The second most important commercial showcase for the country's craft sector will be held in Plaza Mayor Medellín from Friday, September 9 to Sunday, September 18, with the presence of nearly 300 ethnic, traditional and contemporary artisans.
Came back Expoartesano La Memoria 2022, the great cultural fair that exalts the crafts and work of the thousands of Colombians who dedicate themselves to this profession in all regions of the country. Thousands of visitors will come to the venues of Plaza Mayor Medellin to welcome the artisans and celebrate with them the encounter with our legacy. This will be a unique opportunity to interact with representatives of a tradition that remains alive in our region.
The event will take place from Friday, September 9, starting at 12:00 p.m., and will continue until Sunday, September 18, until 8:00 p.m.. It is estimated that nearly 20,000 visitors will arrive at the Plaza Mayor venues, who are expected by the artisans to acquire the pieces that have been made with care and dedication during recent months. For them this is one of the most important commercial showcases of the year.
“This edition of Expoartesano La Memoria will be a meeting to celebrate knowledge, creativity, talent, culture and tradition. We want to pay a festive tribute to this resilient and valuable sector that tells us about the variety of symbols, territories, raw materials that constitute Colombia and make it unique. After a few hard years of the pandemic, and after making progress in economic reactivation, the time has come to say Long live the artisans! Long live the crafts!” he notes. Manuela Montoya, deputy manager of Promotion and Commercial Opportunities of Artesanías de Colombia.
The price for entry per day to the fair will be $20,000, additionally you can access a badge for the ten days of the event for $40,000. Children under 12 years old enter for free. Visitors will be able to check at the box office for special discounts for Comfama members, the Somos EPM card and other entities. On the other hand, the fair's hours will be from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, except for the first day of opening, which will open doors to the public at 12:00 m.
“After two very complex years for the country's artisans, Artesanías de Colombia, Plaza Mayor Medellín and in general for our entire region, it is very gratifying to mention that the event agenda for the rest of this year continues to be packed. This time it is the turn for Expoartesano La Memoria 2022, a version that celebrates in person the ancestral techniques that dress our venues with color, life, charm and emotion. For the Heart of Medellín it is very satisfactory to have the doors open to a fair that allows us to continue boosting the economic development of our city and region. We are waiting for you at our venues so that together we can celebrate the legacy of our country!”, stated the General Manager of Plaza Mayor, Víctor Hugo Zapata Madrigal.
Economic impact
The last edition, Expoartesano 2021 left very positive news for the sector, the $2,293 million in sales, figures that exceeded the expectations that were had in the run-up to the event, and the registration of 18,173 visitors, a greater number than expected. expected, are the results that demonstrate the great reception that this event has with its public.
In version number XIII, the expectation is that artisans reach $3,000 million in sales, income that will positively impact their quality of life, that of their families and communities.
On this occasion, as in 2021, the artisans will exhibit their work in two formats: in person at Plaza Mayor Medellín, whose venue is ready to receive visitors without any restrictions on their entry, and in www.expoartesano.com.co, where they can be contacted directly to learn about their work and purchase their creations.
On this virtual platform, users from anywhere in Colombia will find the details of the artisans, to contact them directly via WhatsApp and place their orders.
What to see at Expoartesano La Memoria 2022?
Thanks to the alliance between Plaza Mayor Medellín and Artesanías de Colombia, this year the fair will have the participation of nearly 300 ethnic, traditional or peasant and contemporary artisans, divided into two groups: in the White Pavilion, La Memoria, you will find the ethnic crafts from 29 ethnic groups in the country; In the Yellow Pavilion, Testimony and Evolution, there will be traditional crafts from all regions of Colombia, contemporary crafts for the home, decoration, musical and children's instruments, as well as jewelry, bijouterie and clothing; In the Main Hall you will experience the cultural zone “The clay has a voice”, a museum exhibition curated by the Museum of Antioquia, in which crafts, pottery and ceramics will be the protagonists. This will have a digital and audiovisual component that will allow visitors to live an immersive experience to learn the history of each piece.
On the other hand, in the terrace area the gastronomic offer will be available, with typical traditional snacks and cuisines from different regions, with ancestral preparations of corn, chocolate, cocoa, among multiple options of salty and sweet snacks. There will also be artistic expressions with different groups and groups, which will liven up the days for visitors.
Cultural Agenda (Voices, the 2022 celebration)
At Expoartesano 2022 we take every corner of Plaza Mayor to have samples of crafts, artistic expressions, knowledge talks, exhibition and application of fashion, use of crafts for the home and much more. Find out about our agenda through our social networks, and follow us as @expoartesano on Instagram and Expoartesano on Facebook.
This shared knowledge space, created by Artesanías de Colombia, which will be located in the Main Hall, aims to allow the public to participate in conversations with artisans and with professionals from different disciplines who are related to this activity, such as graphic designers, industrial, clothing and jewelry, anthropologists, sociologists, communicators, statisticians, marketing specialists, salespeople, among others.
Every day, from 11:30 am to 6:00 pm, we will have slots with the following content:
Sharing swaths of knowledge and trade samples
“We celebrate knowledge and crafts”: craftsmanship is a celebration. Seeing how it is done live is a unique experience.
Talent strips on stage. Tones and beats
“We celebrate talents”: we will celebrate artisans with music, dance and talents, with cultural crafts that inspire craftsmanship.
Design, fashion, decoration and table stripes
“We celebrate creativity”: craftsmanship is an unwritten story, a story that is told and repeated, renewed and changed. As in history, the story is sustained over time and is reinterpreted to produce new possible futures. Tradition and innovation find imperfect balances that allow creativity.
Strips of traditional cuisines and gastronomy
“We celebrate tradition”: we celebrate the crafts of culture, those that preserve
the knowledge and flavor of their territories, to inspire artisanal work and enhance tradition.
The event is organized by Artesanías de Colombia and Plaza Mayor Medellín, in alliance with the Mayor's Office of Medellín, District of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Government of Antioquia; with the support of EPM, Celsia, Fundación Fraternidad Medellín, MUV, Sura, Daviplata, Comfama and Avianca. Bancolombia and the Inter-American Development Bank –IDB– also participate.
