The *Encyclopedia of Crafts in Latin America* is the result of a challenging and successful combination of virtual tools and field research. Together with Dr. Kevin Murray, Melbourne-based project coordinator, I had the privilege of organizing the intellectual preparation of the encyclopedia’s content from Paris, in close collaboration with our two regional editors, Cecilia Duque Duque (Colombia) and Rosa María Rojas (Mexico).
This collective work, fully funded by the Ghada Hijjawi-Qaddumi Foundation for Crafts and Arts, aims to combine academic studies with technical and practical knowledge to preserve traditional crafts as part of cultural heritage and promote contemporary crafts as a creative industry.
The initiative to first develop an online encyclopedia offers a unique opportunity for the wide dissemination, through the Internet and related social networks, of a representative selection of crafts in each country in the region. In addition to encouraging e-commerce of quality artisan products, this database can serve as a useful platform for other projects, such as tourist guides, professional training, government advocacy, and private intervention in support of the sector.
Last but not least, in the face of global threats of natural disasters following the Coronavirus crisis, the encyclopedia illustrates the need and possibilities of a hybrid approach for the future development of crafts in Latin America and elsewhere, through the alliance between virtual tools and the traditional chain of local markets, national and regional craft fairs.
Indrasen Vencatachellum