The strength of Fiart

The San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, of the Historical-Military Museums Complex of Havana Bay, will host the twenty-second edition of the International Handicrafts Fair (Fiart) from December 6 to 21, with the theme «Art, utility and trade »will be dedicated to Villa Clara, the artisanal furniture, to Mexico as the guest of honor and to the 500th anniversary of Havana, as reported in a press conference chaired by Arturo Valdés Curbeira, director of the Cuban Fund of Cultural Assets (FCBC) and president of the organizing committee of the event; Mercy Correa Piñero, director of Crafts of FCBC and vice president of Fiart; Dámaso Crespo Entenza, president of the Cuban Association of Artisan Artists (Acaa) and also vice president of the event; and Susana Pérez, Communication Director of FCBC.

This year, and for the third time in its history, the Fair moves to the east of the capital, to find its usual headquarters, Pabexpo, in remodeling work. This implies a greater effort on the part of the organizers, because La Cabaña, although it adds one more element to the cultural values ​​of such an appointment, also complicates commercial actions and introduces a dispersion that will have a negative impact on the final results, both for the exhibitors as for the public itself. However, the organizers are optimistic and hope to take advantage of the unique environment represented by the enclave formed by the old walls and the Havana rada.

In Fiart 2018, which will open its doors every day from eleven o'clock in the morning to seven o'clock in the evening, about two hundred and twenty Cuban artisans and eighty-nine foreigners will participate. There will be twenty institutional booths and there will be six participating entities: the Company of Recordings and Musical Editions (Egrem), GaleríasGénesis, Artex and Prelasa, Casa de las Américas, the Provincial Book and Literature Center and the Fan House. In total, there will be three hundred and thirty-seven spaces dedicated to promoting the best of local and international crafts, which will also make it possible "to share experiences, discover new edges, and evaluate the state of demonstrations, languages ​​and creative lines »

The countries most represented in the meeting will be Peru (35 exhibitors), Panama (10), Spain (9), Ecuador (7), India (6), Mexico (4), Colombia (4), Argentina (2) and Costa Rica (2) Craftsmen from Brazil, Syria, Vietnam and Haiti join in this occasion.

At the opening ceremony (Thursday 6, 1:30 pm) the awards ceremony will be given to outstanding personalities who have had to do with the development of this event and a special tribute will be paid to the artist and pedagogue Lesbia Vent Dumois (1932), who presides the section of Plastic Arts of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac), and also the artist and teacher Raúl Santos Zerpa (1939).

In the meeting with the press, it was also reported that the Fair "will have a general cultural program that will include concerts on Saturdays and Sundays - sponsored by the Cuban Institute of Music -, theoretical meetings and editorial presentations. As a culmination of the event, the best stands and exhibited products will be awarded. For this, several juries will be organized that will integrate prominent personalities of the culture of our country. "