Designer meets Artisan

For Craft Revival Trust and Ritu Sethi under the aegis of UNESCO Sharmila produced an updated and revised version of the seminal, 'Designers meets Artisans’. The publication was produced in response to the needs of artisans, craft activists, curators and others.It synthesised learnings from across the globe into an expanded set of guidelines section to examine the complexity, process and modalities of working with artisans. The focus of the publication was honouring cultural identities in the context of craft production. Sharmila researched and wrote case studies, as well as the broader text to underline practical applications for negotiating a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship between artisans and designers that can be used by a wide range of those working in the craft sector. As a tool and source of advocacy, the ultimate aim was to raise questions and provoke deeper thinking about these issues, rather than deliver universal answers.