Craft Enhancement in the Caribbean
Craft Specialist & Trainer
Organization of American States: Craft Enhancement Program
Organization of American States (OAS) and its “Craft Enhancement & Business Planning Training” invited Daniela to prepare a training program for 123 artisans in six Caribbean countries. A business and sales training and a product development program was designed for around twenty artisans in each country following her methodology that included assessment, theoretical training, and product development through individual sessions.
Dominica
Discover Dominica Authority
In Dominica the consultant worked with the Kalinago community in the rural area. The basket weavers had achieved an excellent quality in this traditional activity, various generations of weavers work in this media.
Product development presented the artisans with a notion of a product family of related products helps the buyer to visualize multiple uses as opposed to a single product.
The process allows the artisans to work in their products starting with the creative effort of originating product lines from existing products, this process is guided by the consultant until the activity become a tool for the artisans.
Antigua & Barbuda
Ministry of Tourism, Economic Development, Investment and Energy
Interesting traditional techniques of clay modeling by hand and working with wild tamarind seeds, are highly sophisticated processes.
Based on needs detected during the assessment, training courses included packaging, display, and exhibition design with the goal of increasing prices and sales.
St. Vincent & The Grenadines
The artisans fashioned very artistic products within their offering of souvenirs. The introduction of design concepts and product categories helped to improve the quality and diversification.
Artisans had the initiative to recover old techniques and medias as an effort to preserve cultural heritage, the consultant helped them develop the concepts for their strategy.
Grenada
Grenada Tourism Authority
Artisans in Grenada actively participated in the individual product development sessions where the primary approach was to update and improve existing products as well as expand product lines.
Experimental techniques with natural and recycled materials were developed using various skills.
A remarkable artist, Terry Moore, designed his own line of coconut shell candleholders and bowls based on the training program’s guidelines.
St. Kitts & Nevis
St. Kitts & Nevis is the only country in the region where the Government supports an organization employing different artisans in “The Craft Houses” were several medias are featured in a variety of workshops shared in the House.
The product development process included artisans working both in the “Craft Houses” one workshop in St. Kitts and another in Nevis, and artisans working independently.
Jamaica
The Jamaican project focused on artisans working in textiles and fashion and the intervention included more time with each individual artisan culminating in an exhibition.
After theoretical training in groups, artisans met with the consultant in individual sessions later forming small groups where the technical aspects of skills and color combinations were developed.
The exhibition had the aim of highlighting the training results, at the same time, artisans could receive input regarding their products from people related to the sector (store owners, project managers, etc).
The set-up process and overall outcome also served as a training experience for the artisans.
Developing projects within a very limited time frame is a challenge, longer term projects are the best way to assure greater impact, however, the consultant’s extensive experience in training and design allowed her to provide participants with a basic understanding of buyer behavior and tools for improving the quality and innovation of their products.