What is a craftsman
If you speak Spanish, you know that the word "artesanía" can refer to the work of people working in a small factory, of people assembling components to make
"artistic" jewellery or of people carefully painting pre-moulded plaster of paris angels. The biggest problem is in fact that Spanish does not really include a single word where the English use the word "skill". To forestall this confusion, Amata states clearly in its Statutes what is meant by the words "artesano" and "artesanía". We think that the excerpts from the Statutes explain very clearly what Amata stands for and what it wants to achieve, with a summary at the end if you don't want to plough through all this.
Summary
Amata wants to create opportunities for the individual and talented craftsman to sell his or her products directly to an interested public, so they can go on making beautiful things and so that old crafts stay alive and don't disappear into museums. Amata tries to improve the standards in the street markets and fairs where artesanía is sold, so that people looking for good quality hand made goods get used to the idea they can buy it in a (Amata) Craft Fair or Medieval Market.
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The aims of Amata
excerpts from Amata's bye-laws
Not just a pretty face
excerpts from Amata's bye-laws and statutes
Art. 4º Definitions
Whenever the official statutes use the word "craft" they must be taken to mean artistic or skilled applied art, that is, all the different types of craftwork which transform primary or basic materials such as wood, clay, metal, yarn into useful and/or decorative objects using manual labour, and a reasonably high level of training, skill, talent or creativity. In this sense craft work does not include food or food products, no does it include purely aesthetic or medicinal products or therapies.
Whenever the official statutes use the word "craftsman" they must be taken to mean a person, man or woman, who works at his or her craft in the sense set out in the preceding paragraph, either part time or full time, as a profession or as a hobby.
Art. 5º Aims
This association has as its aims:
1 Improving the quality, the image and the promotion of arts and crafts, traditional and new, practiced by craftsmen and artists who work alone or with just a single assistant or partner.
2 Draw the attention of the general public to the existence, in all its aspects, of arts and crafts.
3 Stimulate craftsmen and artists to widen their horizons, exchange their experience with other craftsmen and artists and to perfect their work.
4 Inform and train artists and craftsmen of the requirements needed to present and promote their products and to improve the image of their craft.
5 Raise the consciousness and make town halls, provincial government, other governmental bodies, organizations and persons who could be interested in fairs, trade fairs, workshops, exhibitions and other similar activities related to the arts and crafts, more aware of the needs and infrastructure required to enable craftsmen and women to earn a living and ply their craft.
Art. 6º Activities
In order to achieve these aims, the association organizes the following activities.
1 Take the necessary action so as to create the possibility of setting up arts and craft fairs, trade fairs, workshops, exhibitions and other similar activities which offer an opportunity for crafts people to demonstrate their skill and offer their products for sale.
2 Take the necessary action to set up courses, conferences and similar activities related to the arts and crafts at regional, national and inter-national level.
3 Organize or delegate to other entities or competent persons the actual organization of the activities mentioned above in points 1 and 2 with a view to making them regular events.
4 Establish norms and standards for the activities in point 1 above with a view to improving the quality of these activities and in particular their organization, promotion and participation.
5 Make contact with other and similar associations and groups in other parts of Spain and outside Spain to exchange knowledge and experience.
6 Produce informative magazines and other writing about all aspects of the arts and crafts and the activities of AMATA.
All the activities of AMATA are purely in the interest of the arts and crafts and the people who practice these arts and crafts, as set out in Art. 4.
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