A total of 25 craft artists received the "Taiwan Crafts Workshop (臺灣工藝之家)" certification from Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) at a certifying ceremony held at the Taipei Branch of the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) on December 13.
This is the sixth time that craft workshops of uniqueness have received the NTCRI sponsored certification. Between 2004 and 2012, 145 craft workshops were selected. The institute restarted the program this year.
Premier Su Tseng-chang expressed his respect for the awardees, and, at the same time, he instructed the Ministry of Culture to commit more resources and establish more platforms so that craft artisans of various types may increase the exposure of their works and the public will have more opportunities to appreciate their superb artisanship.
Premier Su added that he looks forward to further cooperation between the central and local governments in support of artisans so that Taiwan's diverse artistic accomplishments may be passed on to later generations and her charm shared with the rest of the world.
The Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te pointed out that there have been five "Taiwan Crafts Workshop" selections carried out in the past, and through accumulated efforts as well as a system of rigorous evaluation, 25 craft artists were selected this time. The "Taiwan Crafts Workshop" program not only displays diverse cultural and artistic capabilities, it also helps boosting local tourism and enhancing local creative capacities. Congratulating the artisans who were certified, Minister Lee said he expects that through more publicity and promotion, the "Taiwan Crafts Workshop" program will achieve its aims and flourishes.
According to the NTCRI , the "Taiwan Crafts Workshop" program was established to certify gifted artisans. Through this certification system, the institute intends to connect talented artisans from all over Taiwan. Between 2004 and 2012, five Taiwan Crafts Workshop certification selections were carried out, with 145 artisans certified. Its sixth certification selection took place this year, and those who were selected needed to pass through three trials. The preliminary shortlist was based on the recommendations of county and city governments. The NTCRI invited professional experts and scholars to conduct the second process of selection. The final selection was on-site evaluation. The comprehensive evaluation included crafts achievement, characteristic, and display setup.
The "Taiwan Crafts Workshop" program can contribute to the promotion of cultural tourism by joining the craft industry and the tourism sector, through featured tours to craft workshops and craft courses at studios. While the certified artisans are responsible for passing on and promoting Taiwan's craft industry, the NTCRI will continue to support artisans and endeavor to make Taiwan's craftsmanship recognized on world stage.