Raise Craft Status to Promote Wales Abroad

A new accreditation scheme for craftspeople in Wales is to be established in response to a new IWA report Craft as Art: Projecting the Makers of Wales Within the Global Economy. The report calls for a more distinctive Welsh craft to be developed at the artistic end of the market, more clearly separated from giftware products which, it says, are often not produced in Wales at all. It estimates that the Welsh craft industry employs around 1,400 people who produce an annual turnover of some £20 million, but says the importance of the sector transcends these statistics:

"The product of our craftspeople is part of the window Wales presents to the world. It contributes to our own understanding of who we are and the image of Wales we project abroad. If Welsh craft is produced to a high standard, has flair and elan, and is also distinctly and recognisably Welsh, it will contribute positively to that image."

Fforwm Crefft Cymru, which represents craftspeople in Wales, says it will be establishing a scheme of accreditation to raise craft status in response to the report. "If all the report's recommendations are acted upon it will lead to a significant impact on the rural economy," said Fforwm Crefft Cymru's Chairman, Stuart Neale. The report, authored by IWA Director John Osmond, calls on the Arts Council, the WDA, the Tourist Board and the new Council for Education and Training in Wales to produce a strategy for the Welsh craft industry:

• To raise the status of craftspeople in Wales by instituting a scheme along the lines of the English Crafts Council's Index of Selected Makers.
• To focus investment on the artistic end of the craft spectrum.
• To develop a network of galleries around Wales to promote craft and fine art.
• To put in place a more systematic approach to training.
• To explore the potential of internet website promotion.