Argentine National Market of Traditional Arts and Crafts (MATRA)
The National Directorate of Cultural Industries of the Secretariat of Culture of Argentina is in charge of this project, created to promote and protect Argentine traditional art and craft activities, and to foster the marketing of these products.
Art and craft products have a set of features that represent the cultural heritage and identity of communities and peoples, connecting tradition and innovation, languages and aesthetics, according to the different historical periods. Vectors of cultural diversity, artisans have transmitted their skills from generation to generation, contributing to our rich heritage. Artisans at large and traditional artisans in particular have serious difficulties to virtuously market their products, and for this reason the MATRA helps Master Craftsmen to display their skills, exhibit their products and market them at fair prices. In addition, it carries out a federal action by providing oversight advise.
It is implemented through a series of interventions including awards, meetings, participation in national and international fairs, training and seminars, under the following modes:
- consensus
- visit to production sites
- participation in fairs
US $125,000.00
Research is being conducted at the Anthropology Course of Study at the UBA and the INAPL- Institute of Anthropology and Latin American Thinking, and in the crafts field at FLACSO – Latin American School of Social Sciences, to evaluate the programme's impact. The results are still under evaluation.