WHEN

VIP OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, Feb 5, 2015 / 6:00 – 7:00 pm
By invitation only. RSVP required: contact@spainculture.us

EXHIBITION ON VIEW: February 5 – March 29, 2015
Gallery hours: Wednesday through Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm; Saturday, and Sunday 10 am -6 pm.
Free admission.

WHERE

Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain
2801 16th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009 FREE ADMISSION

Washington D.C. SPAIN arts & culture, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain, and the Business School EOI (Escuela de Organización Industrial) alongside with its department of craft promotion Fundesarte, present CUTTING-EDGE SPANISH CRAFTS, an exhibit that invites to discover the contemporary crafts from Spain through a selection of objects made by individual crafters and designers, industrial innovators and large firms.

CUTTING-EDGE SPANISH CRAFTS offers the most innovative sphere of Spanish craftsmanship under a new perspective and the most contemporary aesthetic. The exhibit, organized by the Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Tourism, is based on a book written by cultural journalist Tachy Mora. After visiting the Spanish cities of Madrid and Elche (Alicante), the show comes to Washington where it will begin its international itinerary throughout the Americas with the collaboration of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID).

The exhibition displays internationally-recognized companies such as Loewe, Lladró and the Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja as well as some of the winners of the National Crafts Awards granted by the Spanish Government, like the lighting companies LZF Lamps and Arturo Álvarez, and the jeweler Enric Majoral, the textile cooperative Teixidors, the decorative candle company Cerabella and the glass artisans specializing in haute cuisine tableware Luesma & Vega among others. They all share space with new dynamic proposals of crafts and manufacturing from younger generations, such as the ceramists Apparatu and Marre Moerel, the rattan furniture company Expormim the textile accessory company Peseta and the decoration production firm Woodendot.

All the artists hand make their pieces bestowing their creations with great quality, finesse and creativity with a strong commitment to contemporary aesthetics and design. It is their diversity and the manner in which each of them innovates what makes them representatives of the boom that contemporary crafts are experiencing in Spain. Its history and pieces are included in this show, that presents a rich melting pot of approaches to contemporary craftsmanship. As the exhibition curator and journalist Tachy Mora says, “The pieces collected here try to showcase the different approaches in which this revival is being produced. There are exemplary cases that stand out for their creativity, their innovation, their excellent quality, their interaction with the field of design and the development of their business plan and their communication strategy, because in today’s context, it is not sufficient just to be an expert crafter”.

After visiting the Spanish cities of Madrid and Elche (Alicante), the show comes to Washington where it will begin its international itinerary throughout the Americas with the collaboration of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID).

The phenomenon of the Spanish crafts is reflected in the book “Cutting-Edge Spanish Crafts”, edited by the communications department crafts promotion of the foundation, EOI (School for Industrial Organization), Fundesarte, written by Tachy Mora and published by the Lunwerg editorial in 2011. The exhibit was born as a continuation of this publication about the most avant-garde side of Spanish artisanship, its interaction with the design world and the interesting surging synergy between both sectors.

In four years, contemporary Spanish craftsmanship has experienced great development, this being a global trend given that the economic crisis has shown that the previous model of production was not sufficiently sustainable. Mass and serial productions have provided a greater demand for unique and higher quality products, leading to a revitalization of the crafts industry. The exhibition reflects this fact reunited up to 90 pieces created mostly by the protagonists of the book and showing their most emblematic creations or their most recent products. Likewise, for its itinerary for the American continent, the exhibition has incorporated new firms as fruit of this phenomenon of constant evolution.

Admission to the exhibition is free and can be seen from February 5 till March 22 in the Former Residence of the Ambassador of Spain in Washington D.C.
More information: http://www.spainculture.us

Complete list of participants:

Apparatu (ceramist), AOO (wood products company), Arturo Álvarez (lighting), Cerabella (decorative candles), Ceràmica Cumella (stoneware architecture), Expormim (rattan furniture), iSobre (leather accessories for Apple product), La Alpujarreña (artisan rugs), Lladró (porcelain accessories and figures), Loewe (leathercraft), Luesma & Vega (glass artisans specializing in tableware for haute cuisine), LZF Lamps (lighting), Majoral (jewelry), Marre Moerel (ceramist), Natalia Palazón (felt murals), Oficis Singulars (public project to encourage interaction between design and craftsmanship promoted by Consorci de Comerç, Artesania i Moda de Catalunya.), Peseta (textile accessories), Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja (glassware), Sagenceramics (decorative ceramics), Sargadelos (decorative ceramics), Teixidors (textile cooperative), Tito (workshop aimed at the retrieval and dissemination of traditional ceramics), Vialis (shoemaking) y Woodendot (young cabinetmaking firm).

Curator: Tachy Mora www.tachymora.com

Credits

Organized by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain and its Business School EOI (Escuela de Organización Industrial) alongside with the department of craft promotion Fundesarte, in collaboration with Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) and SPAIN arts & culture.

About SPAIN arts & culture

SPAIN arts & culture, official cultural program of the Embassy of Spain in the United States, features the most cutting-edge works of international renowned Spanish artists in fields such as design, urban culture, architecture, visual arts, film, performing arts, literature and music. A series of exhibitions, conferences, showcases, and performances take place every year at the most prestigious American cultural institutions bringing a taste of all the creativity, history, and talent of Spanish artists to the American public. This program is organized by the Embassy of Spain's Cultural Office in Washington, D.C. and its network of General Consulates and Cervantes Institutes in the United States together with the Spain-USA Foundation. The Spanish-American cultural cooperation aims to create multiple links between the creative sectors of both countries and promote modern Spain's fertile spectrum of contemporary artistic expression. Follow us on www.spainculture.us / www.facebook.com/SpainArtsCulture / www.twitter.com/SpainCultureUSA

About the Business School EOI (Escuela de Organización Industrial)

Established in 1955, Spain’s School of Industrial Organization was the first business school in Spain and is one of the oldest in Europe. EOI belongs to the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism and has spent over 60 years being dedicated to business development and knowledge creation with a strong commitment to innovation, respect for the environment, new technologies and entrepreneurship. Its many years of experience have enabled it to participate in modernizing the national economy by improving the competitiveness of Spanish companies. It has consequently trained over 80,000 professionals, some of whom now occupy senior positions in leading firms and organizations. EOI has also a craft promotion department, Fundesarte, which is a reference in the promotion and development of Spanish craft firms.