My Handmade Armenia is one of the major initiatives of the My Armenia program, supporting the growth, and, in some cases, revitalization of craft traditions in Armenia’s rural communities including wood carving, stone carving, embroidery, carpet weaving, and pottery.
The products are created by artisans during the Designer|Artisan Apprenticeship program, which launched in March with nearly sixty artisans attending trainings in product development, branding and marketing and cost and price. After the training, artisans worked with design mentors from Folk Art Hub Foundation and Teryan Cultural Center and emerging Armenian designers on a series of collaborative projects.
The My Handmade Armenia Festival is organized by the My Armenia Program, funded by USAID and implemented by the Smithsonian Institution. We would also like to acknowledge the generous support of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts for providing the Cafesjian Sculpture Garden for the Festival.