National Craft Council to stage ‘Shilpa Udana National Crafts Festival 2014’
View(s):The National Crafts Council of Sri Lanka is holding Shilpa Udana, the iconic National Crafts Festival showcasing the country’s brilliant craftsmanship, on August 28-31 at the BMICH.
“Shilpa Udana will showcase the talents and skills of Sri Lanka’s award winning artisans and craftspeople representing different regions from North to the South, under the theme ‘Sustaining Livelihood and Revival of Traditions’,” the council told in a media release recently.
The council chaired Buddhi Keerthisena, under the aegis of the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development, says it has consistently been committed to the upliftment and sustenance of craftspersons.
From beautifully woven handlooms to reed based utensils, pottery, expertly crafted batik, woodwork, masks, brassware, exquisite gold and silver jewellery, laid with stones and leather goods, craftspeople have been involved in their ancient art for generations. The Council engages them in providing training, know-how, sourcing markets and enabling them to showcase their produce and facilitate their presence at national and international levels, the statement said.
The majority of the local craftspersons who engage in traditional arts are women. They feed their families with the income sourced from marketing their wares. In Sri Lanka, arts and crafts form the backbone of rural economies, second only to agriculture as a source of employment in rural economies. “The importance of arts and crafts in the national context can never be over-stated,” noted Mr. Keerthisena, himself a veteran craftsman, in the statement.
Shilpa Udana will also facilitate new markets and buyers for craftspersons, introduce new designs, organise exhibitions, conduct awareness programmes for traditional artisans and craftspersons and empower them.
To compliment Shilpa Udana and to ensure the continuous usage of arts and crafts in everyday living, the Colombo Fashion Week plans to stage “Crafts Alive”, a unique fashion initiative that will see the traditional crafts incorporated as fashion accessories, according to Ajai Vir Singh, Founder of Colombo Fashion Week.
This event will feature recognised Sri Lankan designers Ramona Oshini, Dharshi Keerthisena, Indeewari Yapa Abeywardena, Arugam Bay, and ARRA by Sharmila and Upeksha. It will see fashion blend in crafts toadd a new dimension to reviving the arts and crafts of Sri Lanka.
“Shilpa Udana 2014 promises to be an occasion we believe, that will take arts and crafts of Sri Lanka to the next level. Being incorporated into fashion created by Sri Lankan designers is a unique occasion for our arts and crafts – it also means that the craftspersons will have an additional source of income in the long term, making them secure in their livelihood,” said Mr. Keerthisena.