There are 83 editions of the International Exhibition of Handicrafts in Florence, which succeeds in every occasion to renew the magic of which this event seems to be pervaded.
The 2019 edition will see a completely renewed look, in the 55000 square meters of the splendid Fortezza da Basso fiorentina. Many are the news for an edition that promises to be exciting, with a range of new projects with high cultural content. Starting with a tribute to Florence and Tuscany, at the center of two major exhibitions such as Florence on measure: Wunderkammer and The Seven Wonders of Tuscany. Florence on measure, promoted by the CR Firenze Foundation and curated by OMA – Art Crafts and Editorial Group Observatory with the preparation of EligoStudio, will see the creation of six “rooms of wonders”. Inspired by Leonardo’s Platonic solids, they will host works by 60 masters working in Florence, divided into 6 categories. A way also to pay homage to the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, on the 500th anniversary of his death. The show The seven wonders of Tuscany will bring to the stage, thanks to the care of Once, some Tuscan excellence, such as alabaster, ceramics, cutlery, bronze, marble, gold and tobacco. The evocative spaces of the Polveriera will host this event. MIDA is also charm and novelty at the same time. With this in mind we can certainly frame the presence of a proposal that comes from Iran, the country with the youngest population in the world. However, there will be many young artists present who will bring to the Fortress the magnetic strength and enthusiasm of their innovative creations. So Florence, a candidate for UNESCO Creative City 2019, becomes a meeting point between cultures, with two worlds to explore, the initiative curated in collaboration with the Iranian Ministry of Craft and the Italian Touring Club, aimed at opening new ones markets in Europe. Leonardo’s job: imagining, planning and realizing the future is the proposal of the Florence Architects Foundation and the Giovanni Michelucci Foundation in memory of the genius of da Vinci. Objective: to talk about the central theme of the project, through three events to be held on April 25th, 27th and 29th, which include meetings, round tables and workshops. At the center of attention is the link between design and making, between design and craftsmanship, between arm and mind, with designers and artisans in search of new creative processes. On the youth front, the brand new will be the section reserved for makers and digital craftsmanship with activities open to everyone to get to know the latest generation of craftsmanship and its relations with new technologies. MIDA 2019, for the first time, also becomes a real business platform. The event, thanks to the Chamber of Commerce of Florence which, through its Special Company PromoFirenze, is organizing a project to promote craftsmanship. A delegation of international operators will visit the exhibition to discover the best workings in the area. The incoming is generally reserved for about sixty operators already selected based on the type of exhibitors that include international buyers from the main European Union countries but also from non-European countries where our craftsmanship is particularly appreciated as the United States, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Russia. Alongside their influencers, journalists and bloggers will deal with telling the world how Florence and Tuscany are an excellence in unique workmanship that cannot be found elsewhere.