About 200 people have participated in workshops and activities of the project ‘EnRedArte’ of the Department of Crafts of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura. An initiative that, as explained by the councilor of the area, Lolina Negrín, “seeks to keep the craft alive in the hands of new generations and all those who want to learn”.
Within the different actions, more than a hundred people participated in the workshops developed in collaboration with the Association of Creative Artisans of Fuerteventura and different neighborhood associations, during the months of June and July. A total of 13 workshops have been given in different cultural centers of the island, with a total participation of 121 students.
The program has included training in craft techniques such as leatherwork, macramé, dressmaking and traditional Canary Island costumes, with the aim of preserving local craft knowledge, fostering creativity and offering citizens new learning opportunities. The workshops have been held in towns such as Morro Jable, La Lajita, Tarajalejo, Villaverde, Valle de Santa Inés, Casillas del Ángel, Tuineje, Tetir or El Matorral, among others. The activity has been taught by craftsmen and craftswomen accredited in their respective trades, in sessions of 20 hours duration and free of charge.
Among the most popular workshops are those of macramé, which have brought together 61 people in places like La Lajita, Tarajalejo, Los Estancos, Parque Holandés and the Fundación Colectivo Mafasca. In leather goods, 35 people have been trained in cultural centers in Morro Jable, Villaverde, Valle de Santa Inés and Tefía. In turn, the traditional costume courses have had 16 participants in Tuineje and Tetir, while the dressmaker workshop, held in Casillas del Ángel, has had nine participants.
EnRedArte’ Project
As part of the ‘EnRedArte’ project, a traditional hat workshop was also held, under the direction of the artisan and instructor, Lito Nolasco Herrera, with the collaboration of the teacher Juana Montelongo Reyes. Likewise, the aboriginal pottery workshop was given by the potter José Luis Aradas, with the collaboration of the master potter Silverio López.
The activities were also taken to students from IES Puerto del Rosario, CEIP Puerto Cabras-Rafael Báez and CEIP Costa Calma. Specialized workshops were also held in the work spaces of the artisans, given by Bianca Scarpari, Bernhard Glauser, Felipe Nicolás Bobadilla and Martin Rehak.
In this sense, Lolina Negrín stresses that this edition of ‘EnRedArte’ has been “especially enriching” because it has reached corners of the island where usually this type of training is not given. “The success of participation confirms that citizens value this type of training proposals, and encourages us to continue expanding the offer and diversify the trades, with new workshops planned in the coming months,” she adds.
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