is a boon.
‘Crafts’ n Weaves’, a series of exhibitions organised by Sankalp Creative Ventures - an organisation primarily focusing on empowering women and encouraging entrepreneurship concluded on Sunday.
There were around 51 stalls exhibiting arts and crafts of artisans from different parts of the country.
“Our aim itself is to give the artisans a platform for selling their artworks. There are a lot of artists in our country who struggle for exhibiting their works, we provide them with that platform. The artisans will courier us their works with the price fixed by them and we exhibit them,” said Priya Menon, founder of Sankalp.
Arts and craftwork from artisans in Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kerala were the major attractions of the exhibition.
Artworks from ‘Sargaalaya’ - an initiative of the Department of Tourism, ‘Uravu’- Bamboo solutions for rural development and other handicrafts from individual artists were also exhibited.
“We have handicrafts made by a collective of locals from Wayanad, other wood, bamboo and teak arts from Thrissur here. Added to this we also have designer clothes, accessories and sarees. We always encourage the artists to come to our venture and sell their works directly to the customers. To make them capable and survive in the art field, they should also know to market their works,” said Priya.
Launched in 2009, ‘Crafts’ n Weaves’ provide a platform to showcase artisans handmade or sourced out products, and also a provide numerous opportunities to interact directly with their target audience to enable them to taste success in their terms. The two-day exhibition was inaugurated by MP Hibi Eden.
“Mostly, every twice a year we organise our exhibitions in different parts of the state. It is one of the most awaited events for both vendors and visitors alike. As a vendor, the participant gets myriad opportunities to not just to display and sell their products, but also to avail the benefits of large scale networking, which goes a long way in establishing brand names in the long run,” said Priya.
According to Anjali Nair, who is an artist based in Bengaluru, Sankalp offers more than just a revenue opportunity for artists.
“Even for an artist making the products at home, Sankalp paves way for the growth of an artist. They get to interact with other artists and craft makers, rather than just selling their works,” said Anjali.