ICHCAP

The EthnoFest: International Summit of Craft and Design will be held at pavilions 4, 5, and 6 during ExpoGeorgia in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 28 to 30 September 2018. Supported by Tbilisi City Assembly, Tbilisi City Hall, the Reserve Fund of the President of Georgia, the Ministry of Culture and Sport of Georgia, Georgian National Tourism Administration, Enterprise Georgia, National Agency for Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Georgia, Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, U.S. Embassy in Georgia and other local and international partners and donors, the event is organized by the Georgian Arts and Culture Center (GACC) to preserve and develop heritage crafts traditions.

The summit is the second international gathering of crafts makers, designers, entrepreneurs, retailers, and experts in the South Caucasus region. In the first Summit in 2016, there were participants from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia but this time EthnoFest is willing to widen the geography of participating countries to attract producers from the beyond of region. It aims to build a platform for craftspeople and designers to introduce their work to a wider audience, buyers, and international consultants; raise awareness about heritage crafts traditions of the participants’ countries; stimulate exchange and cooperation in the field of crafts and design through series of special networking sessions; and support economic sustainability of the craft sector through contests, such as Best Booth.

Exhibitors who would like to take part should submit a completed participant application form including five photos of their artwork by 30 June. Selected applicants will be notified by 15 July. Exhibitors will have opportunity to participate in all activities. The summit program as part of the EXPO includes public lectures, presentations, and workshops led by international crafts experts and consultants. There are neither entrance fees nor preliminary registration fees for experts and buyers. But to make public presentation in the Central stand area, experts and buyers should submit a short CV, a presentation topic and an outline before 30 July 2018. Details are available on the web at TbilisiEthnoFest.ge.