Handicrafts and ceramic art, between tradition and innovation

“Craftsmanship and ceramic art, between tradition and innovation” is the title of the project financed by the Emilia Romagna Region through the Call for Proposals to support promotional projects in favour of craftsmanship (in the field of art. 13 of Regional Law no. 1/2010, 2019-2020) that will involve the MIC-Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza Foundation, in collaboration with ISIA Faenza and Ente Ceramica Faenza, for two years.

The objectives are to promote artistic and traditional handicrafts in the field of ceramics in order to safeguard, strengthen and encourage the dissemination of handicraft culture in relation to tourism, to help new generations to learn about ceramics and finally to promote the dissemination of knowledge among companies about the most modern and recent innovations in the technological and digital field, also with a view to Industry 4.0.

The project aims to identify models to be adopted: from new approaches to production and national and international markets, technological innovation, control of the managerial and organisational improvement, reorganisation, evolution of business models, application of new technologies and business models.

All these activities are focused to create actions for generational change, vocational training and refresher courses, and the creation of networks for sharing parts of the production, design or management chain.

For this reason, between the end of 2019 and 2020, the MIC, together with Isia of Faenza, has planned a series of educational conferences and workshops of weekly duration for the involvement of future makers and the updating of professional ceramists on the subject of design.

Throughout 2020, initiatives have been planned to promote the marketing of artistic and handicraft ceramics in areas with a tourist vocation in Emilia-Romagna, by fostering cooperation between companies in the craft sector and tourism companies, also involving local authorities and tourism promotion bodies. In particular, it is planned to sell handmade and artistic ceramics at the IATs of Emilia-Romagna, which are equipped to sell products of excellence from their territory to the public, and at the bookshops of various museums in the region, following the example of MIC. In this context, it is also intended to promote a regional call for proposals for the creation of prototypes of ceramics that are particularly valuable in terms of design, to be mass-produced and sold in the MIC bookshop, in other museum venues or in companies specialising in high level furnishings.

Lastly, a pilot co-working project in the MIC Foundation spaces, represents a reference project for artists and ceramic artisans from all over the region. The target groups of the project are craftsmen and artists working in the region in the field of ceramics and young people who intend to start their professional career in the field of ceramic art and craft.