Isfahan, Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, has launched its Handicraft Winter School on 20 January 2019. During a two-week day event, short-term training courses in design and artisanship were provided to the women of the Iranian city.

With its more than 190 fields of handicrafts, the preservation of local traditions and the development of the creative sector have always been an economic and social priority for Isfahan.

In this framework, the Winter School provides the opportunity to empower and professionalize women in the disciplines of the embossing (i.e. engraving on metal), enameling (miniature painting on metal), leather sewing, tile painting and Isfahan’s traditional design, under the supervision of experts.

More broadly, the Winter School has the following objectives, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth):

• Generating interest among women in the field of Crafts and Folk Art;
• Enhancing social participation through culture;
• Developing short and effective training;
• Exchanging and learning from the international best practices;
• Experimenting new creative possibilities in the field of Crafts and Folk Art; and
• Raising awareness on local historical culture.

The school hosts about 400 people and is open for volunteers. Isfahan invited international designers and artisans to participate and contribute with their ideas through exhibitions and workshops.