What does a botanical printer based in Copons have in common with two sisters who make tapestries for America from La Llacuna, or an artist who combines sculpture with ceramics and jewelry in a Tous workshop, or a father and his daughter who from El Bruc create wooden characters? All of them and many other artisans from the Anoia region have come together in the recently created brand Artisania.
Linking craftsmanship and creativity with the rural area, that’s the idea. This is an initiative within the Anoia in Transition project, which has the support of the Regional Council of Anoia, the Diputación de Barcelona, ​​the Consorci de Comerç, Artesania i Moda de Catalunya and the town councils of Bruc, Copons, la Llacuna and Tous . A plan open to the artisanal and creative community of the region, which will soon be joined by new villages.
The idea was born in 2018 from the need to recover empty spaces in Tous, a municipality with some 1,300 residents. They entrusted the challenge to Belén Atienza and Bet Parramon, from the consultancy bbintervencions. After studying the reality of the town, they concluded that crafts could be the solution. “It is an activity that fits with the values ​​of the rural world and complements the existing trade,” says Parramon. The idea was liked and the Council proposed incorporating more municipalities. “They are different, but with common problems, and they fit the ideaâ€, adds Atienza.
A census of artisans in the region has been drawn up, reaching 150 people. With the creation of the Artisania brand, the aim is to coordinate them, help them, make the project visible and encourage the arrival of new artisans. “The idea is to make a call to foreign artisans who want to settle here, offer them spaces to live and work,” they explain.
Ana Párraga, an Andalusian who has lived in Catalonia for 23 years, has set up her workshop and home in the small town of Copons, with just over 300 inhabitants. In the past she dedicated herself to corsetry and now to botanical print. “Before it was a hobby, but a year and a half ago I jumped into the pool,” she says. “It’s being slow,” she admits, but her commitment is clear. Copons is essential for the success of the project: “Here, I go out in the morning to walk my dog, I collect the leaves and the plants that I stamp; the space where I live gives me the raw materialâ€.
The González sisters, Mercè and CecÃlia, set up their Desedamas workshop in La Llacuna some time ago. “We used to come here when we were young and we thought, why not?†explains Mercè. They have always worked with silk, first painting handkerchiefs or scarves, but little by little they have specialized in a line of interior design, with tapestries. As a result of the pandemic they began to sell online and it is working for them. They exhibit on an American portal and 80% of their sales cross the pond. “Textile art is given more value there,†acknowledges Mercè.
After 25 years as a jeweler in Barcelona, ​​Cesc Oliveras decided to quit and focus more on sculpture, “which he had as a hobbyâ€. He now combines it with ceramics and contemporary jewelry. He first settled in Bruc and then, “seeking even more tranquilityâ€, he moved to Tous. “Nature gives you inspirational images, textures…â€, he points out.
At Bruc, Xell Navarro and his father Jordi handcraft wooden characters. “My father had always wanted to try the artisan wood lathe,†says Xell, who paints the wood his father shapes. That’s where Giravolta was born. They sell at fairs and in two bookstores in Esparraguera. They create characters, personalized figures, have a collection of painters and recently one of pioneering women.
Ana, Mercè, CecÃla, Cesc, Xell and Jordi, all of them artists, form part of the Artisania brand and agree on the success of the idea. “It has opened a window for usâ€, says Ana. “It has put a lot of different people in contact, with similar passions, who until now were stuck in our caves, a beautiful projectâ€, she adds.
