Annual Meeting Place for Fine Craft Professionals and Fans in Newfoundland and Labrador Reinvents Itself

Transformed into a webinar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Craft @ the Edge: A Handmade Future festival encourages productive exchanges among fine craft practitioners.

A virtual fine craft symposium

The Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador’s festival, which brings together fine craft artists from as many as 10 countries and a host of fans, has reinvented itself during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transformed into a two-day webinar, the 2020 edition of the Craft @ the Edge: A Handmade Future festival that was originally scheduled for October 1 and 2 will now take place in 2021. Artisans representing a variety of practices will discuss the central role of innovation during virtual panel discussions. The livestreamed panels, which will also be recorded and posted online, will be available to fine craft artists everywhere free of charge.

Fine crafts: a major cultural and economic force

The Craft @ the Edge: A Handmade Future festival showcases the role of fine crafts as a driver of development in Canada, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador, where it plays an important cultural and economic role. To fully appreciate the creativity and know-how that characterizes fine craft practices, audiences will have to wait until 2021, when the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador team presents the workshops, exhibitions, and talks originally planned for the 2020 festival.